Training

This is a quick tour of Virtual Church Musician, the music system for your church's worship. In this video: how the pieces fit together.

Virtual Church Musician puts the music for your worship service on one computer at your church, the VCM Server. The apps on your church's other computers and phones all talk to it over your network.

Different people use different apps. Someone designs the templates. Someone plans each week's service. Someone presses Play. And an administrator looks after the Server and approves who can connect.

The service template designer uses VCM Templates. A template is a reusable starting point: the order of a service, and if you like, the hymns and chants.

Each week, the service planner opens VCM Services, starts from a template, picks a date, and fills in that week's hymns. Items in red still need one.

When every item is fixed, the planner presses Publish. That saves the service on the Server, where anyone with VCM Runner can find it.

On Sunday, whoever presses Play opens VCM Runner, loads today's service, and presses Play. The Server plays the music through your sound system.

And the administrator uses VCM Administrator. Every new device asks to connect, and the administrator approves it, or rejects it.

That's the tour. To get started, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server', and then choose the videos for your job on the Training page.

Consider, if you will, a Sunday morning.

Good morning. I'm afraid Ruth is sick this morning, so we'll be singing a cappella today.

Let's begin with our opening hymn.

[The congregation sings, unevenly, without the organ.]

Don't be that congregation. Be this one.

Oh no. Don't you worry about a thing, Ruth. You rest up.

Everything all right?

Ruth's sick. No organist. And the Divine Service is in an hour.

The Kyrie, the hymns, a cappella today?

Give me a minute, Pastor.

A little while later ...

Can it really carry the whole Divine Service?

It's all in there, in order.

It runs on our own server, right there in the closet.

Let's begin with our opening hymn.

[Organ music. The title: Virtual Church Musician. Music for worship, ready when you are. kng-consulting.com]

This video shows how to install a VCM app on a Windows computer. Your screens may look a little different from these. The steps are the same. In this video: installing the apps on Windows.

There are four apps for your computer: VCM Administrator, VCM Templates, VCM Services and VCM Runner. You install each one the same way, and you only need the ones for your job.

Open the download link from your church's technical contact, or go to the Download page on our website. Choose the app you need, then choose Windows. You'll get one installer file for each app.

When the download finishes, find the file in your Downloads folder and double-click it. Some apps come as an installer with the ending dot E X E, and some with the ending dot M S I. Either one works.

Windows may warn you that it doesn't recognize the app. That's expected for now. Choose the option to see more details, and then the option to run it anyway.

Then follow the installer. Choose the button that continues, and again, until it finishes. You don't need to change any of the settings.

When it's done, open the Start menu and type the name of the app, for example, V C M Administrator. Choose it from the list, and it opens.

To install another app, repeat these steps with that app's file. You only do this once for each app on each computer.

That's installing the apps on Windows. Next, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server'.

This video shows how to install a VCM app on a Mac. Your screens may look a little different from these. The steps are the same. In this video: installing the apps on macOS.

There are four apps for your computer: VCM Administrator, VCM Templates, VCM Services and VCM Runner. You install each one the same way, and you only need the ones for your job.

Open the download link from your church's technical contact, or go to the Download page on our website. Choose the app you need, then choose macOS. You'll get one disk image file for each app.

When the download finishes, double-click the file in your Downloads folder. A window opens showing the app, and next to it, the Applications folder.

Drag the app onto the Applications folder. That copies it to your computer. When it's done, you can close the window, and eject the disk image.

The first time you open the app, your Mac may say it can't be opened, or that it's damaged. Nothing is wrong. It just means Apple hasn't reviewed the app yet.

To fix it, open the disk image again, and double-click the file named fix app permissions. You only do this once for each app. Then open the app from your Applications folder.

From now on, the app opens like any other program. To install another app, repeat these steps with that app's file.

That's installing the apps on macOS. Next, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server'.

