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Home/Digital Ministry/Why Hybrid Is Not Just for Cars and Superhero Movies Anymore: Equipment to put it all together

Why Hybrid Is Not Just for Cars and Superhero Movies Anymore: Equipment to put it all together

Looking for the basics? Read Pauli’s previous article Why Hybrid Is Not Just for Cars and Superhero Movies Anymore: Hybrid formation & discipleship basics.

Wait…you mean I have to buy stuff??

Well, sort of…you need the right equipment to bring it together. Check with your regional authority — diocese, etc. — to see if grants are available to help defray technology costs.

The Basics:
1. A microphone—we need to be able to hear each other 
2. A camera—we need to be able to see each other 

A useful tip: successful events are 90% audio, 10% video and everything else. As long as you can hear each other well, that’s the most important thing.

A Word About Feedback
Feedback happens when a microphone can hear the same thing twice. For example, when you speak into a microphone and a speaker in the room broadcasts your voice loud enough so that the same microphone can hear it. Do your best to avoid feedback at all costs.

Solution 1: A Modern Laptop

– A simple one, they are designed for this type of interaction
– Chances are that you can borrow one/use your own
– Microphone and camera are built in (no additional equipment to be purchased
– Works for a SMALL group of people seated around a table
– Cons: camera and mic area is limited to the immediate space around the device

Add-on 1: webcam and tripod
– Extends the range of your video
– Most include a built-in microphone 
– A tripod lets you mount the camera in a stable position 
– Recommendation: Logitech c920s webcam (pictured) and Basic Tripod

Add-On 2: omnidirectional microphone 
– An omnidirectional microphone can help you pick up more sound and extend the range of how far people can sit from each other
– Helps enforce social distancing
– Con: need to be careful of feedback
– Recommendation: Blue Yeti microphone

Solution 2: Video Conferencing System

– Designed for this purpose 
– Usually an all-in-one device that connects to your computer 
– Cons: expensive. Requires you to sit closer to the device
– Recommendation: Logitech BCC950

Solution 3: Individual Devices

– Invite your participants to use their own devices to connect to a shared web conference meeting
– Easier to enforce social distancing
– Cons: you will absolutely need everyone to have their own headphones and mic to avoid feedback and you’ll still all be on a web conference

Product Purchasing Links 

If you use these exact links, your purchase will support The Saint James School, an Episcopal middle school that serves an under-resourced neighborhood in Philadelphia, providing free tuition to all students.

  • Webcam
  • Basic tripod
  • Blue yeti Microphone
  • Conference webcam

A PDF of these recommendation is available here. Free to use with attribution to the author, Pauli (Paul E.) Reese.


Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash.

Print PDF

May 26, 2021 By Pauli (Paul E.) Reese (they/them/their)

Filed Under: Digital Min Popular, Digital Ministry Tagged With: camera, conference, formation, hybrid, livestreaming, microphone, tripod, video, webcam

About Pauli (Paul E.) Reese (they/them/their)

Pauli (Paul E.) Reese is a Candidate for Ordination to the Priesthood in The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Their mission is to help people and parishes know their belovedness and tell their story, creating a world where kindness and love become infectious and irresistible. As a digital content producer, they have collaborated with industry-leading film and tv professionals and churches across the country. They regularly create content for Freestyle Love Supreme Academy, a spinoff of Lin Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop improv group that teaches its students the history and the art of rap as expression and social justice; (check them out here: https://fls.academy). They are a co-pastor of The Welcome Church, a worshipping community without walls that serves the unsheltered residents of Philadelphia. Their patron saint is the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Their birthday is October 20, and you can follow them on Instagram and Twitter at @episcopaulian.

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