After reading emails, writing articles and sermons, and keeping up with industry articles, I thought you’d enjoy an infographic today about why social media is NOT a waste of time (ok, perhaps some of the time it’s a waste, but certainly not all the time): Social Media is NOT a Waste of Time [Infographic] is a post from: ChurchTechToday [Link]

This video brings back a lot of memories of my own life growing up with a little brother. We probably have a video much like this one so the fact that these two brothers have now decided to go back to these "cinematic works" from their childhood and offer a commentary much like you get in the extras of a DVD is sheer genius. If you like this one, there are two more available also. Flash player required to view this content. Please install flash player. Read Entire Post: Video of the Week: Home Video Commentary [Link]

Богор~ to popular demand we’re bring back the audio podcast! Now you can enjoy the show on the go! [Link]

In case you hadn't noticed, personal monitors are exploding. Well, that's not true; the market for personal mixers is exploding. Aviom started it all back in the late '90s (and hasn't done anything since...), and we've seen many new players take the field in recent years. Roland has their M-48s; MyMix is doing well, we looked at the new Elite Core system at WFX, heck, even Behringer has a personal mixing system. And now we have Pivitec. The analog input module. The team at Pivitec are the same guys who designed the original Aviom system. Apparently, they are not content ... [Link]

This is a guest post by my good friend, Duke Dejong. He got hands on with the new Mackie mixer and here is his overview. What makes the DL1608 so unique is the fact that outside of gain knobs, the mixer is entirely iPad based, with all of your mixing and processing control happening real time on either a docked or wirelessly connected iPad. Sporting 16 of their Onyx pre-amps (4 being combo mic/line inputs) with 24bit Cirrus Logic® AD/DA converters and a 4 band EQ, compression and gate for each input, this mixer has some possibilities as a great ... [Link]

Lectrosonics is the wireless system of choice for broadcast and film production, but they are relatively unknown in the HOW market. That's too bad, because they make some great products. My first really good wireless set was a Lectrosonics back when I owned my video company, and it was rock-solid and sounded great. Lectro makes some fantastic, feature-rich wireless products for installations as well. The Venue line of receivers packs 6 receivers into a single rack space. And while their bodypacks have been well respected, the handhelds have enjoyed a bit more lukewarm reception. With the new HH, that should ... [Link]

I am regularly asked for recommendations on how to record church services or sermons. Most people simply want to record to some kind of file, perhaps do a little editing or post processing, then upload to the web. While you could record straight to a laptop, that requires the laptop to be there at FOH, you need an interface, and you have to be confident the laptop won't bug out on you. Sometimes you want the hardware reliability of a rack-mountable recorder that just works. Tascam is here to hook you up. I found an entire rack full of recorders ... [Link]

Following up on their successful iLive line, A&H have introduced the new GLD. Think of the GLD as the SC48 to Avid's Profile. Whereas in the iLive, the DSP is done in the rack and the surface is an expensive keyboard, the GLD surface contains all the DSP and a small bit of I/O. With a simple Cat5 connection, additional I/O can be added. Now, I'll say up front that I don't really care for the UI of any of the A&H digital consoles. I'm not saying they're bad, I just don't really like them. They often don't work the ... [Link]

There it goes again. The red light is blinking, a notification pops up or alert sounded. Whatever the case, you just got distracted by your smartphone once again. Anyone who uses a smartphone knows this feeling all too well. The flashing red light, pop-up notification or alert means your smartphone is calling your name, it wants something from you. Better drop what you’re doing and go tend to it now… Such is the life of a smartphone slave…No one enjoys being one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. The alerts, pop-up notifications come at all hours: at home with the family, ... [Link]

Last year we got a sneak peak at Axient, Shure's new high-end wireless system. For those that can afford it, Axient is now shipping. I asked about pricing and was told, "Well, it's really based on a system; the Spectrum Manager, ShowLink and then how many channels and transmitters do you want?" An acutal number never came up... I'll keep digging. But ULXD does have pricing, and it's an interesting product. Unlike just about every other analog wireless system how there, the ULXD does not use companding. It transmits full-bandwidth audio from the mic (or guitar pack) to the receiver. ... [Link]

