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Volunteer Training

This page is a training path for a brand-new volunteer operator. Work through it with an experienced operator over a few Sundays. By the end you will be able to run a service confidently on your own.

You do not need to be technical

Everything is done with a small number of labelled buttons and faders. Take it one step at a time. It is fine to ask questions and to keep this guide open while you operate.

What an operator does (in one paragraph)

Each Sunday you turn the system on, open the right microphones as people speak, switch between two cameras and advance the slides, run the YouTube livestream, deal with any small problems, and then shut the system down safely. That's it.

Training stage 1 — Watch and learn

Sit with an experienced operator for one or two full services. Just watch and ask questions. Notice:

  • The order things are turned on.
  • When microphones are opened and closed.
  • When the operator switches cameras and changes slides.
  • How the livestream is started and stopped.

Read alongside: Sunday Startup and Running a Service.

Training stage 2 — Do the slides and cameras

With a mentor beside you, take over the easy, low-risk jobs:

These are forgiving — a slightly late slide or a wide shot held a little long is never a problem.

Training stage 3 — Run the sound

Now learn the microphones:

Read: QU-5D Mixer.

Training stage 4 — Run the livestream

Learn the streaming jobs:

  • Start and stop the stream → RodeCaster Video.
  • Confirm picture and sound on YouTube.
  • Understand the livestream mix is separate from the room → Livestream Mix.

Training stage 5 — Startup, shutdown and problems

Finally, learn the bookends and the safety net:

The golden rules

Remember these five

  1. Mixer on before speakers; speakers off before mixer. (Avoids pops.)
  2. Sound in the room comes first. Livestream and slides are second.
  3. Only open microphones that are in use. (Avoids noise and feedback.)
  4. Move the off-air camera, then switch to it. (No on-screen swinging.)
  5. Stop the stream before shutting anything down.

Confidence checklist

You're ready to operate solo when you can, without help:

  • [ ] Start the whole system in the right order.
  • [ ] Identify each microphone and open/close it on the QU-5D.
  • [ ] Switch cameras and recall a camera preset.
  • [ ] Advance and black the PowerPoint slides.
  • [ ] Start the livestream and confirm picture + sound on YouTube.
  • [ ] Find the right troubleshooting page for a common problem.
  • [ ] Shut the system down safely and put batteries on charge.

When you're unsure

  • Keep this site open on a phone or tablet at the desk.
  • Use Search (top of the page) to jump straight to an answer.
  • For anything you can't solve during a service, keep the in-room service going and note it for Mills IT.