Over the last few months, there have been several articles published in trade magazines and online regarding the acoustics of churches. It is true that proper room acoustics has begun to be recognized as a requirement for a good sounding room and to allow the sound system to perform well. Although there are many good points in these articles, they are far too simplistic and provide a false sense of the “you can do it yourself” concept. I have read statements specifically recommending what percentage of absorption should be used in a room, any room - - and where it should be placed. I have read how you don’t have to be concerned with any frequencies other than the speech range. Statements like these, when taken on their own, can further confuse the church community, leading them to spend money on “solutions” which do not actually solve their problems. (Some changes, when implemented, may result in people saying “this is better than what we used to have”, however, this doesn’t mean the issues have been fully addressed or solved. Taking a car from the junkyard and working on it until the engine starts can be viewed as being “better than what you had” – until you take into account there are no doors or seats, which continues to render it useless as a car to safely transport people.)

Just like sound system designs, there is no “cookie cutter design” or “one size fits all” option (to purposely be cliché). The laws of physics and science behind each project are the same; the solution may be very different. That said; beware of those offering specific solutions without knowing all of the details. Every project is unique and must be treated with that in mind.