A Different Angle
Jan 1, 1999 12:00 PM, David Klepper
Until recently, sound systems in Orthodox Synagogues could not be used on the Jewish Sabbath, sundown Friday evening to after sundown Saturday evening, and all important worship on the Sabbath and holy days was done without benefit of sound reinforcement, except by the acoustical properties of the synagogue interiors. This ban still holds in some cases, but limited Orthodox rabbinic approval has been obtained for two different approaches to Sabbath and holy day sound amplification. Both share the concept that the system is designed for reinforcement of the Drash or Dibbur, what would in some ways correspond to the sermon in Christian worship, and the system should not be used for reading from the Torah scrolls, singing or chanting.
Single-sided electronic amplification This approach was developed by Israel's Zomet Institute in Gush Emunim and is used successfully in some Sephardic synagogues in permanent installations. The prohibition of the use of electricity is based on the prohibition of lighting or extinguishing a fire. Because an electronic audio signal has many zero crossings, even if a normal sound system is left on, the audio signal itself turns on and off many times. By introducing a current and voltage bias, as with a condenser mic, the current is only varied and not switched on and off, which follows the Talmudic permission to allow an existing fire to warm food. In certain cases, the system has been approved only with a condenser mic phantom powered by an integrated amp-mixer-EQ system, but it is also possible to have a battery in parallel with a large condenser to keep constant current flow in loudspeaker lines. A capacitor loudspeaker can also be used. (See Figure 2.) The remainder of the system design follows normal practice, except that the loudspeaker power handling is derated to 25% if the voice coil is moved half-way off center by bias current. Other than that, the quality inherent in electronic reinforcement can be preserved, and such systems are useful both for reinforcement in the synagogue and for overflow coverage into an adjacent area during High Holy Days when normal seating capacity must often be expanded. Remember to use digital delay when appropriate. Although this approach is suggested for Orthodox synagogues, it might be appropriate to houses of worship for the Reform, Conservative and Recon-structionist movements when the rabbi and congregation may invite Orthodox rabbis to speak or teach.
Air amplification Amplification of sound in the air domain without transduction to electricity and back would seem impossible at first glance, but it has been accomplished through the technology of fluidics developed by Defense Research Technology, Rockville, MD. This firm developed sophisticated real-time, air-only control systems for the U. S. Navy for locations where electricity was prohibited, and the valves used for this type of control proved capable of air amplification. A weak modulated air stream can modulate a continuous stronger stream to produce the needed amplification. (See Figure 3.) Two-way systems (treble and bass) are possible with increased fidelity, and the technology is vastly improved over the initial system. This technology, however, has not yet received the amount of research needed to bring quality levels up to that of electronic systems, and I find its usefulness mainly in High Holy Day overflow amplification. Notice the built-in synchronization delay inherent in sending sound through tubes.
The rabbi of each Orthodox congregation is the only individual who can rule on the applicability of either system, and the sound system contractor or acoustical consultant should not attempt to bypass his authority. The rabbi may contact the Institute for Technology and Halacha (Rabbi Yitkhak Isaac Helprin, director, 1 Pisga Street, Beyt Vighan, Jerusalem, Israel) for information on the Halachich correctness of the air system. Rabbi Marc Angel at North America's oldest congregation, Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, will also be glad to assist in evaluation the electronic approach (8 West 70th Street, New York, NY 10023).
In particular situations, the speech-only Sabbath system might share loudspeaker components with a more general system that can be used for a variety of other purposes. Note that synagogues that do not use sound amplification on the Sabbath may have important uses for systems at other times, even in the main sanctuary. The late Rabbi Menahim Schneerson, the famous head of the Lubavitch Hassidic group and the Chabad movement, often spoke to several thousand listeners with amplification during She'urs. Large synagogues need intercommunication, CCTV and other electronic aids. Some Orthodox organizations include complete recording, television and radio studios, teleconferencing rooms, Internet connections, and other modern aids to reaching their congre-gants and fellow Jews.
Conversion to orthodoxy Several non-Orthodox congregations have become Orthodox or returned to Orthodoxy and then decided that the sound system could no longer be used on the Sabbath and Holy Days. In two cases, this step led to revealing acoustics problems that the sound system had successfully hidden. Problems encountered include high background noise produced by the heating and air-conditioning system and acoustic tile ceilings that prevented effective sound reinforcement from one end of the room to the other. Although the combination of a mechanical and acoustical engineer may be essential to solve the first problem, simple measures like reducing fan speeds, adjusting or removing dampers, or lining that portion of the ductwork nearest the return and supply outlets can make the necessary difference. Acoustic tile can be rendered sound-reflecting by the application of Glidden Industries' Ultry-Hyde Block Filler, a heavy paint made to fill porous cinder block to approximate concrete block architecturally.
