Sound System Design

Custom sound and video system design is our stock in trade. With over 20 years of contract installation experience, JB Pro Sound has designed and installed hundreds of systems for churches, synagogues, mixed entertainment venues, sports, athletic and fitness facilities, funeral homes, and more.

Cost is important, but should not be the single determining factor in purchasing a design and or AV system. JB Pro Sound will insure that essential areas of design in sound and video system installations are adhered to.

JB Pro Sound can provide complete, turnkey sound and video system design-build services. You can also purchase a design only from us and/or we will assist you in your “do-it-yourself” AV project.

Essential Areas of Design

Most professional AV equipment is not “plug and play.” There are no strict standards that all manufacturers follow when establishing the operating parameters of their equipment. The professionals at JB Pro Sound know the right equipment for the right application.

Uniform sound coverage and video presentation. This is the goal and typical end result of our custom designs and installations. Many venues are plagued with “hot” and “cold” spots in the sound coverage and poor sight lines for video. Our experienced design team will ensure that there will be excellent sound quality and video sight lines at every listener and viewer seat, to whatever extent the architecture will allow.

Things we’ve learned about 100% coverage

The 5%. It is usually possible to provide 100% coverage. And it’s usually pretty straightforward to provide 95% of it. Having said that, we’ve actually had jobs where getting that last 5% has come at a cost. Architectural obstructions and design elements required additional AV components such as loudspeakers and video monitors to cover the last 5% of the seating - in some cases just a few seats. (Expensive seats.) Fortunately this is not typical. The other thing we have learned is that it is likely that 5% of your audience, congregation, class or other group has hearing loss. A great sound system will help these people but additional assistance is required. Ask us about our free demonstration of an ADA approved hearing assistance system. - JB

Versatility and flexibility is important in AV systems design. Modern sound systems must be optimized for both speech and music. The attributes of these two types of sound are often at odds and it is a very difficult task. A quality system design has the accuracy and clarity required for speech reproduction, while maintaining the extended frequency response and power handling required for music. Likewise modern video systems must be capable of supporting any number of interfaces that must also work seamlessly with the audio system.

Gain-Before-Feedback. Whenever a microphone is placed in the same room as a loudspeaker, the potential for feedback exists. Things that aggravate this further are multiple microphones and long pickup distances - necessities in most churches and other public venues. Two things are required for a system to work properly. The sound system must be extremely stable, meaning that loudspeaker array design and microphone placement are critical to the end result. Your sound personnel must understand the limitations of the sound system and be trained to manage the open microphones and working distances for people using the system. Current Line Array technology has made this easier.

Designing AV systems may not be rocket science but it is science. While our experience is the most valuable asset we bring to the table, we also either own or have available to us a variety of modern, computer assisted design tools. We can actually see how the sound system we are designing will perform in your acoustic space.

There is much more to an AV system than acquiring some equipment. JB Pro Sound will work with you from the planning stages and save you considerable time and money on your system. Most importantly, you will have a system that has been tailored to your specific performance needs and aesthetic requirements. Money spent in the future can be used to enhance the existing system rather than replace it.

Many of our design concepts and philosophies are based on principles and standards established by Pat Brown and Synergistic Audio Concepts, an audio system design and training organization. We have borrowed from and paraphrased material in our website with the permission of SynAudCon and Mr. Brown. His original article, Ten Reasons Why Church Sound Systems Cost More, was our source and inspiration for this material and the way we do business.