Possibly the one specialty field that is less understood than Sound Design in theater is Acoustics. I know of no other aspect of the world around us for which nearly everything that lay people say is wrong. Usually people have at least some small grasp on reality, but you can’t see or touch acoustics, and when you hear them it’s almost more what you don’t hear than what you do. Or maybe it’s what you can’t hear well. Or possibly what you… hmmm.
So let’s start with the concept of good vs. bad acoustics. Two problems with this seemingly basic concept: it’s subjective, and it depends on what the space is going to be used for. Think for a moment about a large stone cathedral. One where you can hear your own voice for several seconds as it bounces around. These sorts of spaces led to the creation of musical styles such as Gregorian Chant, as the long, slow tones combined with the long, slow decay time (we’ll talk about decay time later) make for an amazingly powerful instrument that can lend a physically moving component to what is supposed to be a spiritually moving circumstance. Now try to imagine singing Gilbert & Sullivan in that same space, preferably one of their patter songs. After the first line the entire room is filled with audio mud and the cast can’t hear themselves well enough to keep singing.
Another detail that is often missed is that there is a sweet spot designed in to good churches such that someone standing at the altar can be clearly heard in every seat. I know that modern technology can be used to make the preacher loud enough to be heard everywhere, but in the 14th Century that simply wasn’t an option. It’s really quite amazing walking around nearly that sweet spot talking and hearing how the whole room changes when you step on it.
So does that cathedral have bad acoustics? No. It has precisely the acoustics it needs for what it is meant for. It wasn’t meant for Operetta, so if you try and repurpose the space for your new G&S Company, you are going to be very sad with the result unless you put a lot of effort and money into changing it. I’ll guarantee that keeping the look will be nearly impossible if you fix the sound, too.
Over the last 5 years a company I work with on a moderately regular basis purchased a “new” building, in the form of an 1850s timber framed church. People involved with the purchase touted the “wonderful” acoustics and told me I’d love working in the new space. Since moving in there have been nothing but complaints about how bad the sound is. Guess how much time and money went in to changing the acoustics from the old purpose to the new?