This video shows how to install a VCM app on a Linux computer. Your screens may look a little different from these. The steps are the same. In this video: installing the apps on Linux.

There are four apps for your computer: VCM Administrator, VCM Templates, VCM Services and VCM Runner. You install each one the same way, and you only need the ones for your job.

Open the download link from your church's technical contact, or go to the Download page on our website. Choose the app you need, then choose Linux. You'll get one package file for each app.

Open a terminal in the folder where the file was saved. Then type the command sudo apt install, followed by dot slash and the name of the file.

Your computer asks for your password. Type it, and press Enter. You won't see the letters as you type. The installer then does the rest.

When it's done, the app is in your applications menu, with its own icon, like any other program. Search for its name, for example, V C M Administrator, and open it.

To install another app, repeat these steps with that app's file. You only do this once for each app on each computer.

That's installing the apps on Linux. Next, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server'.

This is the video everyone needs first. In this video: connecting to your church's Server.

Everything in Virtual Church Musician lives on one computer at your church: the VCM Server. Every app talks to it over your church's network. All you need is to be on the same Wi-Fi.

When you open any app, it looks for the Server by itself. This is called Discover. You'll see a progress bar while it searches.

If your church has more than one Server, for example on two campuses, the app asks which to use. It remembers your choice.

The very first time, a brand-new Server has no administrator yet. If you see a message asking you to finish setup from VCM Administrator, that's what it means. The administrator does that step; it's covered in the administrator videos.

Everyone else sees Enroll This Device. Type your username, add a label such as 'Lobby tablet' or 'Office PC' so the administrator can tell devices apart, and choose Request Enrollment.

A Waiting for Approval window appears. Someone with VCM Administrator has to approve you. You can leave this window open, or choose Check Now once you know it's done.

Once you're approved, you'll be asked to choose a password and agree to the license.

Choose a password, agree to the license, and you're in.

If the app can't find the Server: check you're on the same Wi-Fi, try Discover a second time, and if it still can't, the Server may be off. Ask your technical contact.

That's connecting to your church's Server, and everyone needs this one. Next, choose the videos for your job on the Training page: administrators, service planners and whoever presses Play each have their own.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: your password, locking the app, and saved servers.

To change your password, open the File menu and choose Change Password. Every app has it.

Type your current password, then your new one twice, and confirm. Use something you'll remember, and keep it to yourself.

To step away, lock the app with Control-L, or Command-L on a Mac. It asks for your password when you come back. Most apps also lock themselves after sitting idle.

Type your password to unlock. VCM Runner is the exception: it never locks itself, so it stays ready through a whole service.

Under File, Saved Servers, you can see every Server this device has enrolled with, and forget the ones you no longer need.

If the wrong Server got selected, forget it here. The next time you connect, the app asks you to choose again.

That's your password, locking the app, and saved servers. Now choose the videos for your job on the Training page.

This video shows how to put a VCM app on an Android phone or tablet. Your screens may look a little different from these. The steps are the same. In this video: installing the apps on Android.

There are four apps for Android: VCM Templates, VCM Services, VCM Runner and VCM Security. You install each one the same way, and you only need the ones for your job.

Open the download link from your church's technical contact, or go to the Download page on our website. Choose the app you need, and choose the Android file.

Android will ask whether you want to allow installs from this source. Choose to allow it, just this once.

Android may also scan the app before it installs. That's normal. When the scan finishes, choose Install.

When it's done, choose Open. The app looks for your church's Server by itself. Your phone has to be on the same Wi-Fi as the Server.

The first time, type your username, add a label for this device, such as Lobby tablet, and choose Request Enrollment.

Then wait for your administrator to approve you. Once you're approved, agree to the license and choose a password.

From now on, the app finds the Server and reconnects by itself. To install another app, repeat these steps.

That's installing the apps on Android. Now choose the videos for your job on the Training page.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: approving and rejecting enrollments, the most common administrator task.

