The certified experts at Sound Planning know that the decision to upgrade your existing sound system or AV system can be a daunting one– especially if, like so many of us, you spent the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent world-wide shut downs investing heavily in sound and AV systems that would help keep you connected to your staff, volunteers, and your customers or patrons. Further investments to upgrade, install, or completely fix the systems that you’ve been using for the past few years– or longer– might even seem excessive. 

However, there’s a difference between buying what you need to get by and investing in long-term solutions to make all your (digital) dreams come true. Here are some guidelines for what to do and not to do no matter your AV or sound system needs!

DO call experts like the design-build integrators at Sound Planning
It’s impossible to over-value the experience that integrators like the experts at Sound Planning can bring to your project. It’s always tempting to cut costs wherever you can; when project managers and organizations have to make critical decisions about what to and what not to include in their project budget, quality assistance after a design is approved is often the first victim. But you shouldn’t discount a quality AV company– like Sound Planning!-- that can provide you with more than just a design. Sound Planning’s focus on the design-build model commits experts to your organization or project from design to implementation to completion and beyond.    

DO insist on top quality… but make sure you keep your budget in mind
It’s tempting when you do make the decision to design and implement an upgrade or a new install, it will be tempting to think that the newest tools and equipment will be the best. But the newest fads in audio-visual design might not be what you need to help you reach your digital dreams; it’s important to design for the best possible equipment for the needs of your organization and within the limits of your budget. Remember, upgrading the first system that you design isn’t just a possibility; you should design your system with upgrading in mind!
          
DON’T fall into the “quick fix” trap
We’ve talked about the “quick fix” trap before in these blogs. Many organizations and companies, committed early to audio-visual systems that they could cobble together as short-term solutions to what turned out to be long-term problems. Despite the fact that those systems were designed and put together quickly, with little to no regard for longevity or maintenance, companies and organizations are still relying on quick fixes for problems and shortcomings. Avoid the temptation to keep replacing the $20 speakers that don’t last because they’re cheap and easy to find. Instead of pouring more money than you need into equipment and systems that don’t work for you or your staff, consider investing in a fully integrated sound system or AV system that suits your needs right now and in the future!

If you’re reading this blog, it means that you care about how you spend your money. Commit to higher quality goods and design. Remember that a design-build model and experienced experts are your road to a system that works for you now and in the future. Another benefit of calling on experts like the integrators at Sound Planning is the ability to plan for the future. Don’t be afraid to plan for upgrades! Think about how much better it would be for your long-term budget to anticipate regularly scheduled improvements, instead of emergency repairs. 
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Contact Sound Planning today and let them help you reach your digital dream!

Is your church or house of worship thinking about upgrading a currently installed sound system? You’re certainly not alone! Consider your entire system when you think about upgrades, not just pieces of the system that might be causing issues for you. Remember that upgrading should put you in a growth mindset! Let’s get brainstorming! 

Here are some basic things to consider when you and your organization start thinking about upgrades. 


Fear Not; Plan Ahead!
First and foremost: don’t be afraid of the upgrade! If the experts at Sound Planning were lucky enough to help you build and install your existing sound or audio-visual system, you already know that Sound Planning doesn’t just build systems that last; Sound Planning builds systems that are designed to grow when your organization does!  If things aren’t working for you now, there’s no shame in considering what would work better. The temptation to rush an upgrade once you decide one might be needed will be strong, but consider what needs to be taken care of before you jump right in. Make a plan for your upgrade like you made a plan for your system installation to understand your finances, time, and capacity.

Lists are your friend, but now might also be a good time to consider your stakeholders! These are the people who currently use or benefit from your audio-visual system or other services provided by your church or house of worship. If you’re not sure if there’s something you should consider for upgrading, ask your community!

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Do you need to upgrade, or do you just need repairs?
As you think about your upgrade, think about the entire system. The entire system includes all equipment, any connections or control panels, and the staff or volunteers that run or maintain the system. If you find that certain pieces of equipment keep making it to the top of your list of potential upgrades, make sure you’re considering why you’re thinking about upgrading that equipment. Does a certain camera really need to be upgraded, or is it just not working properly? Are all the components of your control panel working like these should, or are you experiencing consistent issues that you or your staff have had to work with or around? Remember that upgrades should: 
Improve function,  Increase capacity,  Introduce new capabilities.  

If you take a look at your list of ‘upgrades’ and find that it’s actually just a list of repairs, equipment replacement might be what you need. Some upgrades are repairs, but not all repairs should be upgrades! Keep it simple; if it works for your organization, spend your money where it counts.
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During this great time for your growth mindset, remember that Sound Planning is your one-stop shop for all your audio-visual needs. Whether it’s first-time systems, your new upgrade, or just regular maintenance and replacement, Sound Planning is your premier option for church and house of worship audio-visual support. Not sure where to start? Contact Sound Planning today!

