Your First Session

This guide is written for the person running RheoCast on service day — usually a media operator, sound engineer, or volunteer on the production team. By the end, you will have walked through a complete rehearsal: microphone in, scripture on screen, and a saved session ready for Creator Studio.

Plan 20–30 minutes for your first run. Do this on the same computer and same audio setup you will use on Sunday.

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Before You Begin

Make sure you have already completed Setup & Installation:

• RheoCast is installed and you are signed in
• Your church profile is set up (if prompted during first login)
• Your subscription or trial is active — check Settings → Subscription if unsure

Connect your production hardware before opening the app:

• Pastor's microphone routed to the broadcast computer (directly or via mixer)
• Projector, second monitor, or streaming PC connected if you plan to use fullscreen / NDI / browser overlay
• Stable internet (required for cloud transcription on Windows and Intel Macs; Apple Silicon Macs can fall back offline)

When RheoCast opens, you'll land on the Live view by default. The app has two main views in the header — Live and Creator Studio — plus overlays for Settings (gear icon or ⌘/Ctrl + ,) and History (clock icon or ⌘/Ctrl + H).

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Step 1: Configure Audio

Audio quality is the single most important factor for accurate live detection. If RheoCast can't hear the pastor clearly, detection will struggle — no matter how good the software is.

Open audio settings

1. Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right of the header.
2. In the settings sidebar, select Audio.
3. Leave this panel open while you test — you'll watch the Audio Monitor in real time.

Select your microphone

Use the Microphone dropdown to choose the input receiving the pastor's voice.

Common church setups:

How to verify you picked the right device:

1. Select a device from the dropdown.
2. Have someone speak into the pastor's microphone (or speak yourself if testing alone).
3. Watch the Audio Monitor bar at the bottom of the Audio tab.

You should see the bar move in sync with speech. If it stays flat at "No signal," you have the wrong device selected — try the next option in the list.

Important: Changing the microphone device restarts the audio engine. Always finalize your mic selection before you go live on Sunday. Switching mid-sermon causes a brief interruption.

Adjust microphone volume

Below the device dropdown is the Microphone Volume slider.

• 100% — Default. Works for most audio interfaces with healthy signal levels.
• Below 100% — Use if the input is clipping (distorting) or too hot from the mixer.
• Above 100% (Boost) — Use if the signal is quiet — common when the pastor's mic gain is low or the mixer send is soft.

Watch the monitor bar as you adjust:

• Green / low levels — Normal speech should register roughly 30–70% on the monitor during rehearsal.
• High levels (approaching 85%+) — Consider lowering the slider or reducing gain at the mixer.
• No movement at all — Wrong device, muted channel, or cable issue — fix this before continuing.

Click Reset to return to 100% at any time.

Save your audio settings

Click Save Settings at the bottom of the settings panel. Your device and volume choices persist between sessions.

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Step 2: Choose a Bible Translation

Your congregation expects scripture in a specific version. Set this up before your test so detections and search results show the correct text.

Select your primary translation

1. Close settings and return to the Live tab.
2. Look for the translation tabs near the top of the Live workspace (above the search bar).
3. Click the translation your church uses most — for example KJV, ASV, or WEB.

Every detection chip, search result, and projector output will use this translation until you switch tabs.

Free vs premium translations

• Free translations — Bundled with the app. Work offline. Available on all plans.
• Premium translations — Three at launch: NKJV, NIV, and NLT. More premium translations will be added in future updates. Require Pro, Ministry, or an eligible ChurchCast plan. Need internet to load initially.

If a translation shows a lock icon, your plan doesn't include it. Free bundled translations always work.

Pin translations for quick access

Most churches pin 2–3 versions for fast switching during service:

1. Click More ▾ next to the translation tabs.
2. Check the translations you want pinned — up to 8 tabs.
3. Your pins are saved automatically.

Example: Pin KJV for the main projector and a modern translation for the operator's reference.

See Bible Translations for the full list and offline behavior.

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Step 3: Configure Display Output

Now decide how scripture reaches your congregation — projector, second monitor, or streaming software.

