How to Properly Install a Commercial Sound System
A commercial sound system is a vital part of any business. And to achieve the desired results with music, your music selection should go along with a good sound system.
So, whether it's a marketing campaign or it’s for your restaurant, you can increase your conversion rate or sales by stimulating your target clients with quality sound. Thus, you must ensure that your commercial sound system installation is done correctly and according to industry standards.
Here are some tips on how to properly installing a commercial sound system without breaking the bank. But first;
Benefits of a Properly Installed Commercial Sound System
A good commercial sound system installation will not just make your music selection or audio audible but;
- A high-quality sound system is an effective promotional tool. It will deliver a quality listening experience, reinforcing your brand’s image and values and thus directly influencing the customer’s purchasing decision.
- It sets the right ambiance. With the correct commercial sound system in place, you can create the best atmosphere for your customers, thus improving your client’s experience.
- Improve your communication. A properly installed commercial sound system is handy for a presentation or a large gathering.
Components of a Commercial Sound System
An excellent commercial sound system has 6 vital fundamental elements:
1. Music provider: The music provider is the first and most crucial part of any commercial sound system. A good music provider can provide quality music at the right volume and time. And because you will be playing the music in a commercial environment, ensure to find a provider who specializes in business music and is conversant with copyright laws.
2. Sound Source: This is the equipment you will use to play music. In many cases, this will be a computer or laptop. However, you may also have access to a CD player or even a turntable. Sometimes, your selected music provider may come with their sound source.
3. Amplifier: Amplifiers are what make the music louder. They can be built into your speaker, or you can use an external amp. When choosing an amplifier, go for a reliable and robust brand to feed all your speakers.
4. Volume control or mixer: The volume control/mixer is the center of the sound system. It allows you to adjust each source's volume and blend them all so that they sound like one cohesive sound. The volume control can be operated manually or automatically, depending on the system's design.
5. Cables: Most conventional commercial sound systems use cables to transmit signals from the source of the sound to the speakers. However, some commercial sound systems have a wireless connection and will use Bluetooth technology to transmit these signals instead. Such setups will require a few cables in their installation.
6. Speakers: These are perhaps the essential part of the sound system. They convert electrical signals into sound waves and are the only part of a sound system that produces any audio. Depending on their type, you can configure them wirelessly or with wires.
Commercial Sound System Installation
Now that you know the essential components of a commercial sound system, it's time to look at how they all come together.
1. Evaluate Your Business Needs
Before installing a commercial system, you must understand your needs. Decide whether your business requires high-volume music or the music will be playing in the background. For background music, you can use an inexpensive sound system with basic features that allow you to adjust the volume.
However, if you intend to play music at high volumes, you'll need a powerful system that can handle louder sounds without distortion. For reliability, it’s ideal to have speakers with a higher performance than your music needs.
2. Set Your Speakers
According to music professionals, sound is likened to light. If you want to illuminate a house, place the light source at the top and not from the side; otherwise, it will distract anyone coming to the house. Similarly, you will achieve the best sound propagation by setting your speakers up at an angle of 45 degrees from the ceiling.
Such a setup will ensure the sound is evenly distributed to all parts of the business building, creating a surrounding sensation of continuity. With the correct volume settings, your customers will have no trouble hearing everything being played over your speakers.
When mounting the speakers, follow the manufacturer's instructions for mounting them in place and secure them with screws or bolts.
3. Install More Small Speakers (Quantity) Instead of Fewer Powerful Speakers
Using a few large speakers creates inconsistent sound, with some areas experiencing sound overload while some lack the sound entirely. You can avoid this mishap by installing small speakers that will give your customers a better sound experience. Besides, small speakers tend to be lighter and easier to install than larger speakers, so if you have trouble moving around heavy items.
Here is our recommendation, if you intend to play high-quality sound on your premises, consider speaker models measuring 6 or 8 inches. But if you want soft background music, 4-inch speakers are the best option.
5. Space Your Speakers and Combine Different Models
Depending on the size of your business premises, spacing the speakers too far apart makes the sound disperse. Similarly, when they are too close to each other, they might create overloaded sound zones.
If your ceiling is less than 3 meters high, maintain a smaller distance between the speakers. Smaller distance between the speakers ensures no loss of both high and mid frequencies, thus eliminating dead zones. The rule of thumb is; the distance between speakers should be double that of the ceiling height.
You also want to combine different models of speakers to get the best sound quality possible. To achieve this, use one model for mids and highs and another model for lows.
6. Work on Your Wired Speakers Before the Wireless Ones
Wireless speakers are fashionable and offer greater flexibility when it comes to connection. However, a wireless connection is vulnerable to signal interference and connection loss. Such inconveniences can negatively impact your customers' experience.
Thus to avoid such problems, it's always better to go with wired speakers with consistent sound quality throughout the day.
If you have both wired and wireless speakers, work on your wired speakers first. This way, it will be easier to troubleshoot problems with a wired speaker than with a wireless speaker. When connecting the wired speakers, connect them individually to avoid having to run multiple cables across your business premises.
7. Hire Professionals
Now that you know how to set up an excellent commercial sound system, it's time to hire professional help. You'll need to contact a company that specializes in commercial sound system installation. Depending on the size of your venue, they may install everything for you, or they may just be able to provide the equipment and help you install it yourself. This job requires heavy lifting and wiring skills, so hire someone who knows what they're doing!
Factors to Consider When Installing a Commercial Sound System
Here are some factors to consider when installing a commercial sound system.
- The type of venue you have: The kind of venue determines how loud you need your speakers to be and also how many people will be listening to them at once. For example, if you have an outdoor venue with crowds of people around, listening to your speakers, you need a louder speaker than if only a few people in the same room are listening to soft music.
- Ceiling height: The ceiling height of your venue will affect the type of speakers you can install. If you have a low ceiling, it is best to go for speakers that do not require much space, such as in-ceiling speakers. Consequently, the ceiling height will also affect the spacing of your speakers.
- Music volume: The level of music should be adjusted to the type of business. If you have a restaurant or bar, the volume should be loud enough for customers to hear it but not too loud that they can't talk with each other. It should be suitable for offices or any other indoor setting so that employees can hear it but not too loud that they can't concentrate on their work.
- Type of speakers: The speaker type you choose should be appropriate for the application. For instance, wireless speakers are suitable for indoor applications because signal interference is low compared to outdoors. Outdoor setups require wired speakers. Regarding the frequency of sounds, woofer speakers are ideal for producing low frequency while tweeters deliver high-frequency audio.
- The type of sound system: Various commercial sound systems are available on the market today. If you want the best quality sound, opt for a high-end one that uses top-of-the-line technology. However, if budget is an issue for you, choose an affordable option that delivers good-quality audio without breaking the bank.
The best way to ensure you get good music quality is by hiring professional sound engineers who have mastered their trade. These professionals can help you choose the best speakers for your business and install them in such a way that they provide optimum performance.
Conclusion
A reliable commercial sound system can set your brand apart from the competition. However, more than the sound system is required, you must ensure the commercial sound system installation is done correctly to get the desired results. If you cannot work on the installation by yourself, why not hire a professional in commercial sound system installation?
