Hall Guide for Hirers
The hall is run by volunteers and is usually unstaffed. Most hirers let themselves in, set up, use the equipment and pack away on their own, so this guide takes you through everything in the order you will need it.
If you would like help on the day, please contact the Lettings Manager in advance. If a volunteer needs to attend, an extra charge may apply.
Before your hire
Arrange these with the Lettings Manager in advance:
Raised seating – a trained volunteer must set it up.
Marquee-style set-up with drapes – needs planning, drape hire, agreed fixing points and extra time booked for set-up and clear-down.
Skittles, Giant Jenga or short bowls – some set-up is needed.
Exclusive use of the kitchen – otherwise other groups may use it for light refreshments.
A volunteer to help on the day – an extra charge may apply.
Bring with you:
Committee Room – your own HDMI cable for the projector and a 3.5mm audio cable for music.
Badminton or pickleball – your own rackets and shuttlecocks or balls. Nets are provided.
The keysafe code is changed regularly, so please email the Lettings Manager for the latest code before your hire.
When you arrive
Getting in: there is an electronic keysafe on the wall by the front door. The code is changed regularly, so please email the Lettings Manager for the latest code. Regular hirers have their own code.
-
Folding tables are stored on a large trolley, which has a handle to help you position the legs securely.
Chairs are kept in the rear storage room, with trolleys to wheel them back and forth.
Please put everything back where you found it.
-
Go through the stage door, just past the accessible toilet. The light switch is on your right at the bottom of the stairs.
The stage curtain handle is at the top of the stairs: turn it clockwise to open the curtains and anticlockwise to close them.
-
Anyone can play badminton or pickleball – just hire the hall for an hour. The court markings are on the floor, and nets for both are in the rear storage room.
Please bring your own rackets and shuttlecocks or balls, as we cannot supply them.
-
The kitchen is included in your hire. Unless you have booked exclusive use, other groups may also use it for light refreshments.
Please clean as you go and leave the kitchen as you found it.
Main Hall equipment
Start here: the AV cabinet by the kitchen door
Switch on the AV Power switch below the AV cabinet.
Open the roller door fully and switch on the amplifier (bottom rack).
Before playing any sound, pull all the faders on the mixing desk (the white, blue and yellow sliders) down to zero.
All the remote controls are labelled and kept in the basket on the middle shelf.
Then open the guide below for whatever you want to use.
-
On the top shelf, check the Mic 1 and Mic 2 receivers show power lights.
Choose a hand or lapel microphone from the basket on the middle shelf.
Hand mic: long-press the small white on/off button near the base. The sliding switch near the middle is the mute.
Lapel mic: clip it to clothing as close to the mouth as possible and press the on/off switch until the red light shows.
On the mixing desk, raise Mic channels 1 and 2 to about halfway.
Speak into the microphone and slowly raise the yellow Mix faders until you hear your voice. Adjust the volume to suit.
-
Make sure all the faders on the mixing desk are down at zero first.
From your phone or laptop
Use the loose AUX cable on the middle shelf. It has USB-C, Lightning and 3.5mm ends.
Plug the right end into your device and press play in your music app.
Raise Aux channels 3 and 4 to about halfway, then slowly raise the yellow Mix faders until you hear music.
From a CD
Switch on the CD rack, insert the disc and press play. The CD remote is in the basket.
Raise CD channel 8 to about halfway, then slowly raise the yellow Mix faders until you hear music.
-
Switch on the projector at the power button in the bottom right corner of the AV cabinet.
Lower the screen using the screen remote from the basket.
Connect your laptop or play a DVD (see below). The projector should switch to the right input by itself. If it doesn't, use the projector remote: HDMI3 for a laptop, Digital Link for a DVD.
Connecting a laptop
Take a wireless dongle from the small black box on the top shelf.
Plug it into your laptop's HDMI socket (picture) and a USB socket (power).
When the dongle starts flashing, press its large button. A solid green light means you are connected.
On your laptop, choose whether to duplicate or extend your screen.
Playing a DVD: switch on the DVD rack, insert the disc and press play. The DVD remote is in the basket if you need the on-screen menu.
Sound: with all faders at zero, raise Projector channels 5 and 6 to about halfway, then slowly raise the yellow Mix faders until you hear sound.
-
Connect the desk. In the AV cabinet, find the loose 5-pin DMX cable near the lighting desk and plug it into the DMX IN socket on the left side, halfway up the racks.
Power the lights. Go through the stage door opposite the Boiler Room, past the toilets, and switch on the light just inside the door. Above you is a long white consumer unit: lift the cover and switch on the five RCD switches for the lighting bars (positions 3 to 7, marked FOH and LX). The lights should show orange standby lights.
Choose a scene. Back at the Wolfmix lighting desk, press Preset (bottom right), then press one of the 20 centre buttons. Turn the right-hand dial to see more pages of presets.
Don't be afraid to experiment. The settings are saved and backed up, so pressing buttons won't break anything.
-
Playing presets
Press the left-hand dial to play several presets together.
Turn the left-hand dial to change the order the presets play in.
Turn the middle-left dial to change the speed.
Live Edits override the presets. Use them for things like a spotlight, front-of-house lighting, house lights, haze (if installed) and special effects such as iris, gobo rotate or prism.
Press Live Edit (bottom left), then press one of the 20 centre buttons.
Turn the right-hand dial for the second page of Live Edits.
Light blue buttons flash and release when pressed. Dark blue buttons stay on until you press them again.
Useful examples include House Lights and the stage FOH lights.
More video tutorials: Live Edits, the Home screen, FX Racks and Static Screens.
-
The hearing loop driver is always on and runs through the amplifier, so switch on the AV power and amplifier first (see "Start here" above).
To check it is working, clap your hands: the green level lights on the hearing loop driver should flash.
Hearing aid users should set their hearing aid to the T position.
-
Spare batteries for the remote controls and microphones are in the basket in the AV cabinet.
Other spares (AAA, AA, C and 9V) and batteries for the heating controls, clocks and door closers are kept in the locked Boiler Room cabinet, which PVH volunteers can open.
-
No sound – check the AV Power switch and amplifier are on, the channel for your device is raised (Mics 1–2, Aux 3–4, Projector 5–6, CD 8) and the yellow Mix faders are up.
Microphone not working – check its receiver has a power light and the microphone is switched on and not muted. Spare batteries are in the basket.
Projector shows nothing or the wrong picture – use the projector remote to select HDMI3 for a laptop or Digital Link for a DVD, and check the laptop dongle shows a solid green light.
Stage lights don't come on – check the DMX cable is plugged in and all five RCD switches behind the stage are on.
If anything is broken or missing, please let the Lettings Manager know so it can be put right.
Committee Room equipment
Projector: bring your own HDMI cable and plug your laptop into the HDMI port on the wall. The projector power switch and remote control are on the wall in the same area.
Music: bring your own cable to connect your laptop to the 3.5mm stereo jack point on the wall. Sound comes out of the wall speakers.
Hearing loop: always on in the Committee Room. A red light on the boundary microphone in the ceiling shows it is working. Hearing aid users should set their hearing aid to the T position.
Before you leave
Please work through this list before you lock up:
Set both heating thermostats to automatic: one is in the Main Hall and one is in the Committee Room.
Switch off all other equipment, including lights, hot water stills, dishwasher and oven.
Switch off all AV equipment, especially battery-powered microphones. There is no set order.
Put tables, chairs and all equipment back where you found them.
Leave the kitchen clean and the hall tidy.
Take all rubbish and recycling away with you. A charge is made for removing anything left behind.
Turn off the taps and close all windows and doors.
Lock up and return the key to the keysafe.