Open output settings

1. Click Settings → Output in the sidebar.
2. Review the available Display Output Mode options.

Choose a display mode

For your first test, start with Windowed. You can see the output on your main screen without needing a second monitor connected.

When you're ready for rehearsal with your actual projector:

1. Connect the projector or second display before launching RheoCast.
2. Switch to Fullscreen (Second Display).
3. Click Save Settings.

The display window reconfigures when you change modes.

Customize appearance (optional but recommended)

Before your first service, spend a few minutes on readability:

1. Go to Settings → Appearance.
2. Adjust font size — 48px is a good starting point; increase for large sanctuaries.
3. Choose a font that matches your church's visual style (Georgia and serif fonts are popular for scripture).
4. Set background — solid black is clean; transparent backgrounds are for NDI and browser overlay setups.
5. Enable text outline or shadow if verses will appear over busy backgrounds.
6. Click Save Settings.

You can preview changes in the Display Preview panel on the Live tab once a verse is showing.

NDI and browser overlay (paid plans)

If you're on Pro or Ministry and stream through OBS, vMix, or ProPresenter, you can also enable NDI Output or Browser Source (Web Overlay) from the Output settings tab. These aren't required for your first test — see Display & Output when you're ready.

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Step 4: Understand the Live View

Before your test, orient yourself to the Live workspace. Knowing where everything is saves precious seconds during service.

Top row

The transcript shows Waiting for audio… until you click Start and speech is detected.

Right column

Detections appear here even when Go Live is off. Go Live only controls whether verses reach your projector/NDI/overlay.

Center column

Related — contextual verse suggestions while transcription is running. Shows Paused when transcription is stopped.

Bottom area

• Search bar — type a reference like John 3:16, press Enter or click Display
• Search help — link below the search bar opens the built-in search guide
• Translation tabs — switch versions; use More ▾ to pin up to 8
• Verse list — full chapter of the current book/chapter; click any verse to display it

Header controls

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Step 5: Run Your First Test Session

You're ready to start a test session. This simulates what happens during an actual sermon.

Two separate controls in the operator window: Start (below the transcript) begins transcription. Go Live (toggle on the Display Preview panel) projects scripture to your configured output in Settings → Output. Neither streams video to Facebook, YouTube, or social media — use OBS or vMix for that.

Start transcription

1. Make sure someone is ready to speak into the pastor's mic (or use a pre-recorded sermon clip).
2. Click Start in the operator window — below the live transcript, next to the waveform — or press Space.
3. Confirm the header shows the red Live timer. Transcription is now active.

What you should see within 10–15 seconds:

• The Live Transcript panel begins filling with spoken words.
• The audio waveform next to Start / Stop animates with speech.

If nothing appears, see the troubleshooting notes at the bottom of this page before continuing.

Search bar tip: Focusing the search bar temporarily pauses transcription so you can type without triggering detection. Blurring the search bar resumes transcription if it was active.

Enable display output

1. Confirm your output mode in Settings → Output (windowed, fullscreen, NDI, or browser overlay).
2. On the Display Preview panel, turn the Go Live toggle ON.
3. Verses you present now appear on your projector or stream overlay — not just in the operator preview.

Test automatic detection

Speak or play audio that includes clear scripture references. Try several formats — pastors quote differently:

Watch the Detections panel. Chips should appear within a few seconds of the reference being spoken — often before the pastor finishes the full reference.

When a detection appears:

1. Look at the Display Preview — the verse may appear here if Auto Display is on, even before you click anything.
2. Click Display on the detection chip to present it manually.
3. Verify the verse text and reference look correct on the preview (and on your projector/window if Go Live is ON).
4. Press Escape to clear the display.

Repeat with 3–5 different references until you're comfortable with the timing.

Test Auto Display (optional)

Auto Display is on by default. With Go Live also on:

1. Speak another reference.
2. The verse should appear on the output without clicking the detection chip (look for the AUTO badge on high-confidence detections).

Turn Auto Display off in the header if you prefer to approve every verse manually during your first services.