Acoustic Modeling is one of the many premier tools that the expert integrators at Sound Planning use to help plan and build your custom audio-visual system. But what the heck is it? Simply put, Acoustic Modeling creates a computer model of all the annoying little things that you may have noticed yourself when you last stood in a room and had to listen to something. Places where the sound was bad or unclear; places where the audio speakers were too soft or, more likely, far too loud. Acoustic Modeling helps the Sound Planning integrators determine where and why all these annoyances happen by testing the real acoustics of whatever space you might be using. Now, put down that air-dry clay; these models are purely digital. But these 3D digital models represent the real spaces you work in every day and help the Sound Planning team design the best possible custom solutions. 

Acoustic Modeling helps take the guesswork out of the real-world issues your church or house of worship faces daily. The expert integrators at Sound Planning understand better than most that sometimes the real problem isn’t that the equipment isn’t expensive enough. If the design doesn’t suit the space, it doesn’t matter if you’re spending $5 or $5000. At best, good equipment can mask the symptoms that are causing bad sound quality, but tools like Acoustic Modeling don’t just identify solutions that you might be able to hear yourself; these tools can successfully identify the root of persistent or chronic issues in specific spaces that are currently causing bad sound quality or issues that might cause problems in the future.

Don’t underestimate the solutions that you can see! It’s easy to get lost in the jargon of the audio-visual world, and some tools (including Acoustic Modeling!) that require trained users to collect and model data. If you’ve already worked with Sound Planning, that’s a great first step in finding quality support and implementation for any audio-visual project! Additional tools like Acoustic Modeling are just another way that Sound Planning customizes your experience and not just the product you receive. Sound Planning is committed to showing you where you can make improvements instead of just telling you what improvements to implement.  

Taking time to build your church’s sound system on strong foundations isn’t just good sense– it’s money well spent. It’s tempting to rush the process and commit too quickly to a company or a system that would get you connected fast. But a quick solution might not be the best one for your church or house of worship for many reasons: lack of ample time for proper planning and consideration is only one issue of many. Remember, ‘good enough for now’ isn’t the only answer you should be considering. Sound Planning isn’t just here to help you plan for right now; we’re here to help you plan for the long-term solutions that don’t just last longer than our competitors– they grow with you.
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Tools like acoustic modeling aren’t just available to churches or houses of worship looking to set up first-time audio-visual solutions. It’s never too late to start looking for real, lasting solutions to whatever issues are plaguing your current audio-visual systems. The trained integrators at Sound Planning are committed to designing an audio-visual system for your organization that is perfect for your organization right now. Sound Planning would never tell your organization to stop growing, so why would you ask your existing audio-visual system to stay the same as it was when you first installed it? Growth within your organization can take many forms– have you recently made changes to your physical space? Have you introduced new walls or changed seating? Have you recently seen an increase in members? All of these exciting changes don’t just impact how your organization runs; it can change how your organization uses your system! Acoustic modeling is just one of many specialized tools that the experts at Sound Planning can use to help you find your best sound ever!
Don’t wait! Let the experienced experts at Sound Planning use Acoustic Modeling and other specialized tools to take your church’s audio-visual system to the next level! Contact us now.

Has your church or house of worship recently been hearing a lot of “I wish–!” statements? “I wish we could do this, but I don’t know how!” “We’ve been seeing a lot of new folks at our online services, I wish we could accommodate them better.” “I wish we had another microphone/camera here!” You’re not alone; many companies and organizations had to make quick decisions when the country went into lockdown about how much was enough as they struggled to stay connected to their patrons, parishioners, or other members of their house of worship. Those quick decisions were appropriate for the conditions that were just developing at the time, but for many organizations, it has been years since they first made the jump to a professional sound or audio-visual installation for their remote communication. Those “I wish” statements are probably starting to sound pretty repetitive! 
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Sound Planning recommends that you embrace these growing pains. When members of your church or house of worship start saying “I wish…” consider that your sign: it’s probably time for an upgrade! One of the greatest benefits of a Design-Build Integrator like Sound Planning is the mission to promote growth for your organization even once the first system has been installed. Even if we weren’t your choice for your first professional audio-visual system installation, Sound Planning is here to help you evaluate, plan, and implement whatever you need to always keep improving. Consider Sound Planning’s recent sound system renovation for the Bahá’í House of Worship in North America, a collaborative project with Threshold Acoustics that provided crystal clear sound to the temple throughout the main floor seating section. Your Design-Build Integrator isn’t just interested in providing a plan or a design to you; Sound Planning is committed to building long-term working relationships to keep you up to date and connected!

