As a specialist in acoustics, noise control and sound reinforcement, I have worked with many architects, engineers and builders of church facilities. The 27 years of projects I've been involved with have revealed common mistakes many churches make in procuring a sound system. Beware of the following pitfalls:
1. Ill-defined expectations. The first and most important thing you can do is to define your expectations. Is the church's primary objective intelligibility? To arrive at that goal, are you willing to allow the loudspeakers to be visible? Is the system to be operated manually or run automatically? What about music and bandwidth? At what level must the system operate? The lower the frequency and higher the sound level, the greater the cost.
These and many other expectations must be clearly defined in writing. Then, have your document reviewed by a qualified independent person who can be sure the expectations can be met.
2. Bad acoustics. The acoustical environment into which the sound must project has a critical impact upon the sound heard by the listener. Churches must consider the relationship between the natural (physical) acoustics and the electroacoustics. The former has to do with the quality of sound while the latter affects the composition of the reproduced sound. A good sound system in a bad room will still sound bad, but a mediocre sound system in a good room can sound good.
3. Power problems. Improvements in sound system component quality have exposed long-existing problems in AC power in churches. The same "clean power" requirements that are appropriate for a computer or security system should be used for the sound system. Also, consider the long-range goals for performance. If there is a likelihood of performance sound (such as that used for special effects), extra power will be needed. During design, this power is cheap--as a retrofit, it can be cost prohibitive.
Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
4. Underfunding. Not knowing what expectations really cost is another common mistake. Consider the following: Church members arrive with a mental image of the type of sound they expect to hear. Where is that image formed? For most, it begins at home with a music system they purchased for $500 to $4,000 or more. Their cars have systems that often cost $1,000 or more. In both cases, they are sitting a few feet from the speakers and have "perfect" control of the surrounding environment. Sitting in church, they are at a considerable greater distance from the speakers. Distance has a major impact on the sound being heard.
Using an average cost of $1,000 for a home system listened to by two people, we arrive at a cost-per-seat ratio of $500 per seat. In a 1,000-seat auditorium that same ratio would equate to a sound system costing $500,000. Sure, few systems actually cost this amount. However, the listeners are subjectively evaluating this church's system using $500-per-seat ears. Now you can see why the general conception, especially of the unchurched, is that church sound is always poor.
5. Poor operation. Churches can no longer ignore the fact that they need properly trained operators. This takes money--either to send lay operators to seminars so they can learn, or to hire professional operators.
6. Bad decision-making. It's important to involve qualified experts in your decision-making process. Having uninformed church committees make decisions on a very technical system is a set-up for trouble.
Procuring a sound system that is pleasing to listeners' ears is not an impossible dream. But it does have to be planned well in order for the result to be optimal.
R. Bob Adams is a senior consultant with Hoover & Keith, an independent acoustical consulting firm in Houston. He has worked with builders of churches around the world. Visit www.rbobadams.com.
Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Dr. Mark Rutland's
National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)
The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!
FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.
Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you’re not growing? Do you need help from an expert in leadership? There is no other leadership training like the NICL. Gain the leadership skills and confidence you need to lead your church, business or ministry. Get ready to accomplish all of your God-given dreams. CLICK HERE for NICL training dates and details.The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.