Your church's Server only lets in devices you approve, and this is the task you'll do most often. Open VCM Administrator, choose the Security tab, then Pending Enrollments.

Each row is a device asking to connect. You can see who asked, which app it is, and the label they gave the device, such as Office PC or Lobby tablet. Make sure you recognize the request before you go on.

If it's someone you expect, select the row and choose Approve. The device is let in, and the person is asked to choose a password and agree to the license.

If you don't recognize a request, select it and choose Reject. You'll be asked for a reason. The person sees your reason, and they're welcome to try again.

Handled requests leave this list. To see everyone you've approved, or to remove a device later, look under Devices. That's covered in the video on managing devices and users.

That's approving and rejecting enrollments. To manage devices you've already approved, watch 'Managing devices and users'. If you approve devices from your phone, watch 'Approving a device from your phone'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: managing devices and users.

Open the Security tab and choose Devices. This lists every device that has ever been approved, with its app, its label and its status.

To block a device for a while, select it and choose Suspend. The device can't connect until you say so. Use this when you're not sure yet what happened.

To let it back in, select it and choose Resume. Nothing is lost.

Sign Out ends the device's current session without taking away its access. It simply has to log in again next time.

For a device that is lost or stolen, choose Revoke. That takes its access away for good, and the device has to enroll from the beginning. You'll be asked to confirm, so it's safe to look.

The Users tab lists everyone with an account. Choose Suspend here to block a person on every one of their devices at once, and Resume to let them back. Add User creates a new account.

That's managing devices and users. To approve new devices, watch 'Quick start: approving and rejecting enrollments'. To find out whether everything is healthy, watch 'Checking that everything is healthy'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: loading hymnals, chants and music.

Everything the Server plays comes in through the buttons at the top of the Catalog tab: Import Bundle, Load Music Files, Import Mega Bundle, and Upload Single Media.

Import Mega Bundle brings in hymnals, chants, templates and the music files themselves, all from one package, in a single step. It's the easiest way to set up a large catalog.

Import Bundle brings in new content from a file someone else prepared, such as hymnals, hymns, chants, seasons, categories and templates.

Load Music Files brings in just the music, the M P 3 and MIDI files, from a package.

Upload Single Media adds one music file.

After you load something, choose Refresh and look at the Dashboard. The counts for hymnals, hymns and chants should have gone up.

That's loading hymnals, chants and music. To see what your Server now holds, watch 'Browsing and exporting the catalog'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: browsing and exporting the catalog.

The Catalog tab lets you look through everything on your Server. There's a tab for hymnals, hymns, chants, seasons, categories and templates.

Choose a tab to see its entries. Here are the hymns.

And here are the chants, and the templates.

Select the rows you want, or choose Select All to pick every row on that tab. Deselect All clears your choice.

Export Selected saves your choice to a file. That's useful as a backup, or to move content to another system.

This screen is only for looking. To change content, import an updated file, or use VCM Templates and VCM Services.

That's browsing and exporting the catalog. To load more content, watch 'Loading hymnals, chants and music'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: backing up your VCM Server.

Before you make a big change, and every so often besides, save a copy of your Server's content. You do that from the Catalog tab.

Choose Export Bundle. It saves any part of your catalog to a single file. Keep that file somewhere safe, away from the Server computer.

Snapshot, in the File menu, is different. It saves a report on how the Server is doing, to send to your technical contact. It's not a copy of your content.

To bring a saved copy back, use Import Bundle.

That's backing up your VCM Server. To bring content back in, watch 'Loading hymnals, chants and music'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: checking that everything is healthy.

Open the Dashboard tab. It shows how much content your Server holds: hymnals, hymns, chants, seasons, categories and templates. If those numbers look right, your music is there.

The Diagnostics tab shows which Server you're connected to, its status, and how many warnings and errors it has reported. You want to see Connected, with zero warnings and zero errors.

The Connection tab shows the Server's address and port, and below it, a log of what has happened recently. Check that the address is the one you expect.

