The Acoustics

• Fine sound systems can often be made invisible if the
consultant and the architect work together.
• It is always cheaper and better to do it right the first
time.
• If budgets are limited, it is far better to have the design
work done correctly and defer the purchase of
options such as an organ or a sound system.
• Acoustic and sound system consultants are good
insurance against serious problems later on.
• Acoustics and sound system design are applied
physics, not “black magic.” Poor acoustics and sound
system performance means either that the design
team made mistakes or their recommendations were
not properly implemented.
• Good acoustics rarely happen by accident. Poor
acoustics are a far more likely result when there is no
consultant on a project.
• No sound system can remove reverberation from a
space. If contemporary music will be part of the worship,
reverberation must be carefully controlled.
• Contemporary music and traditional European music
make very different and conflicting demands on
room acoustics. It is quite costly (and often impractical)
to provide a workable acoustic environment for
both forms in the same space.
• Any architect who knows anything about acoustics
will hire a good acoustic consultant for any church
or other large space. The opposite is also true — any
architect who doesn't hire a good acoustic consultant
for these spaces thereby demonstrates his
incompetence.
• Some of the worst acoustic environments I've ever
experienced were designed on the advice of an organ
builder. Not only were they nearly impossible for the
spoken word, they were awful for for the choir, congregational
singing, and other musical components
of worship.