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.
101 Best and Brightest Elite
Acoustics By Design has been named the Elite Winner for Recruitment, Selection, and Orientation. While we’ve won several Best and Brightest awards, this is our first 101 Best and Brightest Elite Award, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Interview – Acoustics in the US
Acoustics By Design provides AVL and acoustical consulting from our offices in Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan, and Portland, Oregon, on projects throughout the United States, and around the world. If you’re trying to get started in the field of acoustics, but perhaps you don’t have access to a lot of acoustical consultants, what do you do?
Acoustical Consultants in Portland, Oregon
Acoustics By Design is proud to announce our latest acoustical consultant office in Portland, Oregon to better serve our West Coast clients.
Worship Facilities – 4 Acoustics Myths Debunked
The acoustics inside a church can make the difference between a properly communicated message and a garbled-up mess. To help churches overcome acoustic challenges, let’s examine some of the prevailing myths about church sound.
The 2014 FGI Guidelines Are Here
The new version of the FGI (Facility Guidelines Institute’s) Guidelines is here! The “FGI Guidelines” is an industry standard document focused on the design and construction of healthcare facilities, covering topics from space planning and room design to equipment, to (you guessed it) acoustics, which was introduced in the 2010 cycle.
Boarding up the Board Room – Speech Privacy
Acoustics By Design gets requests, every week, to help corporate office environments with their speech privacy. Whether it’s a conference room, single private office, or one with legal privacy concerns (like a doctor’s or lawyer’s office), it’s important to keep certain conversations protected and private. In other words, the type of work performed in a space, and expectations of privacy, can dictate the acoustic shape of the space. Of course, you can plan for your privacy needs in advance, or handle the renovations later when you find that you need some private spaces. Either way, with proper planning, you don’t have to board up the Board Room to have a private conversation.
University of Michigan Renovated Schembechler Hall
It’s always a pleasure to hear that someone is enjoying the spaces created by the work that we do at Acoustics By Design. In this case, The University of Michigan’s newly renovated Schembechler Hall. The smiles were evident on the faces of everyone in attendance at the grand re-opening on April 4. Schembechler Hall houses all of Michigan football’s offices, locker rooms, training facilities and weight rooms, along with the updated Margaret Dow Towsley Sports Museum.
THX – May The 4th Be With You
The Star Wars Episode VII cast was announced this week, and Star Wars Day is this Sunday! May The 4th Be With You! So, what better way to celebrate, than with this post about THX?
Earth Day Acoustics and Green Design
Every year on April 22, over a billion people in 190 countries take action for Earth Day. From San Francisco to San Juan, Beijing to Brussels, Moscow to Marrakesh, people plant trees, clean up their communities, contact their elected officials, and more, all on behalf of the environment. The goal: 1-Billion Acts of Green. Green programs that honor Earth Day, and our environment go much deeper and wider than a single day of the year.
Holy Wireless Microphones
Wireless microphones that perform well are the Holy Grail in worship spaces. With Palm Sunday, Passover, Good Friday, and Easter just around the corner, the sound-systems in our churches and synagogues can be the un-sung heroes of the week, or the albatross around the necks of anyone holding or wearing them. We’ve all come out of a worship service remembering when the mics didn’t work, and we couldn’t hear the message. How many wireless mics does your church really need? How can you be sure they will work? How much should you pay for a wireless microphone?