From a design and integration standpoint, modern auditoriums are the most complicated room environments due to the wide variety of situations in which organizations may use them. Most organizations utilize auditoriums for many different purposes, including public speaking events, business meetings, seminars, performances, lectures, ceremonies, and community events. Regardless of the occasion in question, the primary goal of efficient auditorium AV design is to ensure that all participants can adequately see and hear the event.
Given that auditoriums often host large-scale gatherings with many moving parts, event managers must have the tools necessary to control each element of the proceedings. A functional auditorium requires adequate lighting, a versatile sound system, and robust visual displays. Furthermore, the control systems must allow users to adjust each of these functionalities as needed.
If you are creating or upgrading an auditorium space, it is in your organization's best interest to work closely with audiovisual integration specialists who have extensive experience addressing the particular needs of an auditorium-appropriate AV setup. Consider the following characteristics when working with audiovisual professionals so that they can provide solutions that best suit your organization's needs.
1. The Size of the Auditorium
The size of any room has a substantial effect on the appropriate choice of acoustics, lighting, and visual equipment. However, the issue of room size is especially crucial for an auditorium. For example, a small auditorium may not enable an audience to hear a speaker as clearly as the acoustics of a large auditorium. However, the volume of sound is much better in a small auditorium. AV integrators can evaluate the particular acoustics of your auditorium to complement its inherent advantages and supplement weak points with solutions for a better audio experience.
Visual displays and lighting must also be suitable for all audience members to view a presentation, performance, or speaker adequately. Ensure complete visibility of the screen and stages for all participants with staggered seating arrangements and sloped floors inside your organization's auditorium. Audiovisual integrators typically recommend a high-quality projector with 4k or Full HD resolution and brightness above 5,000 lumens for clear visuals. In other cases, organizations may choose to use an LED video wall.
2. The Shape of the Room
An auditorium's geometric shape also profoundly affects which audiovisual solutions will best meet your organization's needs. Generally speaking, square or rectangular auditoriums can negatively impact the sound and hinder the audience's ability to view a presentation properly. As a result, most auditoriums feature a round fan shape.
Furthermore, the auditorium's architectural features, such as the ceiling height, also affect the audiovisual equipment you will need. Whether or not your auditorium was designed with the optimal shape for lectures and performances in mind, you will need to work with experienced audiovisual integrators for bespoke solutions to enhance the AV quality in your space.
When audiovisual integrators create systems to support your auditorium's unique needs, they must select equipment that allows all participants to hear a performance or presentation properly. For example, to mitigate sound issues, audiovisual professionals may implement ceiling and boundary microphones, along with a high-quality pro audio snake cable to allow organized cable management.
3. Materials in the Room
Many auditoriums have issues related to reverberation, which may occur when sound waves bounce off of surfaces. If your organization's auditorium has a problem with reverberation, the audience will notice the speaker's voice echoing, making it challenging to understand what they are saying. However, if your organization frequently hosts musical performances, a small amount of reverberation can work to your advantage. As a baseline, an auditorium that organizations use for a broad spectrum of events should have a balanced reverberation time of around 1.5 to 2.5 seconds.
Based on your typical event needs, audiovisual integrators must implement sound-absorbing materials on the walls and throughout the room to optimize reverberation within your organization's auditorium. An auditorium equipped with nonporous, hard surfaces such as wood floors will cause the sound waves to bounce back and lead to increased reverberation. To mitigate this issue, your AV integrators may implement acoustic panels, curtains, and other porous materials.
4. Intended Auditorium Uses
Most auditoriums serve a wide range of functions, particularly those at schools, universities, centers of the arts, or community centers. As a result, auditoriums require dynamic audiovisual solutions that meet a wide range of needs.
For organizations to utilize their auditorium space to its maximum potential, centralized control systems equipped with cutting-edge, touch-based controllers are required. These solutions ensure that users have complete autonomy over audiovisual equipment, even during a high-profile event. Control systems can be integrated with virtually any electronic equipment, including audiovisual devices, video conferencing systems, visual displays, lighting, and sound systems.
5. Doors and Buffer Zones
While the environment within the auditorium is important, the spaces outside the auditorium also significantly impact the sound. If participants can hear extraneous noise outside of the auditorium, such as conversations or footsteps, it will disrupt their ability to pay attention to event programming.
Solid-core doors will block outside sounds much better than hollow-core doors. In some cases, organizations may also implement buffer zones to prevent excess sounds from seeping into the auditorium. Typically, these buffer zones consist of hallways and foyers, ensuring that external noise does not impact events within the auditorium.
6. Adequate Lighting
Lighting fixtures within an auditorium differ significantly from the lighting in a conference room or office space. In addition, the manner in which participants will use the auditorium significantly impacts the lighting solutions that audiovisual integrators will choose. Auditoriums accustomed to hosting performances may utilize different lighting solutions than a primarily educational space.
The most efficient lighting solutions begin with the focal point in mind. Depending on the organization, the auditorium’s focus may be a stage or a wired podium. Smaller areas are most likely to use track lighting, while large locations may require a floodlight or spotlight. In addition, the light for an auditorium must provide a sufficient level of brightness during seating and exiting while being dimmable during the main event. As such, it is important to implement modern lighting controls, which allow responsive and precise brightness adjustment.
Marketing by Joseph Studios
