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"Hi, this is Bob. My church is building a new worship center, and the architect tells us it's time to get a sound guy involved. That's why I'm calling you."

I suppress a groan as the man on the phone continues. "Most of the building design is complete," he says. "Now we need someone to do the acoustics."

It's a sound consultant's nightmare.

How to Avoid Acoustical Nightmare
On the front end of most building projects, a church will hire a professional architect to work on programming and design. Prior to this, committee members will interview several architects to find one that meets various qualifications and will work well with the church.

After choosing an architect, the committee tours several churches. The architect takes note of committee likes and dislikes, then translates that information plus other data into plans for the new facility.

After completing the schematics, the architect realizes it's time to determine what type of finishes should be used in the room. This is the point at which most churches decide to hire an acoustical consultant.

The problem is that by this time most of the acoustics of the new facility have already been decided. A room's acoustics are determined by its size, shape, and finishes, but finishes are minor compared to the impact of the other two. Once a room's size and shape are established, it's almost too late to make significant changes to the sound of a room.

The best way to avoid this dilemma is to include an acoustical consultant in the building project from the start. That way, the sound person and others whose work impacts the basic design, such as structural, civil, and mechanical engineers, can address issues before design work begins.

Note: Though it's best to include an acoustical consultant from the start, it's never too late to call one in to evaluate your design in terms of sound. You may need to scrap some aspects of the room design or even start over. However, it's better to redesign a room before it's built than to build a room that won't meet the acoustic needs of the church.

Tips on Hiring a Consultant
How do you go about choosing an acoustical consultant? Some suggestions:

• Research the market. Resist the impulse to hire the first sound consultant you meet. There are good consultants and not-so-good ones. Take your time and interview several.

• Check references. Call churches that various consultants have worked on. Ask each if they'd hire that person again.

• Listen to their work. Check out the work of a prospective consultant. Listen to the sound. There's nothing like experiencing firsthand the results of a person's work to help you make a decision.

• Consider the program. Make sure the prospective consultant has a clear understanding of your church's ministry goals and program.

• Check the match. See if you and other team members have a good working rapport with the consultant.

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