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.
Acoustics By Design Honored As One of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Country!
For the first time in its history, the National Association for Business Resources has named the Best and Brightest Companies To Work For™ in the country. Acoustics By Design made the list, alongside companies like Verizon Wireless, Henry Ford Health System, Amway, and American Academy of Pediatrics.
2010 ADA Assistive Listening System Requirements
Most people who work in the construction industry are aware of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (commonly referred to as the ADA) and the general impacts it has on how buildings are constructed. On September 15, 2010 the Department of Justice published a series of revised regulations. One section of these updates deals with requirements for ADA Assistive Listening Systems for persons who have hearing disabilities. It’s a subtle change, but a big deal.
Student Job Shadows as an Acoustical Engineer
Many high school students have never heard of the “acoustical engineering” field so when local student Jordan Van Buskirk (a Senior at Western Michigan Christian High School) asked his teacher about jobs that have to do with acoustics, it was a first for the school. After being contacted by Joyce Workman, Director of Advancement at WMCHS, Acoustics By Design proposed a project centered around a problematic space for the school.
Acoustical Solutions for Cafetoriums and Gymnatoria
Multi-use school facilities (such as “cafetoriums” – cafeterias that double as auditoriums) are popping up all over Michigan because they save space and save money. But many schools are finding that they are not well-suited to serve multiple purposes. So how can multi-use facilities be optimized for both utility (think cafeteria) and performance (think auditorium)?
ABD to Host 10 Year Anniversary Party
Acoustics By Design, an independent acoustical consulting and audio-visual design firm headquartered in downtown Grand Rapids, will celebrate its 10 year anniversary on October 6, 2011, at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The invitation only event will host 300 architects and engineers as they celebrate a milestone for one of their own.
Training Tips for Church Tech Teams
I run sound at a local church about once a month. I used to spend time behind a mixing board several times a week, but these days it tends to be more time in front of a computer. Several recent discussions with the Music Director at the church got me pondering this question: What really makes a “good” mix? And the inevitable follow-up question is: How hard is it to train a church tech team volunteer so that they can get a “good” mix as the church sound board operator? Here’s my opinion…
Is It Really Sound Proof? Mixed Use Developments
Mixed use developments need to have the proper noise isolation partitions and the proper expectations for tenants. “I can hear their music and their phone ringing; I can even hear them repeat the order!” This comment came from a frustrated condo owner who lived above a sandwich shop in a mixed used condominium development. High density living often crashes with commercial spaces, and usually it is the residential owners that end up frustrated.
Corporate Videoconference Guidelines & Recommendations – Part 2
Good communication can be difficult, especially over long distances. This is why we still get on airplanes and travel to meet face to face. Videoconferencing saves the travel costs, and it still gives us the face to face connection. But here’s the key: the videoconference environment itself is critical to ensuring communication success.
Corporate Videoconference Guidelines & Recommendations – Part 1
Teleconferencing requires hearing the voice, so it should follow that videoconferencing requires seeing the people, right? Not so much. Videoconferencing actually requires a finer level of detail – it requires seeing the eyes. Why? We communicate with our eyes. If you cannot clearly see the eyes of the communicator, then you might as well be on a teleconference. This is why web quality video has become unacceptable for many types of corporate communication.
A Tale of Two Halls
I recently attended concerts at two out-of-state prestigious university level music schools, and from a noise control point of view, the auditoria couldn’t have been more different. While the room acoustics of both halls were superb, the background noise level in one was quite distracting.