How to Improve the Acoustics in Your Venue
Many hospitality and event venues are not designed with acoustics in mind. Unless a building is specifically designed to be a concert venue or theatre space, acoustics are rarely considered.
Large open spaces, hard floors, lack of soft furnishings and flat wall surfaces are all factors that can seriously affect the acoustics of a venue and lead to frustrating noise management issues.
Hospitality venues are continually plagued with the dilemma of creating a fun and vibrant atmosphere, without disrupting the local residents or other nearby establishments. So, with our 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, we bring to you the top 5 ways you can improve your venue’s acoustics.
1. Listen
It sounds obvious, but listen to the space at the busiest and quietest times of day. Apart from the patrons and music, what are the other main sources of noise? You might find that the air conditioning is particularly loud or that you can clearly hear the pots and pans clanging in the kitchen.
Look at how you can minimise these noises. Maybe a sound-proof door between the main restaurant and the kitchen is required? Consider adding soft furnishings to the venue, such as rugs and cushions, as they can also help to scatter and absorb unwanted sound reflections.
2. Address Echoes
If you have a lot of exposed walls, hard floors (especially tiles) and minimal soft furnishings, then this can be an acoustical nightmare for a hospitality venue.
Sound baffles on the ceiling and walls will go a fair way to minimizing this problem. A sound ceiling is a popular option for many hospitality venues as it can achieve significant sound reductions (10dB indoors, 15dB outdoors) without the need for any costly building renovations. Suspended from the ceiling or installed on the wall, the sound ceiling enables you to combine a cosy, talkative dining atmosphere with a party vibe.
3. Musicians and their Instruments
Does your venue host live music nights? If so, then think about where the musicians are positioned. If they are on a stage, see if the drummer can be positioned to the side and near the corner, and hang acoustic panels behind them to reduce rear sound reflections.
This will hugely improve the acoustics without compromising on the sound quality and output. Acoustic panels are available to hire and are hugely popular for music gigs, theatres, music studios, school performances and music festivals.
4. Speaker Location
Look at the location of the speakers in the venue – are they aiming directly at the walls? Consider the dispersion pattern of the speakers as they may need to be re-aimed or tilted so they are pointing towards the patrons, as opposed to the walls or ceiling.
The diffusion of sound is important as the room needs some sound reflective surfaces and some absorptive ones, so we would recommend getting a qualified and experienced AV provider to correctly assess the acoustics and make the necessary adjustments. This will guarantee improved venue acoustics and no dead spots or flutter echo.
5. Baffle, baffle, baffle
By far the most effective way to reduce sound spillover and improve acoustics in your venue is to have sound baffles or curtains. There are a variety of options out there, however the cheaper ones often use cheap quality materials which are not very effective – and in a noisy hospitality venue, they will not provide the sound absorption capabilities that you need.
After 20 years in the industry, the most effective sound absorption solution we have come across is the Mobile Acoustic Wall – portable sound-proofing panels which can be used for any kind of acoustics, anywhere you like. Available for hire or for permanent installation, these sound proofing panels are ideal for anywhere that requires noise management.
Contact the Mega Vision team today for more information on our sound-proofing panels.
