Architectural acoustics is the science of examining a room, identifying unwanted noise, and for our part, developing a budget sensitive plan to control it.
If your room is noisy, has too much echo or you plan to build a new room and don’t want to be plagued by bad acoustics, here’s how we contain unwanted noise:
Reverberation Control
Reverberation is sound that is heard long after the “original” sound ends (e.g. echo in a gym). An echo over 2 seconds can be distracting and compromise speech clarity.
Listen to this audio recording with and without echo:
With the aid of computer modeling we SEE where these echoes travel (Fig.1), develop a plan to reduce their reflections and ensure the finished treatment looks like an architectural feature (Fig. 2).
click images to enlarge
Fig 1. The blue lines represent sound reflections. We identify walls causing bad reflections then apply acoustic material.
Fig 2. The wall below the windows is covered with acoustic material.
Mechanical Systems Noise
Hums and buzzing when lights are dimmed, or rumbling sounds when air-conditioners turn on/off are the result of missed opportunities for an acoustician to examine Electrical and HVAC plans.
On every new construction project we review the HVAC plans volume/air speed, duct size/configuration, diffusers/return size and duct silencers.
Once built, these systems are costly to redesign. By studying them in the design phase you save money now to support worship later.
click images to enlarge
Fig 3. Contact between Electrical and AV wires contributes noise to AV systems.
Fig 4. A well designed HVAC system.
Platform Volume Control
Have members complained “I couldn’t clearly hear the worship leader when he/she sang” or “Does the band have to play so loud?”
Think big picture for a minute…
- Are the walls and floor that surround your musicians made of hard or soft materials?
- How big and how many monitors are on the platform?
- Do you have musician amps not controlled by the soundboard?
- Does your worship team perform sound checks before your worship service?
Let’s agree there’s more contributing to loud platform volume than just the drum kit.
Before you spend money on quick fixes, give us a call. The solution might simply be trading-in those large Rock ‘n’ Roll monitors for smaller units or training your technical team on proper pre-service sound check protocol.
If you are building a new worship space, good platform planning (Fig 5 & 6) and an acoustic study should be high on your design phase list. Believe us, you can afford this service.
Fig 5. 3D model of proposed platform design: recessed pit for contemporary band with modular acoustical wall.
Fig 6. New platform design supports acoustics for Classical, Traditional and Contemporary worship.