"Legacy" style building PA volume issues.

Not sure if this is the right section of the forum for this. I have a legacy stake center (last one ever built I believe, 2 years old) We have had several people (young and old) complain about not being able to hear the speakers on Sunday or in stake conferences. I havent noticed it exactly but I have pretty normal hearing. The Stake president says he's had the FM group and "sound specialist" come in and "tune" the system but still people are having trouble. Our other buildings don't seem to have this problem. The problem seems to be magnfied when the curtains are opened to the cultural hall and the sound is "turned on" back there. Its almost like the gain or amplifiers arent turned up enough. Of course its a blackbox system that is designed not to be fiddled with. We have one couple that sits on the last pew as they say thats the only spot in the chapel where they can hear from.

Could also be a microphone issue?

Just curious if anybody else has had issues like this in a Legacy building.

I'd have to hear it for myself. I know people who use a too-quiet voice when addressing the group and expect the sound system to make up for it. Unfortunately, the louder the system, the louder the person at the podium hears themselves - and the quieter they talk.

The systems I'm familiar with can be turned up to the point where the system starts to ring. The control is near the on/off switch. Can you do that with yours?

One problem with the cultural hall: the cultural hall is not as sound dampened as the chapel. The sound guy probably set the cultural hall system such that it's the same volume on his meter - when it needs to be louder to overcome the unavoidable sounds of the crowd.

exactly! he tunes it when nobody is in there... He needs to come during a meeting, thanks for the feedback.

nognielsen wrote:exactly! he tunes it when nobody is in there... He needs to come during a meeting, thanks for the feedback.

Bingo! That is exactly our problem.

Our building is 30 years old, but has a newer sound system. But if the speaker levels are set when everything is quiet in the back of the cultural hall, no one will hear a thing when it is full of stake conference participants who contribute a little bit more than reverence to the background noise.

And it seems that, at least on our system, the volume adjustment at the podium will change the chapel speakers a little, but not anything farther back (overflow, cultural hall 1, cultural hall 2, stage, parking lot, etc.).

lajackson wrote:And it seems that, at least on our system, the volume adjustment at the podium will change the chapel speakers a little, but not anything farther back (overflow, cultural hall 1, cultural hall 2, stage, parking lot, etc.).

That's not how I'd expect it to work. But then I don't think I've ever tested it.

One question I asked but didn't hear the answer: Can you turn up the volume until there's a bit of "ringing" to the sound? That sound showing that you'll have feedback if it got any louder?

The reason I ask is if it's there, then there's a good reason why it can't get any louder without doing some changes. Maybe a more directional microphone, or turning down the front row speakers, etc. If you're not getting there, then there may be room for him to turn up the volume some more.

russellhltn wrote:Can you turn up the volume until there's a bit of "ringing" to the sound?

In our building, you can get it plenty loud in the chapel and still not hear in the back of the cultural hall. You can't quite ring it to pre-feedback, but almost. Our cultural hall is carpeted. We are not looking forward to having this problem in our new stake center that will have hard wood floors.

russellhltn wrote:

lajackson wrote:And it seems that, at least on our system, the volume adjustment at the podium will change the chapel speakers a little, but not anything farther back (overflow, cultural hall 1, cultural hall 2, stage, parking lot, etc.).

That's not how I'd expect it to work. But then I don't think I've ever tested it.

One question I asked but didn't hear the answer: Can you turn up the volume until there's a bit of "ringing" to the sound? That sound showing that you'll have feedback if it got any louder?

The reason I ask is if it's there, then there's a good reason why it can't get any louder without doing some changes. Maybe a more directional microphone, or turning down the front row speakers, etc. If you're not getting there, then there may be room for him to turn up the volume some more.

Yes Sorry, Russell, I'll instruct them to "turn it up a notch or two, right now I think they pretty much leave it in the middle. I assume they don't turn it up because of possible feedback, but i just heard of this issue last Sunday, I'll ask them to experiment with it a bit this next week.

We just had our 7th Stake Conference in a Legacy building build in 2010. I did receive many complaints about volume in Cultural Hall # 2. I thought is was all the children allowed to play in front of and on the stage. I had to put a stop to that.

We had 850 in attendance Sent it over the webcast, 5 microphones and my sound level dropped. Since we did webcast it everything needs to be miked in ordered to hear in the buildings receiving the webcast. We have it almost right I think in 2 or 3 more conferences it will be perfect and then technology will change.