Flush mounted ceiling panels provide distortion control while adding an interesting design element.

Hear the word. Sometimes you can hear the sermon, but you cannot understand it. This is due to excessive reverberation and/or a poor sound system. Balancing the majesty of a full sound for music and the distortion level that makes the spoken word intelligible often requires compromise.

The cavernous spaces that provide the proper venue for choral, organ and, in some cases, full orchestral music can make understanding speech difficult.

In much worship space, the quality of the music is also poor due to distortion and the accompanying loudness. The addition of the proper quantity of absorbent materials to surfaces and the strategic placement of those materials serves to tune the space to achieve the proper quality of sound. The audio system is also key to assuring that this is accomplished. Employing a knowledgeable contractor or consultant with experience in these types of spaces is important. Our tutorial on AUDITORIUMS speaks to this issue.

Acoustical ceiling panels correct noise levels and distortion in this fellowship hall.

A mistake that is often made is to use large speakers in the front of the worship space for speech. This most always causes distortion due to reverberation. The use of a number of smaller speakers throughout the space can address this potential problem. In some worship space, small speakers have been installed in the back of the seating so that a minimum volume per speaker is required to be audible to each member of the congregation. This may be extreme for most situations, but a distribution of speakers on sidewalls and in the ceiling should be considered.

Other space within worship facility is no different than elsewhere and you may want to go to our tutorials in or linked to the EDUCATION or OFFICE pages elsewhere on this site.