Tech Corner 16 ~ Seating
This tech corner, is a guide to church seating, and an encouragement to the congregation to get the most out of choosing where you sit in the building. We have published this before, but the subject has come up recently, so we are posting it again.
Where should I sit?
In the concert world there is a perception that a good sound system should give a uniform sound dispersion pattern; giving the same experience to every ticket holder; every seat the same.
In the sanctuary, the same perceptions do not hold true. Firstly, the service isn’t a performance, it’s an individual taking part in a corporate activity, but having an individual experience with God. Secondly, we are aware of the variations and rather than spending vast amounts of money trying to fix them, we would encourage you to choose where you sit accordingly.
Loudness: the volume is greatest in the middle of the church and quieter on the front two rows and at the back under the balcony.
Stereo: We mix the sound in stereo, so the best quality of sound is going to be in the middle of the sanctuary.
Deaf loop: We operate an induction loop for people with hearing aids. The cabling for this is under the floor about 5 feet out from the wall, so the best signal is in the four seats closest to the wall all around the outside of the sanctuary.
Video screens: A number of years ago, we moved from a big screen and expensive projector to brighter video screens. They are smaller, but give a much brighter and higher resolution picture, so you should not have difficulty seeing the content. If you are struggling to read words on the screens, we would encourage you to move to seating further forward in the sanctuary.
In a rapidly growing congregation we are always going to have people with different tastes. We would encourage you to get the most out of each service by sitting in a seat gives you the best acoustic experience.