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.
Optimizing Church Sanctuary Acoustics for Congregational Singing
I recently received a call from a pastor asking how to enhance their congregational singing. The church had recently inherited a new building, and the pastor was concerned that the congregational singing was just not “what it should be”. The band was great, and they rocked the place out. But the congregation was feeling a bit overwhelmed and “lost in the crowd”.
Cost Saving Ideas for Industrial Noise Control
“Wow, you guys are expensive”. I’ve heard this once or twice so far in my career. Interestingly, I hear it the most from industrial and manufacturing clients where employee noise exposure is a major issue in their operations. It’s true, the consulting fee can be a little overwhelming at first, however, if you step back and look at the larger picture, you might be surprised how inexpensive the fee can be.
No Oral Privacy at the Doctor’s Office?
Recently, I visited a healthcare facility to talk with them about oral privacy related to HIPAA privacy requirements. As we toured the facility they shared the following story.
Best Audio/Visual Design Awarded to Cornerstone Church
The new Cornerstone Church campus is proof that good design is worth waiting for. After three years of design and eventual construction, the new church facility opened to rave reviews and experienced an immediate jump in attendance.
Analog vs. Digital Sound Boards | The Top 3 Factors
On practically every project we work on that has a significant sound system, we have a discussion with the stakeholders about whether the main mixing console should be an analog board or a digital board. In a nutshell, we can boil the discussion down to 3 main points… Price, Flexibility, and Ease of Use. Here’s why…
How People Discover Acoustical Engineering
I admit that I like working in a niche field. I especially like the reactions of people who ask me what I do for a living and have never heard of an acoustics engineer. They find it amazing that someone does this type of work, or they start asking questions or making comments about some experience they have had with (usually poor) acoustics. Recently, on my way to an acoustics conference, I crossed the border at Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge, which is the busiest US-Canadian crossing…
Noise Isolation for Church Cry-Rooms
Most parents will tell you that they just wish they could understand why their baby is crying. As cute as babies are, the reality is they can be immensely distracting during church worship services. So what can you do about it?
HVAC Noise Is Intruding On My Listening
Being a noise engineer, I’m always on the “listen-out” for cases of poor building acoustics. I find that common offenders are noisy air handling (HVAC) systems. Frequently the public venues are restaurants, hotels and cinemas, and on occasion it’s a location most tragic, a performance space.
How Does 3DTV Work, and Is It Just a Gimmick?
With visions of dollar signs dancing in their heads, manufacturers are foaming at the mouth thinking of how they can make 3D Television sets the next big thing. But if I want to watch a 3D movie at home, do I really need to throw out my HDTV and buy a new 3DTV? I mean, I can currently watch 3D movies on my HDTV at home with my 3D glasses, so what does 3DTV offer that my “normal” HDTV doesn’t? I need a filter to sort through all the hype.
Church Tech Team Training
Everybody talks about “training the tech team”, but in reality it seems that it very rarely happens as well as it needs to. I think perhaps what people commonly refer to as training could better be described as demonstration. Showing tech people how to push faders, twist knobs, pan cameras, and dim the lights is critical for people to understand how the equipment works, but is this really “training”?