Big Ideas, SMALL CHURCH.
Malibu UMC didn’t have a lot of tech volunteers, but they wanted to level up their results. Particularly in their audio and their live stream, they were ready for improvements.
At A Glance
Location: Malibu, CA
Services: Audio, Lighting, A Total Video System, IT/Networking, Volunteer Training
The Challenge
An Unwiedly System Had Grown Organically
Malibu United Methodist Church (Malibu UMC) needed to bridge the gap between their traditional sanctuary setting and the demands of modern, hybrid worship.
Like many churches, their system was a collection of small changes over time. There was a system upgrade from 15 years ago, with a live-streaming system laid on top. The system upgrade from 15 years ago was complex, and a bit long in the tooth.
The live-streaming equipment demonstrated heroic efforts from parishioners during the COVID pandemic, but it’s weaknesses were increasingly obvious. It relied on an innovative iPad app that connected multiple iPads via WiFi. Each iPad functions as a camera, while a volunteer in the back of the room livestreams, controlling the whole system with another iPad. It’s technologically impressive, but the real-world results were problematic.
They required a robust system that could handle high-quality live streaming, immersive house audio, and dynamic lighting—all while becoming easier for their staff and volunteers.
The project demanded a complete renovation across multiple spheres…and lots of volunteer support.
The first thing you have to see is how lovely this chapel is! But then...you notice the unsightly iPad mount literally suspended above the 2nd row of pews.
The distinct aesthetic of this sanctuary might be best seen in this large stained glass piece at the rear of their chancel. It is stunning. And during certain parts of the day, the setting sun illuminates it. Other parts of the day, it is less majestic. What can be done to improve this?
This collection of equipment gave the church lots of tools to improve sound quality...but dozens of knobs are easy to bump. And it's hard to train people to use equipment like this.
Some of this equipment remained usable after the upgrades. However, they needed to be protected (amplifiers turned up too loud can damage speakers), and find a new location.
While unsightly cables are part of life with an Audio/Video system, it had gotten a bit out of hand. Much of our work would be to replace cables, and add new cables, while reducing cable visibility for most parishioners.
These cables are indicative of the problem. While some cabling is unavoidable, it was important to Malibu to improve visible wires like this...without a budget large enough to open up these slanted walls.
There are serious space limitations at this church! The Fire Code for the room is about 60 people, so it is important to make a lot happen with not much space.
While this mixer was quite capable in its day, newer solutions are both easier to use, and provide better support to live streaming (while fixing a dozen other issues).
This is a better view of their chancel, with the stained glass wall in the back.
See the metal frame hanging above the 2nd row of pews? It is at eye level. That's an iPad mount, hanging in the middle of the sanctuary. It seems small in this photo, but in person, it is right in the way of much of the congregation. This allowed the church to use an iPad to get a great angle on the pastor...but it meant the people in the room had to look past the mount.
In a sanctuary this small, tripods are a tripping hazard. One goal was to remove tripods from the sanctuary. We did that by wall-mounting PTZ cameras.
The Solution:
A Unified Ecosystem
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A high-fidelity front-of-house system designed for both spoken word clarity and musical richness, ensuring every seat in the sanctuary is the "best seat in the house."
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A multi-camera PTZ setup integrated with a dedicated broadcast suite, allowing MUMC to reach their congregation globally with professional-grade production.
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A versatile LED lighting plot that enhances the visual atmosphere for both in-person attendees and the digital audience.
This liturgical space wanted lighting that enhanced liturgical elements of their worship, and also supported community events. -
Implementation of industry-leading slideshow and presentation software, mapped to an intuitive control interface for seamless service flow.
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None of the above works without a rock-solid foundation. We overhauled the church’s IT infrastructure, installing high-speed networking and dedicated VLANs to ensure the livestream and internal systems never miss a beat.n
The volunteer friendly setup
The Combination of Proclaim software and our customized video switching hardware simplified stress on weekly volunteers, while allowing Malibu UMC to achieve higher quality results.
This paid for for the in-person worship, as well as the live stream.
Proclaim creates the graphics, lyrics, slides, and green-screen effects. It is programmed during the week by church staff (from Starbucks, or their office). Then, Sunday morning, volunteers run something as simple as PowerPoint.
The Video hardware combines all these sources in a way a volunteer can learn in 90 seconds.
From This…
To This…
Audio Simplified
Anyone who has spent time in an A/V booth knows: audio is the hardest part of the media team.
Our solutions for Malibu improved this in 2 ways:
A Well-Designed Digital Mixer simplifies the job for volunteers, and
Our Live-Stream processor works as a backup to the volunteer, catching their mistakes, ensuring a high-quality live stream with a consistent volume.
From This…
To This…
Lighting for the livestream
Malibu knew that better cameras only take a church so far: they needed better lighting, as well.
Previous lighting improvements had felt tacked on, with an inconsistency that undermined the aesthetic of their lovely church.
Our replacement was a massive improvement to their live stream quality, their in-person worship, all with an aesthetic that felt right for their church.
Do you notice it’s not a huge change? That’s precisely the point. While the new lighting system can do dramatic things for Good Friday, or community partners, the default settings simply make their existing space better.
From This…
To This…
Compare The Results
One can see the results of Malibu’s work by comparing the quality of their livestreams, before and after.
However, you can also see the difference when you visit their church. You can hear the difference when you visit their church. The musicians sound better, the pastor is more clear, and unsightly wires are improved.
Perhaps most importantly, you can feel the difference when you are on staff. The volunteer team is more sustainable. It is easier to train new volunteers. This new approach will carry Malibu UMC far into the future.
From This…
To This…
A typical Sunday morning is now easier to administer, with higher quality results.
The best part of the new system? It's set up in a way to invite new volunteers.
The live-streaming system is easy enough to teach in about 90-seconds. In fact, it makes an ideal entry point for new volunteers.
Wall-mounted cameras clean tripods off the floor, and allow the church to put cameras at eye level (where they belong).
While this lighting setup will rarely be helpful for the church, they do host community partners, such as a weekly event called Malibu Music. It was important to create usable lighting setups for community partners as well.