Non-orthodox synagogues All synagogues have an Aaron Kodesh, the freestanding container for the scrolls of the Torah, at the end of the hall closest to Jerusalem, and usually have the teba or desk where the scrolls are placed to be read nearby in many European tradition synagogues (Ashke-nasi) or the center of the congregation in all Mediterranean tradition and other European tradition congregations. There is also a separate lectern for the dibbur or drash (see Figure 4a and 4b). In other respects, the music and style of worship of the non-Orthodox movements can vary from close to Orthodox to nearly all the styles found in North American Protestant congregations. Although there are a few Conservative and Reform congregations that have fine pipe organs, the total in North America probably does not exceed 25. Organs were banned with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and remained banned for Sabbath use in Orthodox congregations. Electronic organs are pervasive, and these often sound noticeably inferior because of inadequate amplification and loudspeaker power handling capacity. A sound consultant or contractor can be of great help to a non-Orthodox congregation by suggesting a synthesizer instead of an electronic organ because the money saved can then be used for the amp and bass loudspeaker power required for musical sounds, and with combined use with the music reinforcement portion of the sound system, the versatility will be appreciated, and the overall system will be much more useful for most congregations.
In addition to regular speech reinforcement, overflow seating with appropriate delay is almost always required along with coverage of such ancillary spaces as lounges, offices, lobbies and possibly outdoor areas. CCTV for latecomer use in lobbies and for closer communication from leaders to congregants in overflow areas are other possibilities. Some non-Orthodox congregations tape all services, and some provide radio broadcasts. Hearing-assistance systems (IR and FM have replaced magnetic induction) and even complete simultaneous translation systems are also in use. Usually, the overflow space doubles as an auditorium and social hall and can benefit from both a ceiling-distributed speech and overflow coverage system and a separate high-power music amplification system for the music of teenage parties, weddings and Bar Mitzvah celebrations. Such systems are also useful in Orthodox congregations, but without the overflow coverage capability, which would be handled by the special system discussed earlier. Choir rehearsal rooms can use recording and playback, and again, the normal intercom and closed-circuit systems can be valuable.
Loudspeaker coverage The six types of loudspeaker systems discussed in my 1971 AES paper remain the standard today, with the addition of the horizontal line-source system developed at the same time by the Latter Day Saints Church Engineering group in Salt Lake City, usually applied along the length of the hall, and by myself with my former partner Larry King's help, applied across the width of the hall. (See Figure 1.) I know other systems are in use, including side-wall loudspeakers and floor and under-pew loudspeakers. Any rational analysis of these systems would indicate that some clarity must be lost in comparison with the alternatives, although modern signal processing equipment can get certainly better results out of such muddy systems than before. No rabbi, however, will want his voice amplified from the floor or under the pew because his voice is supposed to carry a sacred message, and any rabbi understands its sacredness is reduced when the system tickles the posterior before the message reaches the ears.
Interfacing with the congregation The consultant or contractor will undoubtedly interface with a house or building committee, a business manager and the rabbi and possibly his assistants. In an Orthodox congregation and many Conservative congregations, the rabbi is the boss, and he will rule on all matters affecting worship, even though it is in these congregations where one finds the most educated laity, with nearly every adult male member able to lead the congregation in any prayer. As one moves away from Orthodoxy, one finds a variety of power structures, down to the small, out-of-the-way Reform congregation that has a student rabbi fly in every other weekend to teach and conduct services. Also, in all groups, the kind of worship and even the level of decorum vary. A wise consultant or contractor will want to experience worship with the congregation and observe social events. It is not necessary to know Hebrew or even attempt to understand the service. If it is an Orthodox or Conservative congregation, men should bring a yarmulke (head covering) or borrow one from the stack near the entrance door and keep it on their head during the time they are on the premises. When attending services, Gentiles should not wear a tallith (prayer shawl). Stand when the congregation stands and sit when they sit, and if conducting a subjective survey, pick times to move from one place to another when others are moving but not during the standing silent meditation. If you are not Jewish, you will not be embarrassed by asking questions, by not knowing everything, and by bringing insights that you can bring from experience with Christian congregations to the particular problems of a synagogue. If your suggestions are not applicable, as long as you accept that fact, you will still be respected and appreciated for making the suggestions. On the other hand, if you are Jewish and do not wish to disguise the fact, it would be wise to take a course and bring yourself up-to-date on what your religion is about before entering the marketplace of ideas and products to assist your own people.
Acoustics When I was doing active acoustical consulting for remedial situations in North America, many congregations of various religious groups would ask me to come to look at a sound system problem. Often, there was a mechanical equipment noise problem or even such room acoustics problems as acoustical tile ceiling, a hard, curved rear wall and mechanical equipment located practically within the worship space and zero vibration isolation for the mechanical equipment. Every good sound system contractor is also somewhat an acoustical engineer, and a number of good architectural acoustics texbooks and handbooks can help. In addition to the Acoustical Society of America's Worship Space pamphlet, I strongly recommend the worship space acoustics pamphlet of the American Guild of Organists as inexpensive and full of information, even though it may have been aimed primarily at Christian houses of worship. Regarding the physics of sound, a kantor is a cantor, singing solos, leading the congregation and interacting with it, whether he is in a church or a synagogue, and the spoken word must always be understood.
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