What did he say?
Feb 20, 1997 12:00 PM,
The S&VC Staff
It’s funny to see how people react to a bad sound system in, say, an airport; after a while, no one even listens any more. The announcer could be offering a million dollar reward or warning of a bomb threat, and no one would hear because no one expects to be able to.
That’s not the case with auditoria. People are there for one main purpose: to hear. Theaters and churches might offer visual input, but all of these venues depend absolutely on sound – great music, clear speech. If you can’t hear the music at a concert or understand the dialog at a play, why even attend? In these situations, bad sound cripples the function of the building. People might accept bad sound in somesituations, even grow to expect it, but they won’t put up withit in auditoria.
In last month’s issue, we introduced this two-issue special on auditoria by focusing on the technical aspects of designing sound systems for these venues. Now that you know the whys of these designs, we’ll present the hows by showing some examples of these principles in action. We’ll offer a selection of the best designs covering the gamut of auditoria: churches, concert halls, theaters, schools. Come see how some of the best designers solved the problems that might plague you in your work.
