church acoustics Basics

The main problem with church acoustics is that there are numerous hard and reflective surfaces, with little sound absorption in the space, that cause the space to have a lot of echo and reverb issues. In spaces that are so large and lack acoustic material, the sound quality becomes poor which leads to speech and music being hard to understand clearly.

When sound quality is poor, our brains have to work significantly harder to understand the words. There's a whole branch of science called psychoacoustics, where we study how sound affects us and is perceived. We think it's something churches should care more about! If your brain is having to work harder to understand, the result is more people who are bored, minds wandering, or even going to sleep. To deliver an engaging and impactful message, the congregation has to be engaged!

Modern churches have figured this out and invest heavily in acoustics. Some of that investment is driven by the music, but the other driver is that the people receiving the message are less bored and comprehend better. If your goal is to design a church that people want to be in - aesthetically and acoustically - you should be speaking to one of our Second Skin professionals to develop the right plan for your space!

Watch as Chris Greely from Octane AVL explains the room acoustics of Bethel Chruch!

The sanctuary

Finding the right acoustics in a church sanctuary is a delicate balance. In the sanctuary you’re most likely concerned with speech and music quality, but the desired reverberation time for speech is different than it is for music.

In simple terms reverberation time refers to how long sound continues to carry and bounce off the walls of a room. Long reverberation times can be great for music because lingering notes help to increase the enjoyment of harmonies. That’s why singing in the shower is a thing! However for speech clarity, short reverberation times are ideal, as you don’t want reverberant noise or echoes to muddy up what you’re trying to say. Kind of like how it’s impossible to focus when you get bad feedback on a video call or walkie talkie. But when reverberation times get too short, it can give the sense that you’re singing or praying alone, which is definitely not something we want in a house of worship.

Although these things seem to be at odds, it is possible to find the sweet spot so your acoustics work for both speech and music. Do this by finding the right combination of acoustical treatments and a quality sound system. RT60 refers to the time it takes sound to decay by 60 dB after the source of sound stops. For example a recording studio would want a very short RT60 at about half a second, but a symphony would want a much longer RT60, up to 2.5 seconds. Typical churches fall somewhere in the middle, you want the RT60 to be somewhere between 1.5 and 2 seconds. That said a large cathedral could have a bit higher RT60 to help the room feel more ‘live’, however you still don’t want to exceed 2.5 seconds. Here are a few tips to help you find that sweet spot.

Solution #1: Treat the Walls

Pick out an acoustic panel style that you like, and then place them throughout the room, starting with the first angles of reflection. We can help with the "how many" and the "where" if you give us a call! Each sanctuary is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all.

Solution #2: Treat the Ceiling

Churches and cathedrals with high ceilings ABSOLUTELY need to treat the ceiling with acoustic materials. When it comes to hanging acoustic panels, churches tend to get acoustic clouds to hang parallel to the ceiling or they hang acoustic baffles perpendicular to the ceiling. Either one of these methods will work great for you, so it boils down to what look you want.

For acoustic clouds, consider our BlocknZorbe™ clouds for a clean, non-fibrous product (available in discreet charcoal or white). Explore more color options with PolyZorbe™ Vivid Clouds to give a "POP" to your sanctuary. Also, we have a class A fire rated foam option!

Hanging baffles is honestly CRAZY popular these days. Just look up at a few churches and chances are likely you'll start to notice them. Lots of folks like PolyZorbe™ Vivid for the 12 color options, EcoVerb™ for being a BEAST of an absorber, and BlocknZorbe™ for ease of maintenance. Again, foam is popular so we've got an egg crate option and a nifty foam wave baffle option as well.

Additional Helpful Tips

• Find ways to physically elevate people singing or speaking above the congregation. This helps with sound being distributed evenly and clearly so you can be easily heard by the back row without being too loud for people in the front. In addition it helps to engage the congregation when they can see you from anywhere in the audience.
• If you can, try to avoid irregular room shapes like deep balconies or alcoves. It’s easier to control sound inside a space with a simple layout. The best shape room for acoustics is a rectangle. If you have a unique room shape let us know and we’ll help you account for the odd acoustics it can create.

fellowship halls

Fellowship halls are a lot like restaurants. They tend to be larger rooms with a lot of hard surfaces that we like to stuff full of people. Small groups form and if the acoustics aren’t controlled, everyone starts raising their voices to be able to talk over the background noise. Use acoustic panels all along the walls to help absorb the sounds of so many people speaking to make it easier to hear each other. Depending on the room, you may also want to look at installing acoustic panels on the ceiling. Give us a call to discuss your options.

Bible study rooms

Bible study rooms are like conference rooms, and the approach is the same as it is to reduce office noise. You want to make sure the people inside can hear each other clearly and you don’t want to be disrupted by outside noise. Start by applying acoustic panels to at least two adjacent walls, this is to dampen the path of sound bouncing off of each wall. These rooms are smaller, so you can typically follow the 40% Rule. Multiply the length and width of a room to determine the room’s square footage. Then multiply that by 40% to get how many square feet of panels you should install.

Depending on the size of the church or number of activities and services you provide, you may also want to take steps to soundproof your bible study room and better understand how to reduce echo in a room. The best way to do this is by identifying gaps in the room that let sound leak in or out, usually this is the doors or windows. Apply door soundproofing or soundproof window treatments to these areas to seal them up and keep out disruptions. Having a soundproof ceiling is a also an important part of this process. Also check out our article on how to soundproof a wall.

Houses of worship are uniquely beautiful structures that adapt to the community they are in. Inside people find peace, reflection, and community. Good sound quality is one of the secrets operating in the background. You often won’t notice the acoustic treatments, but you sure would notice if they weren’t there! You’ll find plenty of great advice on our site on soundproofing a room and improving acoustics, but we’re also well aware that many houses of worship have unique room constructions or face a situation no one else is. If you have more questions or want help creating a plan to improve the acoustics in your church, give us a call and we’ll create a strategy that makes sense for you.