Why create something unless it’s to share with others?

I’m fascinated by how we can use technology to help tell a compelling story.

Since 2005 our church has been recording sermons and messages and posting them to the website. When the audio consists of just one speaker, producing it for the web is a somewhat straightforward process.  I emphasize somewhat because it’s still a little bit involved. Words like “straightforward” and “easy” are all relative, based on the level of experience you have in capturing the audio and editing it to produce a file that you can later upload and share with others.

Background – equipment setup

I only got involved in the audio-visual ministry in mid-2006. I guess I could call it a ministry, even though it has never been formally considered as such. Last year in 2010, I took on more of a leadership role as my partner, Chuck, decided he needed a break – he’d been working with this for many more years than I have been.

Here are some of the components of our A/V system, at least as I recall:

• 40-track mixing board,
• Compressors,
• 6-channel wireless mic system,
• Two CD decks,
• Tw0 cassette decks (not used much these days),
• DVD player,
• VCR,
• Strand lighting system with its own mixing board,
• Donated Windows XP computer with Adobe Audition, ID3 TagIT, WS_FTP – used to record and produce media files for the website.
• Windows XP computer with MediaSHOUT, used to project song lyrics, graphics, announcements, video, etc. to the congregation

We currently have a team of three that work in the A/V room on Sundays: one guy to work the sound/mixing board, one guy to run special lighting when needed, and me. My primary areas of strength are the MediaSHOUT system, and content creation for the website.  I know the lighting a little bit more than the audio.

Multiple inputs + various dynamics = tricky editing

Usually, we record the message and post that to the website. Easter Sunday a week ago was a different service, which involved a re-enactment of the Last Supper, choirs, individual talks, and other songs.  We decided to record the entire audio to post to the website, since it would capture the crux of what the message was about.

During the Last Supper re-enactment, we realized that a wireless mic was muted, and so the audio from that was not captured very well.  Fortunately we had area mics set up and were able to capture something. At the end of service, the recording showed quite a contrast in dynamics. I knew that editing this would be more involved than usual, so I zipped it up and loaded it into Audacity.

Worship service file in Audacity

Producing for best possible quality

Producing audio for a live audience is different than for those who’ll listen later.  I’ve dealt with audio like this before, when I started podcasting back in 2005, and the process is similar to what I’ve done to produce episodes of How I Got My Job.  I broke each piece out into a separate file, produced it, and then brought them all back into the entire mix.

Each piece had its own needs. For example, the Last Supper scene had area mics, which captured a little bit of the audio. Even though I’d amplified the file as much as I could, it made the system hum much louder. Thankfully, I was able to remove this as much as possible and make it still sound great.

I got permission to excerpt a song from this mix into its own file and post it on the website. Check out the song “Surrendered” by Chase Mackintosh.

All-in-all, it took more time than I had initially planned, but for something like this, it was well-worth hearing the final product.  Take a listen to it here: Resurrection Sunday 2011 – Cincinnati Church of Christ.

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A couple weeks ago, Ed Ovett, Zack Daggy, Dwight Dunlop, Brent Bradley, and I reunited for something special. A few years ago, we’d periodically get together and do a variety show called The Pod 5. It was a time where we’d feature independent music, share technology info, and more or less horse around.

This reunion show gave us a chance to catch up, see what we’ve been up to, share some music, and, yes, horse around. Although no horses were harmed during this episode, there was much zaniness involving fortune cookie fortunes, visits from “Ahnold”, and someone named “Snappy”. We also tried  our hand again at the “Whose Line is it Anyway?” game “Questions Only.”

This isn’t the typical content you’d find here on this blog, but then again, today’s not a typical day, is it?

Download the episode directly here:

A Special Pod 5 Reunion… in your pants!

Running time: 1:35:15

Panelists:

• Ed Ovett
• Zack Daggy
• Dwight Dunlop
• Brent Bradley
• Daniel Johnson, Jr.

