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Almost everything that happens in a church relies on good sound. The minister speaks to his or her congregation through leading prayer, preaching and discussion with parishioners. The church choir communicates the principles of the Bible through verse and song, leading the congregation to join them. In order for everyone to understand what is being taught and to be able to join in, they have to be able to hear it. That’s where good acoustics come in.

Acoustics refers to the quality and projection of sound in a space. Acoustics can be affected by many thinks such as the surrounding surfaces (cement walls, carpeting, and curtains for example), the shape and size of the space, and the tone and pitch of the sound itself. Sound travels in a straight line and, when it encounters a hard surface, it ricochets and begins to travel in a different direction. If the sound is surrounded by hard surfaces, it will ricochet many times before winding down. Hard surfaces enable the sound to travel far, but the bouncing of the sound into different directions can make the sound difficult to hear properly and understand by the recipient. However, when sound encounters a soft surface, it is absorbed into it and the sound dissipates quickly. It is more difficult to hear from farther distances but, because it does not ricochet in different directions, it is easier to understand when heard.

Church acoustics can be more complicated than the acoustics in most other types of rooms. Churches often have vaulted ceilings which can direct sounds in unexpected directions. Ricocheting sounds, called reverberation, can create a buzzing quality to the sound which makes it difficult to hear and understand. Master builders hundreds of years ago understood the basics of church acoustics and built the church to take advantage of the best possible amplification and direction of the sound. Many of these churches remain today, exhibiting the same excellent quality sound they did when they were built.

Modern churches, however, often do not possess the same innate acoustic properties as did their predecessors. But there are ways to improve church acoustics whatever the configuration.

The biggest acoustic issue in churches is the reverberation or echo of low frequencies. When low frequencies bounce off of a wall and encounter other fresh sound waves, they can either amplify the original sound wave making the sound louder, or they can cancel the other sound out. This is called a standing wave. Standing waves can make sounds in churches- whether it is the spoken word or music- muddy and indistinct.

The easiest way to prevent standing waves and other sound ricochets is through the use of acoustic panels. One of the most commonly used acoustic panels is the Owens Corning 705 – a 2 inch thick slab of rigid insulation that dampens sound waves to reduce reverberation. This keeps the sound clean and pure. The strategic placement of these freestanding panels in churches can improve the acoustics immensely so that parishioners can hear every chapter and every verse.