Table Of ContentIf the information in this book is not enough and you need help,
you can contact me at www.jdbsound.com or [email protected]
A newer version of this book is available.
It is a complete rewrite
Why Are People Falling Asleep In The Church?
Why Are Church Sound Systems &
Acoustics
Faith Hearing
comes Gods So Confusing?
by Words
Second Edition
Version 2.5
by Joseph De Buglio
(cid:1) JdB Sound, Acoustics, Canada 1992-99
How to Recognize Speech
or
How to Wreck a Nice Beach
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2
This book is dedicated to
my wife Karen and two children, Sharon and Joey
and
a nameless little old lady with silver gray hair with a hearing aid
who tapped me on the shoulder at the end of doing sound for a
church conference in a hotel. As I turned, with a tear in her eye,
she looked at me square into my eyes and only said two words,
"Thank you." and disappeared moments later.
This book is also dedicated to the thousands of people who attend a
church every Sunday faithfully, even though they are unable to hear
or understand everything because of sound or acoustical problems.
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Why Are People Falling Asleep In Church?
Why Are Church Sound Systems
& Acoustics So Confusing!
Second Edition
Version 2.5
by Joseph De Buglio
(cid:1) JdB Sound, Acoustics, Canada 1992-99
Written by -- Joseph De Buglio
Edited by -- Madilen Beck and Joseph De Buglio
Artwork by -- Joseph De Buglio
Photography by -- Joseph De Buglio
Contributing Writers -- Paul Ingebrigtsen, Bob Adams, Rane Corp.
This book was written on an IBM PC clone.
Software includes: Windows 3.1 & 95, Arts & Letters, Word for Windows, Excel, Visio, L-View Pro
Published by: JdB Sound, Acoustics
63 Lockerbie Ave.
Weston, Ontario M9N 3A3
International Standard Book Number 0-9697350-0-7
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the written permission from the author. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the writer assumes no responsibility for
technical errors or omissions. The publisher welcomes any information that will enable us to rectify in subsequent editions any incorrect or omitted references,
credits or technical details.
Information contained in this work has been obtained by JdB Sound, Acoustics from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither JdB Sound, Acoustics
nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein and neither JdB Sound, Acoustics nor its authors shall be
responsible for any errors, omissions or damages arising out of this information. This work is published with the understanding that JdB Sound, Acoustics and
its authors are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional services. If such services are required, the assistance of
the author or another professional should be sought.
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4
A word of Thanks.
The information herein comes from many sources but the most important sources of information came from you, the
church community. When I first began this trade, I had the impression that every church sound system would be totally
different from one church to the next. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most church sound systems can be
designed from a rather simple formula. Church acoustics can be as simple. Church sound is fun, exciting and rewarding.
When a proper church sound system is installed and operated properly, there is nothing warmer than people telling you
that it has been ten years since they've been able to understand their minister. One sweet elderly lady once asked if the
minister could repeat all of the messages given since his arrival 15 years earlier.
This book is about solving problems with the mechanics of church sound as well as the politics that keeps churches from
having good sound all the time. Interestingly enough, in many cases, more time is spent discussing, learning and selling
rather than installing.
Solutions to church sound problems have been available for a long time. It's the ignorance, lack of education and politics
that all too often gets in the way. Hopefully, this book will equip you to explain to others who, how, what, when, where,
and why. We want to thank you for teaching us how to talk to you so that you can understand your own needs.
This book is dedicated to all of the people who have been going to church by faith, week after week, hoping that some day
they would be able to hear the whole service. It is also dedicated to those who have bequeathed various sums of money
towards sound systems they never had a chance to hear. In these pages you will experience the rewards, the successes, the
amazement and the frustration many churches have had with acoustics and sound systems.
This is the first and only independent book that tries to answer many of the questions you may have had on church sound
and church acoustics. Although product names are mentioned throughout the book, it is not necessarily an endorsement
by HIS Systems, or JdB Sound Acoustics.
One more thing, this book was also written for the "do it yourselfers". If you choose to do your own sound system design
and installation, (and there is enough information in this book for a church seating less than 600 people to help you
through a system design) and you follow all of the guidelines, there will only be one reason for failure. Compromise.
Somewhere you have taken a short cut or you tried to save money by buying lower quality implements or the wrong
equipment. As long as you stick to the plan, you should have reasonable success. If you do run into problems, you can
call my office or email me and I will coach you through your situation at no charge. If you have a unique problem, it will
be included in the next updated issue of this book.
