Sounding Off: Our Blog
Thoughts, insights, and perspectives on the latest news, trends, and issues regarding architectural acoustics, environmental and industrial noise and vibration, and audiovisual systems design.
IPTV –When it Makes Sense & Save Cents
One of the transitions that we are watching closely in the audio-visual Industry is the evolution of audio and video delivery over networks instead of through dedicated distribution systems. In the consumer world you may have noticed that some TV networks are starting to stream things like major sporting events from their websites, or you may have signed up for a service like Netflix or Hulu Plus to stream movies to your TV. These are examples of TV delivered over the Internet – commonly called IPTV.
Toilet Noise Mitigation
The other day at a popular chain restaurant, I dropped by the restroom before a long ride home. I’ve heard some loud toilet flushes in my day, and this one was right up there with the loudest of them. While it caught my attention, it didn’t make me jump too high out of surprise. However, when I saw a young girl coming out of the neighboring stall, she had a look of shock on her face. She said, “That SCARED me!” Not something I would think most businesses want to do to their customers.
The National Council of Acoustical Consultants & the American Institute of Architects
The National Council of Acoustical Consultants (NCAC) is the only North American organization fully devoted to certifying the credentials of acoustical consultants. Kenric Van Wyk, President of Acoustics By Design, was elected to the NCAC Board of Directors in 2006. He has served as the Vice President of Finance, and in 2011 was elected as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
Acoustics By Design is Named One of “West Michigan’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For”
Acoustics By Design was recently honored by the Michigan Business & Professional Association as one of “West Michigan’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.” 2011 marks the fifth consecutive year that ABD has received the award.
Quality, Service, and Price – How Acoustical Consultants Stack Up
Recently a client called to say they were trying to make a decision between our acoustical engineering firm and another acoustician for a church project they were working on. The client had received proposals from Acoustics By Design and another firm, but wanted to discuss the topic from a “quality, service, and price” perspective. So what did I tell him?
LEED for Healthcare Acoustic Points
The new LEED for Healthcare system allows up to two points for acoustics under the IEQ Credit 2 Acoustic Environment. Its intent is to “provide building occupants with an indoor healing environment free of intrusive or disruptive levels of sound.” Points can be earned by meeting requirements for increased sound isolation between rooms, reduced room noise levels, controlled reverberation time (acoustical finishes), and reduced site exterior noise.
Evidence Based Design for Healthcare Acoustics
In their November 2010 issue, Healthcare Design Magazine published an article entitled, “Too Noisy to Heal,” written by Dr. Erica Ryherd of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Ryherd lays out a clear case for the importance of acoustical design in healthcare facilities. She uses the term “soundscape” because healthcare acoustical consulting is so much more than just reducing unwanted noise. At Acoustics By Design, we couldn’t agree more.
On Shaky Ground | Healthcare Vibration Problems
A friend of mine recently went to an eye appointment at a doctor’s office where outpatient surgeries are performed. The floor was noticeably shaking as a result of vibration energy from the air handling unit directly above the office. He asked the doctors if they have problems with sensitive medical instrumentation, such as data that seem erroneous. While the doctors didn’t directly admit to having any problems, he could see the look of concern and alarm on their faces, as if my friend had psychic powers to know something was wrong with their instruments. They were extremely interested in what my friend told them about how excessive vibration can be the source of errors, which apparently hadn’t occurred to them before.
Troubleshooting Church Sound Systems
Recently I was working with a church that was experiencing some “issues” with their sanctuary sound system. They had just reconfigured their main worship space and everything had been fine. But now that several weeks had gone by, things were not right. They asked if I could come and help work with their sound volunteers to get everything straightened out. I’ve worked with many churches in somewhat similar circumstances so, at first glance, nothing in this scenario seemed out of the ordinary.
Video Wall Design Considerations for Corporate Webcast Auditoriums
Out of curiosity, we asked one of our current clients what made them pick Acoustics By Design to be their audio-video consultant for their corporate webcast auditorium project. We beat out several national AVL consulting firms to get the project, so what made the difference? Well, there were a list of reasons why ABD was the best fit. One reason was that we took time to understand the client’s vision, and that we proposed the concept of a video wall rather than the traditional approach of using several projectors to accomplish their complex webcasts. Cool. So why did we pitch the idea in the first place?