Released only a few months ago, the d:fine has been a hugely popular headset mic. I talked with my friend Jarrod from DPA and he told me they were flying off the shelves. It makes sense; it's a great mic. I've been recommending them to everyone because they are easy to use and they sound better than every other headset mic out there. The d:fine is a single ear headset, developed because many loved the sound of the 4066 and 4088, but didn't like the dual-ear design. Apparently, there are some who are happy because there was a request for ... [Link]

When I was at NAB last spring, I talked with Gepco about a new cable they were working on that included data, digital audio and power lines in one jacket. RunONE is now a real product and is available in a variety of configurations. Some of the example configurations of RunONE. The basic configuration consists of a single run of power along with two, eight or twelve lines of 110 Ohm audio. Because it's 110 Ohm, it can carry standard analog mic or line levels, digital audio or DMX (a single stringer for LEDs anyone?) You can also get a ... [Link]

We've been a little rough on the Presonus StudioLive mixer on the last few episodes. But the truth is, they provide a lot of bang for the buck and will find a home in many a church. And to be fair, Presonus continues to improve and innovate that product line, so we should really given them credit. QMix is a free iPhone app that gives users the ability to mix Aux sends for monitor mixes. Running in conjunction with the new version of Universal Control (1.5.3 as of this writing), you pair the iPhones with the computer connected to your ... [Link]

This is one of those products that I'm not exactly sure what it would be used for, but it's really cool. If you've ever had the desire to record, mix, edit and render out 48 tracks of audio on your iPad, your wish is fulfilled. Auria from WaveMachine Labs will let you do all that and more. With "vintage inspired" channel strips and the ability to run VST plug-ins (some restrictions apply), it's a pretty complete package. As an iPad, app, it's pretty amazing. It's very responsive and when I played with the tracks they had loaded up, it sounded ... [Link]

Several weeks ago, I put a call out on Twitter to interview anyone who deals with church technology and communication at their church. My idea was to interview a “regular joe” so-to-speak who is managing the day-to-day technology and communication needs of a church. That said, I had the pleasure of interviewing Will Lee, the director of Discipleship Ministries and Communication for Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, Virginia. Perhaps you will find that you are not alone in some of your challenges and successes. I would love to hear from more of my readers to find out what your ... [Link]

You've probably seen the Roland VR-5 audio/video mixer already. The VR-5 gives you 5 inputs, the ability to mix video and audio, prepare a stream for U-Stream or Livestream and record to USB. The VR-3 is similar, though it's a bit scaled down. The VR-3 is a four-channel composite only switcher with a small multi-view touch screen. It's very compact and like the VR-5 can send a web stream ready video data stream out the USB port. Unlike the VR-5, audio does not follow video, so you will have to mix both video and audio if you need that capability. ... [Link]

QR codes seem to be gaining a little bit of traction. A new Chadwick Martin Bailey study shows that half of all smartphone users have clicked a QR code before. The study makes it clear that consumers are now overwhelmingly aware (81%) of QR codes but they still haven't been convinced of their value. For the record, I believe that's a problem attributable to marketers using them poorly, not a lack of trying on the part of consumers. We know Facebook is popular for business but this new report shows that 89% of nonprofits also use Facebook. It is the ... [Link]

You may recall that Volkswagon had the most popular video of the Superbowl last year with their youg Darth Vader video. It looks like they're reaching back into the Star Wars inspired vault this year. Earlier this week VW released this teaser video called "The Bark Side" which is apparently a nod toward what they're planning for the Superbowl ad this year. Enjoy! Flash player required to view this content. Please install flash player. Read Entire Post: Video of the Week: VW Wins Again With The Bark Side [Link]

Conferences are a great way to hone your skills, whether you are a pastor, a church leader, a consultant, or in any way involved in the Church. While I don’t keep a comprehensive list on CTT, I do feel that it’s valuable to share information about upcoming conferences from time to time. groundSWELL by Leadership Network Happening online Thursday, March 1, Leadership Network has put together a conference that is all about the future of the Church. All the people being interviewed are teenagers, which should make for a really valuable and interesting online church conference. Oh yeah, it’s free! ... [Link]

I’ve been using LogMeIn for a good 5 years now, but I don’t know if I’ve ever written about it. More and more, we church techs are interacting with computers for critical elements of our jobs. Practically all our lighting, sound and video systems can be controlled remotely from a computer, so it makes sense that we be prepared to control those computers from outside the building. We may be home on a day off when a problem arises, or we may need to access a system at a campus across town (or across the country). There are dozens of ... [Link]