Church Projection Room and Auditorium Acoustics

Hunter ScarpaHunter joined Acoustical Solutions in 2016 and works with contractors and specifiers. Hunter always had a knack for audio, physics, and troubleshooting. His love of audio led him to car audio competitions, where he honed his skills building and installing systems. He transitioned to home audio, selling and installing home theater equipment. 1-800-782-5742 Ext. 0139

The Issue

Church of Christ at Mountain View was having trouble with noise from their hidden projector rooms. They also had an auditorium that created so much reverberation it was hard to understand sermons or have enjoyable musical performances. Carefully chosen and placed acoustical treatment from Acoustical Solutions solved both issues and made for a happy congregation.

PolyPhon™ panels used to line speaker chamber to reduce reverberation.

The Challenge

Tom Stephenson runs sound for the Church of Christ at Mountain View in Winchester, Virginia. He is also a mechanical engineer and congregation member. After an auditorium remodel, the newly painted block walls would create a long reverberation time, drowning out speech and music. In addition, the two projector rooms would act as amplifiers for any sound that entered them. This reflected sound back out and created a “slapback” echo. “One last peeve was that when we had programs or weddings in the auditorium and people wanted to show something on the projectors, we would have to keep them running throughout the service, even when we weren’t using them,” said Stephenson, “If we turned them off, it would get suddenly silent in comparison, because you can hear the projector fans so loudly in the auditorium.“

Church sanctuary using AlphaSorb® panels on balcony front and upper walls or balcony rear.

A church sanctuary used AlphaSorb® panels on the balcony front and upper walls and balcony rear.

The Solution

After several trips to the church, Acoustical Solutions prepared a treatment plan for both the auditorium and projector rooms. The team used AlphaSorb® Fabric Wrapped Acoustic Panels for the lower level, balcony facing, and second level to absorb sound and lessen reverberation. Lastly, the team installed PolyPhon™ Polyester Acoustic Panels in the two large projection rooms. These panels put an end to the persistent slap-back echo and quieted the projector fans.

In the auditorium at Church of Christ at Mountain View, fabric wrapped panels reduce reverberation.

The Result

The reverberation time in the space was decreased by over a full second. Stephenson even mentioned that some congregation members who used to use the church’s Hearing Assistance Systems no longer required them. Also, the projection room panels have made it possible to power the projectors on and off during services with no sound change in the auditorium.

In the Customer’s Own Words

“The response to the treatment has been great. We can now hold all kinds of musical performances in here and it sounds really good. I wouldn’t allow it before because I knew it would be a disaster.” — Tom Stephenson

To learn more about how Acoustical Solutions can solve your noise control problems, use our contact form, call one of our Acoustical Sales Consultants at (800) 782-5742, or visit us on the web at acousticalsolutions.com.

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