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Table of Contents
A word of Thanks..................................................................................................................................5
PREFACE...........................................................................................................................................11
Introduction............................................................................................................................................12
About the Title of the Book.................................................................................................................12
Confusion at an Early Age 12
Wait!! Don’t Leave! 12
Dispelling Myths 12
Lets Blame Rock and Roll!! 13
My secret Friends 15
Chapter 1...............................................................................................................................................17
Real Bible Matter.................................................................................................................................17
Matthew's 13:18-23 17
Goal of the Book...................................................................................................................................19
A letter to Architects.............................................................................................................................21
Chapter 2...............................................................................................................................................22
The Beginning.....................................................................................................................................22
Where does anyone go to learn... 22
Churches Are Unique 22
What is a "CHURCH"? 23
History of Church Acoustics and Sound.................................................................................................25
In the Beginning 25
Greeks, Romans and Pagans 25
Jesus Sets the Standards 25
The First European Christian Churches 25
The Reformation 26
Were Churches Built for Speech, Singing or Music? 26
Early Church Organs 26
Traditions and Customs 26
Who is on first, the organ, the choir or the Preacher? 27
Before the 1940s 28
Setting the Stage...............................................................................................................................29
Changes in Catholic Churches 29
In the Beginning of Church Audio --1940s 29
The Age of Audio 30
What is Sound Reinforcement?..........................................................................................................30
Rock and Roll - The Decade of Chaos................................................................................................30
"Architectural Sound Equipment" 31
The years of Confusion 31
The Modern Church Sanctuary 33
Who is affected... 35
Chapter 3 - Setting Standards..............................................................................................................37
A Controversial Subject 37
Where do you Begin? 37
Executive Church Board Decision Tips.......................................................................................................37
The Basics in Room Acoustics..............................................................................................................41
Coverage 41
Articulation-Intelligibility 41
The 90s -- The Age of Hope 42
Defining Independence 44
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A Construction Detail to Consider and much needed 45
Secret Banking Tip 45
Churches, Banks, Acoustics, and Sound 45
Chapter 4...............................................................................................................................................46
Nuts & Bolts & More….........................................................................................................................46
When to start training?......................................................................................................................46
How To Use A Microphone 46
Is the "Q" Factor Important?...............................................................................................................47
Are All Speaker Clusters the Same? 50
One Rule - One Fact 51
A Powerful Person 51
Assessing The Sanctuary...................................................................................................................53
Room Shapes 53
Sound System Design Types 53
Pew Back Systems 53
The Left/Right Mono System 54
1. Dead Spot 55
2. Gain Before Feed Back 55
3. Intelligibility 56
4. Localization 56
What about a Stereo System in a church? 57
Speaker Guidelines...............................................................................................................................58
Speaker Location...............................................................................................................................58
Cluster Height 58
Speaker Safety 59
The best illusion of them all!!! 59
How many speakers in the cluster does a church need? 60
How much power for the speaker system? 61
Sound Operator Tip 62
Mixer Locations 63
Speaker, Microphone Wires and Wiring............................................................................................66
Microphone Wire 66
Installation Do Not’s 66
Conduit Tips 66
How Many Mic Lines? 67
Mixer Tip # 8 67
Speaker Wire 67
Does wire size matter? 68
Hearing Impaired Systems........................................................................................................................69
Choosing the right hearing-assistance system....................................................................................70
A Choice Of Three 70
General Performance 71
Area Of Coverage 71
Radio Interference 72
Security 72
Installation 72
Portability 73
Multiple System Installations 73
Chapter 5 - ACOUSTICS.......................................................................................................................75
How would you best describe Good Acoustics?..................................................................................75
The language of Acoustics 76
The Achievable Acoustics Spec..........................................................................................................76
But what about Concert Halls? 77
Problem Reflections In Church Acoustics..............................................................................................78
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REFLECTIVE PATTERNS 79
FLUTTER RETURN 79
SLAP RETURN 80
FOCUS RETURN 81
Reverberation and Sound System Operation.........................................................................................83
Reverberation 83
Design and Budget 84
Design Considerations.......................................................................................................................84
Platform Area 84
Congregational Seating Area 85
Successful Operation For Worship Centers...........................................................................................86
HISTORY OF THE SOUND COMMITTEE 86
A NEW COMMITTEE STRUCTURE 87
THE SUCCESS TRIANGLE 88
REHEARSAL ROOM ACOUSTICS........................................................................................................89
EXPECTATIONS 89
VOLUME 90
CEILING SHAPE 90
WALL SHAPE 90
DIRECTOR’S WALL 91
FLOORING 91
PHYSICAL FITNESS 92
CONSTRUCTION 92
CONCLUSION 92
Electronic Acoustics..............................................................................................................................94
Is the church ready for the 21st Century? 94
Back to the HIS System 96
But your sound system is so expensive!.............................................................................................96
The Sound Contractor from Another point of View..............................................................................97
Chapter 6 - Pet Peeves.......................................................................................................................100
Architects who hold Churches Ransom 100
A final detail from your Architect......................................................................................................102
Readers Corner...................................................................................................................................102
Folklore Legends................................................................................................................................103
Pastor electrocuted in Baptistery 103
Church paints walls in sanctuary causing thousands of dollars in damages 103
State of the Art sound system a bust 104
Church with wireless sound system gets wiped out 104
A Prophet Is Not Recognized In His Own Town 104
Mennonite Church Renovates Again And Again And Again… 105
Chapter 7.............................................................................................................................................108
Putting it Together...............................................................................................................................108
Four Things:......................................................................................................................................108
What Are The Most Important Items In Church Sound? 108
Part 1 - Acoustics 108
Part 2 - Speaker Placement 109
Part 3 - Pew Back Systems 111
Pipe Organs 111
Part 4 - Speakers 112
Chapter 7a - Samples.........................................................................................................................114
Chapter 7b...........................................................................................................................................123
Fluorescent Lights -............................................................................................................................123
Direct Boxes 124
There are 4 convenient types of boxes...................................................................................................125
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Passive Direct Box 125
Active Direct Box 125
Speaker Director Box 125
Line Matching Transformer 126
Will The Real Church Audio Contractor Please Show Up?.......................................................................126
Part 1................................................................................................................................................127
No Professional Standards...................................................................................................................127
Does this make every contractor an expert? 127