Here are some quick recommendations to help get you started on your upgrade journey: 
1. Understand your current needs (Who are you serving?)
2. Stop and explore what’s working… and what isn’t ( What does your current system allow you to do? What does it not allow you to do?)
3. Putting good work in to make sure you get good work out (What would  you like to do? How is that different from what you are accomplishing now?)

Strategic Upgrade Planning by Alex Womack

Now is the time to start turning those “I wish…” statements into real questions with real answers. Are you experiencing a shift in your target audience? Is the way that people are interacting with your system changing? Have you found that you are experiencing technical difficulties that may be related to using? Sound Planning is always happy to hear about opportunities for growth in your organization. Have you made the decision to hire staff to handle your videography or sound management instead of relying on in-house volunteers? Have you noticed other churches or houses of worship in your area experimenting or taking advantage of new or upgraded networks in your area? Let Sound Planning know! Sound Planning’s experts have over 40 years of experience in designing, building, and operating audio-visual systems, and these integrators love to get into the details! 
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Thinking about upgrading can be an intimidating prospect, especially if it hasn’t been a long time since you committed to a professional audio-visual installation. But if you’re already thinking about transforming those “I wish…” statements, there’s no reason not to get your Design-Build Integrators in on the ground floor; deciding to make a change is usually the hardest part! If Sound Planning was honored to be selected as your choice for your initial installation, the process of upgrading really is as simple as contacting us today

Let’s get down to basics. Sound Planning is a Design-Build Integrator committed to planting strong foundations for your upcoming sound system or audio-visual system installation. But what is a ‘Design-Build’? What are the benefits of hiring an ‘Integrator’? The Design-Build method is widely considered to be a great way to disrupt the more traditional Design-Bid-Build method of project planning and completion. Traditionally, when your business, church, or house of worship started planning for a new sound system installation or made arrangements for a video system, your organization would have hired a company to plan, or ‘Design’ the system based on their expertise in sound analysis, acoustics, and current technology. Once the design was finalized, the relationship with the design company would end and a new relationship with a construction contractor would begin. Your organization would then have to go through the process of deciding on a construction contracting company, usually through a bidding process (the ‘Bid’ part of the ‘Design-Bid-Build’ process.) Your chosen construction contracting company would then begin to implement the design or start the ‘Build,’ with different areas of expertise that might challenge or even outright change the initial design that you and your organization had already finalized. For many organizations, the ‘Design-Bid-Build’ approach is not just the standard; it can feel like the only method for project completion. Undertaking this process not only affects your project vision; it can seriously impair your expected timeline.

The Design-Bid-Build Process

Design-Bid-Build Process by Alex Womack

What a nightmare! The often complicated process of hiring two separate companies for the design and the build always causes some differences between the vision and the finished product. It’s all a matter of relative expertise. This is by no means a criticism of companies or firms that specialize in designs or builds! A dedicated design company wants to give you a strong foundation that focuses on solving the technical and practical problems that all systems need to take into consideration. But a company only focused on designing the best possible system for you might not also consider recent changes in the cost of construction supplies; between the design and the implementation, a designer has no way of anticipating sudden shortages of materials, labor, or the day-to-day practicalities of the actual build. If the design is not flexible, a construction contracting company will have to make changes to the design that will account for cost-effectiveness and material availability, but that might not be in line with any analysis or calculations that your design already accounted for. Having to work with two companies can cause additional stress and anxiety in addition to unexpected costs and wasted time. Money is important, but for many churches and houses of worship, their time and effort are even more valuable. So, why not consider the best of both worlds?

The Design-Build Process

Design-Bid-Build Process by Alex Womack

Unlike the ‘Design-Bid-Build’ process, the ‘Design-Build’ process allows for a higher level of flexibility both before and during the ‘Build’ and a streamlined, customizable experience for your church or house of worship. And it is an experience: the Design-Build process relies on Design-Build Integrators like Sound Planning to handle both the ‘Design’ and the ‘Build’ with the expertise of both a traditional design company and a traditional construction contracting company. In terms of project planning and implementation, this means more time focusing on what your organization really needs and less time spent trying to make last-minute and possibly disruptive changes to a pre-established design plan. Relying on one Integrator means that there is seamless communication between the design and the build that makes it easy to pivot when the plan needs to change. The Design-Build process cuts out the necessity to search for a new company to collaborate with when your design is finalized. This is already a great time-saver, but choosing one Design-Build Integrator also means that unexpected delays and issues can be handled quickly, with direct input from you and your organization only when you would like to provide it. 
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As the premier Chicagoland Design-Build Integrator for churches and houses of worship, Sound Planning is your one-stop-shop for high-quality, fully customized plans meant for your church or house of worship. You know the difference between a traditional Design-Bid-Build and a Design-Build project; now see the difference for yourself! Contact us today!

Author

Alexandria Womack

Author

Alexandria Womack

Author

Erik Saari, VP Sales & Systems Design