Professional Sound - February 2017 | Page 30

Ongoing advancements in audio technology have provided more options , flexibility , and better performance for system designers , acousticians , and their clients in every area of the industry , and the house of worship ( HOW ) market is certainly no exception ; however , devising solutions for older churches and traditional liturgical spaces – including ones officially designated as heritage sites – often comes with a unique set of challenges .

To delve into the intricacies of providing audio and acoustic solutions for traditional worship spaces , Professional Sound spoke to acoustician Joseph De Buglio of Delhi , ON ’ s JdB Sound Acoustics and David Hosbach , president and principal design consultant of Milwaukee , WI-based DSH Audio Visions LLC .
Both have extensive experience working primarily in the HOW market and are active members in their own church communities . Their life ’ s work is fueled as much by a passion for these special spaces as it is for acoustics and audio in general , and both pride themselves on providing direct , personal service to their clients .
UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS
While working in contemporary churches can present some of the same issues as traditional ones , “ Those issues are magnified in a classic liturgical space ,” Hosbach says , explaining that two of the most common issues differentiating the two are room acoustics and architectural and aesthetic integrity .
Speaking to the latter , Hosbach continues : “ At this time , we have steerable and passive column arrays at our disposal and clients often know they ’ re out there , so they don ’ t want to see large format , traditional loudspeakers flown from their ceiling .” The key , he says , is to preserve aesthetics and atmosphere – “ But not at the expense of what people are coming for , which is to hear the word clearly .”
Since 1981 , De Buglio ’ s independent consulting firm has worked exclusively in the HOW market on acoustics and sound reinforcement , commissioning over 1,200 projects in that time . “ Churches are the hardest spaces in the world to get the right balance between worship , speech , and music ,” he writes on his business site , adding that , “ Getting that ratio between speech , all types of music , and congregational singing is possible if you truly understand worship , how a worship space is used , and how sound moves around the room .”
Aesthetics often come ahead of acoustics in terms of client concerns , he says , but there ’ s always a solution . “ I ’ ve had a couple of churches where we ’ ve actually transferred frescos onto acoustic panels ,” he says , citing another job at a church in Lindsay , ON where plywood diffusers now cover the space behind a painting on the wall .
“ That church , unfortunately , used high clay , low sand bricks , which meant the bricks deteriorated over time . A glass-fired brick usually keeps its shape , size , and appearance forever . Years ago they painted the brick , which accelerated deterioration and the many layers of paint were causing humidity problems , which also accelerated deterioration of the exterior brick . I suggested making a wood diffuser the width of that area – only six inches deep so it still looks relatively flat from a distance but has an acoustic benefit – and then to repaint the frescos on the diffuser and hang it half an inch off the wall so the
JdB Sound Acoustics – Maranatha Free Reformed Church of Hamilton in Ancaster , ON
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