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Great Minds Speak - Leading Systems and Facilities Designers Speak Out at a CP Roundtable
What You Need to Know About Putting It All Together
Technology in houses of worship is no longer an “if” or even a “when” proposition. Today, it’s all about “how.” We put some key questions about systems design and integration to a roundtable of leading experts in those areas and came up with a lot of useful information for any technical director. Those you’ll be hearing from are:
John Storyk, principal, WSDG; John Westra, president, Audio Design Specialists; Bill Thrasher, principal, Thrasher Design Group, Inc.; Steve Durr, principal, of Steven Durr Design; Ian Budd, president at ICB Audio & Video; and Gary Zandstra (CTS), sales & marketing manager at Parkway Electric.
CP: First, a broad question: What are the key areas of AV system design for houses of worship? When it comes to sound and video, in what ways do they differ from secular facilities? Or is that less and less the case? How does the design process keep a church on its mission and not let the technology get in the way?
John Storyk (JS): Like most presentation spaces—great sound and intelligibility are crucial, but in many house-of-worship facilities, voice and music both have to work during the typical service. Add to that the fact that quite a few churches essentially are presenting loud rock and pop bands. Good acoustical design is critical.
John Westra (JW): We see little difference between secular and church facilities. The degree to which the technology is visible is a function of the congregation and style of worship. Some want to conceal it, and some want to flaunt it.
Bill Thrasher (BT): The key areas for audio are uniformity of coverage—every seat needs to sound the same—and to sound as good as the congregational members’ homes and their cars. Video needs to be bright and crisp, not washed out. Many worship facilities are more complex than secular facilities, so keeping tech out of the way of the mission is a management problem. Good or great audio and video start with good management.
Steven Durr (SD): A large number of our projects are working with an existing facility and the sound system is hindering their ability to worship. Worship is an emotional experience, and we constantly stress that no one came to the service to hear the sound system. How the sound system is installed and married to the natural room acoustics in the sanctuary is the major problem. Every day we see churches that are convinced purchasing new equipment will solve all of their sound problems and in 95 percent of these cases they will have exactly the same problems they had before, only much louder.
Gary Zandstra (GZ): In designing any system it is paramount that you begin with the end in mind. Too often a once-a-year event can drive an investment in technology is not necessary as the hardware could be rented. However, even more common is the mistake of not making accommodations for special events. I have talked with so many churches that will say if I had to do it over again I would have put in the catwalk, a different rigging location, extra conduit, a larger transformer to accommodate the lighting load, waited a year of two for the new digital console, and so on. I always remind those involved with in the design project that you live with infrastructure forever, but hardware comes and goes. So whether it is a secular or sacred venue, begin with the end in mind.
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Dan Daley is a journalist and author who covers professional audio and other topics. He lives in New York, Miami and Nashville. He can be contacted at danwriter@aol.com.
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