If you've changed something, choose Refresh at the top to bring the numbers up to date.

That's checking that everything is healthy. If something isn't, watch 'When something goes wrong'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: VCM Server settings.

Open the Settings tab. The top part shows how this app connects to the Server. The part below, Server Configuration, is the Server's own settings, and it applies to the whole church.

Here you can set the site or campus name, the sound output device, the MIDI device, and whether the Server prefers to play M I D I or M P 3 when both are available.

You can also set how long an app sits idle before it locks itself. Zero turns that off. The Runner never locks either way.

After you change a setting, choose Apply. Leave the rest alone unless you know what you're changing, or ask your technical contact.

That's VCM Server settings. If something isn't working after a change, watch 'When something goes wrong'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: what to do when something goes wrong.

Start with the Diagnostics tab. It shows the Server's status and how many warnings and errors it has reported. Anything above zero is worth telling your technical contact about.

The Snapshot button saves a diagnostic report to a file. You can send that file along to your technical contact. It's also under the File menu.

On the Connection tab, choose Fetch Server Log to load the Server's own log of what it has been doing. The Filter button narrows it down.

Your technical contact may ask you to raise the logging detail. That's under the Security tab, in Application Log Levels. Only change it when you're asked to.

That's what to do when something goes wrong. Send what you gathered to your technical contact.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: approving a device from your phone with VCM Security.

VCM Security is a phone and tablet app that does just one job: approving devices, away from the Server computer. Open it, and the Pending Enrollments tab shows everyone waiting to connect.

Each card shows who asked, which app it is, and the label they gave the device. Make sure you recognize the request before you go on.

If it's someone you expect, choose Approve. The device is let in, and the person is asked to choose a password and agree to the license.

If you don't recognize a request, choose Reject. You'll be asked for a reason, which the person sees. They're welcome to try again.

Under Devices, you can suspend a device, resume it, sign it out, or revoke it, just as on the computer.

And under Users, you can suspend a person on all of their devices at once.

Everything else, like the Dashboard, the Catalog and loading music, is only in VCM Administrator on the computer.

That's approving a device from your phone. For everything else an administrator does, watch the videos for VCM Administrator on the computer.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: designing a service template with VCM Templates.

A template is a reusable starting point for a service. It holds the order of the service, and if you like, the actual hymns and chants. Then VCM Services can build a new service from it, instead of starting from scratch each week.

Choose Create to start a new template. Give it a name, and if you like, a description and a category.

Choose Add to put in an item. Type its name, choose whether it's a hymn or a chant, and choose Save. Do that for each item, in the order they'll be sung.

Select an item to move it with Up and Down, change it with Edit, or take it out with Remove.

When the order looks right, choose Save. Every save here goes straight to the Server. There's no local draft to lose.

To start a new template from an existing one without changing the original, select it and choose Clone. That's ideal for a service that's almost, but not quite, the same.

Every save creates a new version, and the older ones are kept. Rebase renumbers the newest one back to version 1 once you don't need the old ones. And on a computer, you can Export a template to a file, or Import one someone shared with you.

That's designing a service template. To plan a service from a template, watch 'Planning a service from a template with VCM Services'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: VCM Templates on a phone.

VCM Templates on a phone or tablet does the same job as on a computer. The list shows each template, with buttons to Clone, Rebase or Delete it.

Touch Create to start a new template. Type a name, and if you like, a description. Touch one of the categories, or type a new one.

Touch Add Item. Type the item's name, choose Hymn or Chant, and touch Save. Add each item in the order it will be sung.

When it's ready, touch Save. Every save goes straight to the Server. The Cancel button leaves without saving.

Import and Export are only on the computer version. Everything else works the same way.

That's VCM Templates on a phone. To design templates on a computer, watch 'Designing a service template with VCM Templates'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: planning a service from a template with VCM Services.

VCM Services is where you put together the actual order of service for a specific date: the hymns, chants and other items, in order.

