A variety of factors affect the acoustics produced in a church. Seemingly simple changes — such as adding carpeting or moving a speaker — can change how sound is distributed in a room. These changes can produce entirely different experiences for your congregation. To help you take control of your church’s services and performances, here are answers to common questions about church acoustics. 

What You Should Know About Church Acoustics

How does carpeting affect indoor acoustics?

Carpeting affects how sound moves through a room. It soaks up treble noises and vocal sibilants, such as “s” and “sh” sounds. It has less of an effect on vowels. Keep this in mind if you aren’t satisfied with the vocal sounds your sanctuary is currently producing.

What kind of ceiling is ideal for sound?

It’s ideal for a church to have shallow vaulted ceilings. Sounds are stored in the upper spaces of a vault and then travel down the sides, reaching those in the seating area. If your church’s ceiling is slightly sloped at the front, sound will still move from the front to the congregation. If it’s sloped at the back, sounds are louder for those sitting there.

Regardless of the kind of ceiling your church has, an audio expert will customize your church’s audio solutions to fit its physical layout. 

How can you control internal reverb?

When a room’s reverberation isn’t optimized, sounds in the space are loud and tend to echo. The best way to control internal reverb is by tuning the environment in a way that prevents sounds from “bouncing” — in other words, by adding sound-absorbing materials to your church’s space. 

What's the best approach for setting the right volume for stage performers?

When managing your church’s acoustics, you should strive to achieve two primary goals. The musicians and singers should be able to clearly hear their performances through the monitors, while the congregation should hear the mixed audio through the house speakers. With the help of an audio professional, you can set the levels so that the sounds produced by the monitors and speakers don’t bleed into one another.

If your church or business needs an audio upgrade, contact Claiborne Sharp Professional Audio. Since 1989, they’ve provided churches, schools, courtrooms, and commercial buildings with audiovisual systems to fit their needs. Their experience makes servicing and installing soundboards, video walls, and speaker systems an easy process. Reach them by visiting their website or calling (318) 861-5953 to schedule an appointment.