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• 5 TV Reunions I Want to See (collegecandy.com)
• Most Ironical Fortune Cookie Ever (lisadelay.com)
• 185 Podcast Answer Man – Android Podcasting Applications And So Much More! (podcastanswerman.com)
• Weekend Competition: (Mis)Fortune Cookies (schott.blogs.nytimes.com)

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Who doesn’t love to get an e-mail, phone call, or some other message on their birthday?  I’ve been researching how to accomplish this via Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 workflow. Not only this, but also how to adapt it for other things like special anniversaries, etc.

The current best example I’ve found is from this video that Dustin Wright from Wright IT Solutions put together:

Dynamics CRM 4.0 “Happy Birthday via Workflow”

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Well, let me tell you… (click the play button above or download the short mp3 file (direct link, 1:53, 1.8 MB).

Background music: excerpt from “Baby Hates Me” by Danko Jones from Music Alley.I’ve joined ThinkWare, located in Cincinnati, Ohio.  They are the leading provider of software solutions in the PEO/ASO industry. (What’s a PEO? What’s ASO?) In my “excitement” in the audio I got it switched around: the company I’d previously worked for was a client of theirs; not the other way around.

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Image by danieljohnsonjr via Flickr

While driving to work this morning, I shared some thoughts via Utterli about how my commute often is an idea incubator (player below):

Do you find this happening to you?

This blog post originates from http://danieljohnsonjr.com

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Image by danieljohnsonjr via Flickr

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Daniel Johnson, Jr. wants you to know about the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Highlights/Key Facts:

To help raise awareness for domestic violence and abuse and how to get help, Daniel Johnson, Jr. has released an audio promo spot to be shared on the internet.  The promo encourages listeners everywhere to program the National Domestic Violence Hotline number into their phones and share it with others.

• Official Website: http://www.ndvh.org
• 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
• 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Tags/Keywords: domestic violence, domestic abuse, awareness, national domestic violence hotline, ndvh

Links/URLs:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline http://www.ndvh.org
• Daniel Johnson, Jr. http://danieljohnsonjr.com/main/about/
• Journey Inside My Mind http://www.journeyinsidemymind.com
• Delicious: http://delicious.com/tag/ndvh
• 2007 One Voice Domestic Violence Community Awareness Walk on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/onevoicewalk

Quotes:

• “Many of us know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence or abuse.  We often don’t realize it because victims, out of fear, do all they can to outwardly show those around them that life is normal.”
• “In 2007 I recorded several stories from victims who survived domestic violence and abuse and released them as a series on my internet radio show, Journey Inside My Mind.  Domestic violence has been very real and close to my family. “
• “I am outraged, indignant, and concerned by what goes on and was looking for something I could do about domestic violence. Even though I have no affiliation with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, I strongly believe in what they are doing.  I recorded the promo spot and have released it on the internet to share with everyone.”
• “The message is simple: Domestic violence and abuse is real. It happens every 15 seconds in the United States. We often don’t know what to do.  The National Domestic Violence Hotline has been set up to provide help.  Program the number in your cell phone and share it with others.  You may not need it now, but you may need it in the future.”
• From the National Domestic Violence Hotline website:
  “Until the violence stops, the hotline will continue to answer… One Call at a Time.  Help is available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 170 languages through interpreter services.”

Contact Information: Daniel Johnson, Jr., 513-373-4442, daniel AT journeyinsidemymind DOT com

RSS Feeds:

• Daniel Johnson, Jr.: http://feeds.feedburner.com/danieljohnsonjr
• Journey Inside My Mind Podcast: http://feeds.feedburner.com/jimmpodcast
• Journey Inside My Mind Blog: http://feeds.feedburner.com/journeyinsidemymind
• 2007 One Voice Domestic Violence Community Awareness Walk Series: http://feeds.feedburner.com/onevoicewalk

Trackback URL: http://journeyinsidemymind.com/2008/10/social-media-release-domestic-violence-awareness

Embedded Audio: (mp3, 2:36)

Related articles

• Domestic Violence Awareness Events in Colorado Springs (beyondjane.com)
• It’s October and you know what that means! (startstrongaustintx.wordpress.com)

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Mobile post sent by danieljohnsonjr using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

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Podcamp Ohio and my next career?

Mobile post sent by danieljohnsonjr using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

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Mobile post sent by danieljohnsonjr using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

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