Part 2................................................................................................................................................127
No Church Performance Standards........................................................................................................127
Setting A Standard............................................................................................................................128
Part 3................................................................................................................................................128
Performance......................................................................................................................................128
Should a church buy on price or performance? 128
Part 4................................................................................................................................................130
Performance over Time.......................................................................................................................130
The Hidden Costs. 130
Part 5................................................................................................................................................131
Buying Parts or a System.....................................................................................................................131
Is the contractor a distribution/retailer or manufacturer? 131
Part 6................................................................................................................................................132
The committee...................................................................................................................................132
Microphones - Myths and Facts 133
Live Sound 133
Microphone Patterns 134
Letters from You................................................................................................................................134
Advanced Question...........................................................................................................................136
Lighting Standards.............................................................................................................................139
Appendix A.........................................................................................................................................142
Attendance Tables.............................................................................................................................142
Table 1..............................................................................................................................................144
Table 2..............................................................................................................................................145
Table 3..............................................................................................................................................146
Appendix B..........................................................................................................................................147
RT 60 for Types of Worship 149
Microphone tip # 100010101..............................................................................................................150
Characteristics of Speaker wire with different impedance.................................................................151
Ideal Church Reverberation / Frequency response.............................................................................152
The Phonetically Balanced Speech Intelligibility Test.........................................................................153
Evaluation Test....................................................................................................................................155
Appendix C..........................................................................................................................................157
Part 1. Church Sanctuary Acoustics - The Details.............................................................................157
What is the NC of your church?........................................................................................................................................157
Reverberation Time average............................................................................................................................................157
Reverberation Time at 200 Hertz......................................................................................................................................158
Reverberation Time at 3000 hertz....................................................................................................................................158
Echo Test 1 Do this test with a friend - Stand at the center pulpit or center to the chancel area and clap your hands once.158
Echo Test 2 Do this test with a friend - Stand at the center of the sanctuary seating area and clap your hands once.........159
Articulation score of the Sanctuary...................................................................................................................................159
Part 2. Sound System Performance...................................................................................................160
Articulation score of Sound System..................................................................................................................................160
Dead spots of 8dB or more..............................................................................................................................................160
Phase cancellation with a test tone..................................................................................................................................160
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SPL(Sound Pressure Level) from front to back Use SPL Meter........................................................................................161
Realism (Close eyes, point to sound)...............................................................................................................................161
Listening Fatigue factor (Subjective value).......................................................................................................................161
Intelligibility rating (Subjective value by church members).................................................................................................161
Maximum working distance before feedback....................................................................................................................161
System design life...........................................................................................................................................................162
Music quality...................................................................................................................................................................163
System headroom............................................................................................................................................................163
Echoes or added reverberation created by sound system ( May require Computer*).........................................................163
Part 3 Church Sound System Equipment Specs................................................................................164
Amplification....................................................................................................................................................................164
Equalization (EQ).............................................................................................................................................................164
Flexibility (Number of output mixes).................................................................................................................................164
Separate and Adjustable recording output........................................................................................................................164
Separate and Adjustable hearing impaired output.............................................................................................................164
Where is the Mixer located in your church?......................................................................................................................164
Which body member of the church is responsible for the sound system and acoustics of the church?...............................165
What is the Annual budget for sound and acoustics?........................................................................................................165
AN OVERVIEW OF AC POWER AND NOISE.......................................................................................166
1996 National Electrical Code 167
Article 530.......................................................................................................................................167
530-71. Wiring Methods...................................................................................................................167
530-72. Grounding...........................................................................................................................168
530-73. Receptacles........................................................................................................................168
The “Dirty Chassis” Condition............................................................................................................168
Locating a dirty chassis.....................................................................................................................168
4 Types of “Dirty Chassis” Conditions................................................................................................168
APPENDIX D........................................................................................................................................170
Audio Terminology’s..........................................................................................................................170
References..........................................................................................................................................185
References..........................................................................................................................................185
Index of Subjects & Key Phrases.......................................................................................................186
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