Test manual search

Automatic detection won't catch everything. Practice the manual fallback:

1. Click the search bar at the bottom of the Live view.
2. Type John 3:16 and press Enter (or click Display).
3. The verse should appear on the display immediately.
4. Press Escape to clear.
5. Type Romans 8:28-30 and press Tab instead of Enter — this adds a verse range to your Schedule queue.
6. Click the play icon on the scheduled item to present it.

Try shorthand too: phil 4:13 should resolve to Philippians 4:13.

See Scripture Search for the complete search guide.

Test the schedule queue

If your pastor preaches through several verses in sequence:

1. Search for Romans 8:28 and press Tab to schedule it.
2. Search for Romans 8:29 and press Tab.
3. Search for Romans 8:30 and press Tab.
4. Open the Schedule panel and present each queued verse in order using the play buttons.

This workflow is essential for verse-by-verse exposition where the pastor jumps between references quickly.

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Step 6: End the Session

When your test is complete:

1. Click Stop below the Live Transcript (or press Space).
2. The red transcription timer disappears — transcription has stopped.
3. Your session is saved automatically with the full transcript, all detections, and metadata (duration, scripture count).

You do not need to export or save manually. The session will appear in Creator Studio after you stop transcription.

To verify:

1. Confirm the header shows Stopped (not the red timer).
2. Click Creator Studio in the header (disabled while transcription is running).
3. Your test session should appear in the sidebar on the left.

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Step 7: Pre-Service Rehearsal Checklist

Run through this checklist on the same hardware you'll use on Sunday — ideally during a sound check or Saturday rehearsal.

Hardware

• Pastor's microphone is routed to the correct input on the broadcast computer
• Projector or second display is connected and recognized by the OS
• Internet connection is active (wired Ethernet preferred)
• Audio interface / mixer channels are unmuted

RheoCast settings

• Correct microphone selected in Settings → Audio
• Audio Monitor shows signal when pastor speaks
• Primary Bible translation selected and pinned
• Display output mode set (Windowed for test, Fullscreen for projector)
• Appearance settings saved (font size readable from the back row)
• Subscription / trial active with transcription minutes remaining

Live test (5 minutes)

• Start transcription — transcript appears within 15 seconds
• Go Live toggle ON — verses appear on configured output
• At least 3 spoken references detected correctly
• Manual search works (John 3:16 → Enter → verse on screen)
• Escape clears the display
• Stop saves the session

Operator readiness

• Operator knows Space = start/stop, Escape = clear display
• Operator knows to use search bar when detection misses a reference
• Backup plan agreed — e.g. second operator with manual search ready

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Common First-Session Issues

Transcript is empty but audio monitor works

• Wait 10–15 seconds after clicking Start — startup takes a moment.
• Check internet connection (required on Windows and Intel-based Macs; Apple Silicon Macs can fall back to on-device transcription).
• Confirm you haven't exceeded your monthly transcription limit in Settings → Subscription.

Detections never appear

• Speak clearly and include explicit references ("John chapter three verse sixteen").
• Confirm Start is active (red transcription timer visible in header).
• Detections appear in the Detections panel regardless of Go Live — check that panel, not just the projector.
• If detections appear but the projector is blank, turn Go Live ON on the Display Preview panel.

Verse on preview but not on projector

• Verify output mode: Fullscreen requires a second display connected before app launch.
• Click Save Settings after changing output mode.
• Try Windowed mode first to confirm verses render correctly.

Session not showing in Creator Studio

• You must click Stop first — Creator Studio is unavailable while transcription is active.
• Open Creator Studio and confirm your test session appears in the sidebar.

For more solutions, see Troubleshooting.

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Quick Reference

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What's Next?

You now have a working RheoCast setup. Before Sunday, read these guides to go deeper:

• Live Broadcast — Detections, schedule, related verses, and live best practices
• Scripture Search — Shorthand, text search, and autocomplete
• Display & Output — NDI, browser overlay, and production software integration
• Creator Studio — Turn today's session into summaries, notes, and devotionals

If you get stuck, contact us at [email protected].