Choose Create, and pick a template to start from. That saves time, because the order of the service is already there. Then choose Select.

Give the service a title. Choose Pick to set the date and time, and the liturgical season fills in for you.

Items in red still need this week's hymn. Select one and choose Edit, then Pick hymn. Choose the hymn from the list, choose Apply, and then Save. Do that for each red item.

The Publish button stays off until every red item is fixed. When the last one is done, it comes on.

Save Local keeps your work on this device only, and an unpublished draft is lost when the app closes. So when you're ready, and now that we have addressed all of the issues, we press Publish to save our work on the Server and make it available to others, including VCM Runner.

That's planning a service from a template. To play it during the service, watch 'Running a service with VCM Runner'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: VCM Services on a phone.

VCM Services on a phone or tablet works like the computer version. The list shows your services, and whether each one is published.

Touch Create, and choose a template to start from. Starting from a template saves time, because the order of the service is already there.

Give the service a name. Touch Pick to set the date and time, and Choose season to set the season.

Items in red are unresolved. They still need this week's hymn. Touch an item to fix it. The arrows move it up or down.

Publish stays off until every item is fixed. Save Local keeps your work on this device only, and it's lost if the app closes. So when you're ready, publish.

That's planning a service on a phone. To plan on a computer, watch 'Planning a service from a template with VCM Services'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: running a service with VCM Runner.

VCM Runner is the app you use during a live service. It's deliberately simple: find today's service, which the app calls a script, and press Play.

When it opens, choose the hymnal, the date and, if you have more than one service that day, the time. Then choose Continue. If exactly one published service matches, it loads by itself.

Each item in the service is a row. It's pending, next to play, playing, or already played.

Select an item and press Play to start it, or Stop to end it early.

Items set to auto-advance move on by themselves. Others wait for you to start the next one.

If the connection drops, choose Reconnect. You'll pick up where you were, without choosing the service again.

Only one VCM Runner, on a computer or a phone, should be in control of playback at a time. And this app never locks itself when idle, so it's ready right through a sermon. If the music doesn't play, or plays through the wrong device, tell your technical contact which item it was.

That's running a service with VCM Runner. If you also plan services, watch 'Planning a service from a template with VCM Services'.

This video assumes your device is already connected. If it isn't, watch 'Connecting to your church's Server' first. In this video: VCM Runner on a phone.

VCM Runner on a phone works like the computer version. At the top is the Setup card. It connects to your Server, and asks which service you want.

Choose the hymnal, and the date, and the time if you have more than one service that day. Then touch Load Script.

The service loads under Playback, and the status shows Ready. Each item is a row. Touch one to select it.

Touch Play to start the selected item. The status changes to Playing.

Items set to auto-advance move on by themselves. Others wait for you. If the connection drops, touch Reconnect. This app never locks itself, so it stays ready through the whole service.

That's VCM Runner on a phone. Only one VCM Runner, on a computer or a phone, should be in control at a time.

This video is for your church's technical contact. It shows how to install the VCM Server on a Mac. Your screens may look a little different from these. The steps are the same. In this video: installing the VCM Server on macOS.

The VCM Server is the one computer at your church that holds everything. Choose a computer that stays on, is on your church network, and can reach your sound system.

Get the VCM Server disk image for macOS from the Download page, and double-click it to open it.

Open a terminal, go to the mounted disk image, and run sudo dot slash Install dot command. Enter your password when it asks.

The installer asks you a few questions. Each one shows its current value in brackets, so press Enter to accept it. The M I D I question lists the devices your Mac can see, so choose yours from the list.

The installer copies the Server to your computer, allows it to open, and starts it as a service. Run the installer again any time to change a setting, or to upgrade.

One thing to know: if you run another VCM app on the same Mac as the Server, macOS may need you to allow that app to use the local network. You'll find it in the Privacy and Security settings, under Local Network.

