Planning for Audio, Video & Lighting
How do we properly choose a screen size and projector for our auditoriums? It all comes down to some basic math. It begins with looking at our stage and figuring how tall a screen the room can permit. I add the stage height to the normal height of a person on top of that stage and then subtract that number from the overall ceiling height. For example: If my stage is 2 feet tall, my overall ceiling height is 16 feet, and my worship team averages 6 feet tall, then 16 feet minus 8 feet leaves 8 feet for a screen. I usually stay with a 16:9 HDTV format for screens. This gives me the remaining numbers for the screen, based on the 8 feet height. I can go online and find a calculator that will tell me that for a 96” high screen, the width would be 171” and have a diagonal of 196”. Now that I know my screen size, I can calculate the square footage of the screen. This will clue us in to how many lumens of brightness is necessary in our projector.
If you plan ahead, amplifier locations can be included in your plans so that they are not exposed or sitting against a wall in the open. This can be unsightly or an inconvenience later.
There is also the issue of speaker placement. You may run into the challenge of not being able to position a speaker in the best position if it is an afterthought. Things get in the way and there may not be supports to hang speakers from. The positioning of your speakers is critical.
Being a soundman requires technical skill, a good ear, and a lot of people skills.
Video Projection and Lighting systems are playing a much bigger role in our Church services today than ever before; it is crucial to plan for in the earliest stages of construction. Projector placement, screen placement, and infrastructure play an important role in the size of the stage walls and in the roof structure. Lighting systems need hanging emplacements and power considerations. Control signal runs are important with the rise of ethernet transmission for Audio, Lighting, and Video systems.
All of these issues are important and many of the challenges can be avoided if a little planning is done ahead of time. It doesn’t cost much to plan and it can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Many people don’t know what they need when it comes to sound equipment, so they don’t know how to begin planning. This is where RHEMA can help you. RSI Audio (RHEMA Specialties Inc. Audio) is here to assist you in the planning process. We can take an existing blue print or a drawing of your floor plan, seating and stage layouts, an elevation, all the dimensions, and help you decide what kind of equipment will work best for you and where the best locations for your equipment and conduits might be. We feel if we can help you plan, you will be much happier with your sound when everything is finished.
Obviously, not everyone can build a new customized building. But many of you can and are. For those of you who are not building a new facility, we can still help you get the most out of the sound in your current building. Give us a call so we can help!