Today, I’m excited to walk you through the gear we use for our livestream at OKC Community Church. We’ve fine-tuned our setup over three years of trial and error, adapting to our unique situation of setting up and tearing down every week in a theater. Let’s delve into our gear and its approximate cost, serving as inspiration for your own setup.

Links to all of the gear can be found on the gear page.

Cameras:

  • Four Panasonic G85 cameras ($500 each on eBay)
  • Some cameras equipped with speedboosters for EF mount lenses
  • Cheapo monitors with homemade tally lights on the backs
  • HDMI to SDI adapters (Blackmagic micro converters)

Camera Positions:

  • Camera 1: Back corner for tight shots
  • Camera 2: Mid-center on DIY dolly system for wide and secondary shots
  • Camera 3: Handheld by the drum kit
  • Camera 4: Opposite side of the stage covering guitarist and sometimes keys

Communication:

  • Eartec Ultralite headsets with the Hub for communication (9 possible headset count)

Switcher Setup:

  • ATEM 2 M/E Constellation HD ($1700) with 20 SDI inputs and 12 SDI outputs
  • Feed from ProPresenter transformed for lower thirds and full-screen slides or videos
  • Supersource for side-by-side pastor with graphics
  • Clean feed for separate recording

Audio:

  • Soundboard mixbus into a small mixer for broadcast audio
  • Monitoring and mixing with Yamaha StageMix app on iPad
  • Audio directly into the ATEM Constellation (room for improvement in future)

Multiview and Control

  • Personal TV for multiview (55”, not color accurate but practical)
  • Streamdeck with Bitfocus Companion for ATEM control
  • Companion running on a Raspberry Pi for control over the network
  • Personal router and network switch for LAN setup, providing flexibility and security

Recording and Streaming:

  • ATEM Mini Pro ISO for secondary layer between video switching and streaming
  • Signals from ATEM Constellation into ATEM Mini for program feed, clean feed, and multiview
  • SSD recording of inputs from ATEM Mini Pro ISO for post-service use (program feed, clean feed, and multiview)
  • Livestream to YouTube with additional control buffer using the ATEM Mini Pro ISO

Cost Estimate:

  • Approximate total cost of gear: $10,000 (excluding additional items like FOH mixer, MacBook, and personal TV)
  • Value derived from buying/selling/trading and purchasing used equipment

Our journey has been a process of experimentation and adaptation, leading to a setup that meets our needs within budget constraints. While our setup may not be perfect for everyone, I hope it sparks ideas and addresses questions you may have about crafting your own livestreaming setup on a budget.

Until next time!


Got questions? Drop me a line through the contact form or reach out on Instagram!