That's installing the VCM Server on macOS. Next, watch 'Setting up the first administrator'.

This video is for your church's technical contact. It shows how to install the VCM Server on a Linux computer. Your screens may look a little different from these. The steps are the same. In this video: installing the VCM Server on Linux.

The VCM Server is the one computer at your church that holds everything. Choose a computer that stays on, is on your church network, and can reach your sound system.

Get the VCM Server package for Linux from the Download page. It's one file, ending in dot deb.

Open a terminal in the folder where the file was saved, and type sudo apt install, then dot slash and the file name. Enter your password when it asks. The installer adds what the Server needs and starts it for you.

To change the settings, open the file server dot env, in the Virtual Church Musician server folder, with a text editor, as an administrator. The comments in the file explain each setting.

After you save your changes, restart the Server, and then ask for its status. You want to see that it's active, and running.

That's all there is to it. The Server starts by itself whenever the computer starts. Next, set up the first administrator.

That's installing the VCM Server on Linux. Next, watch 'Setting up the first administrator'.

This video is for your church's technical contact. It shows how to set up the first administrator on a brand-new VCM Server. The steps are the same on every system. In this video: setting up the first administrator.

The first administrator is set up from VCM Administrator, on a brand-new Server. Open it on any computer on your church's network. On a brand-new Server, the first person to enroll becomes the administrator, so make sure it's the right person.

Type the username you want, and a label for this computer, such as Church office PC. Then choose Request Enrollment. On a brand-new Server, you're approved on the spot.

Choose a password, and type it again to confirm. Then choose OK. Keep this password safe. It's the key to the whole system.

Read the license. Tick the box to say your congregation has purchased a copy, tick the box to agree, and choose I Agree.

That's it. You're the first administrator. From now on, everyone else asks to connect, and you approve them.

That's setting up the first administrator. Next, watch 'Quick start: approving and rejecting enrollments'.

This video is for your church's technical contact. It shows how to install a VCM MIDI Player on a Mac. Your screens may look a little different from these. The steps are the same. In this video: installing a VCM MIDI Player on macOS.

A VCM MIDI Player sends the music as M I D I to your organ or sound module. Put it on a computer near that instrument, on the same network as the Server.

Get the VCM MIDI Player disk image for macOS from the Download page, and double-click it to open it.

Open a terminal, go to the mounted disk image, and run sudo dot slash Install dot command. Enter your password when it asks.

Answer the prompts. Press Enter to accept a value shown in brackets. Type the username and password of a device that's enrolled on your Server, and choose your M I D I device from the list.

The username and password have to match a device you've already enrolled and approved on the Server. Run the installer again any time to change a setting, or to upgrade.

That's installing a VCM MIDI Player on macOS. To set up the Server it connects to, watch 'Installing the VCM Server on macOS'.

This video is for your church's technical contact. It shows how to install a VCM MIDI Player on a Linux computer. Your screens may look a little different from these. The steps are the same. In this video: installing a VCM MIDI Player on Linux.

A VCM MIDI Player sends the music as M I D I to your organ or sound module. Put it on a computer near that instrument, on the same network as the Server.

Get the package from the Download page and install it with sudo apt install, then dot slash and the file name. It starts by itself, using placeholder details for now.

Next, open the file midi player dot env, in the Virtual Church Musician M I D I player folder, and set the username and password of a device that's enrolled on your Server. Save the file and restart the M I D I Player to pick them up.

To choose your M I D I device, run sudo dot slash configure underscore midi underscore device dot s h instead. It lists the M I D I devices this computer can see, and restarts the M I D I Player automatically once you pick one. Run it again any time to change the device later.

Ask for the MIDI Player's status. You want to see that it's active, and running.

The username and password have to match a device you've already enrolled and approved on the Server. Enrolling is covered in 'Connecting to your church's Server'.

That's installing a VCM MIDI Player on Linux. To set up the Server it connects to, watch 'Installing the VCM Server on Linux'.