The SoundPlank is the
basic tool for church acoustics. It is a 2” sound panel that
is long and narrow and usually matched in color and texture to the
wall paint so that it becomes a architectural geometric feature
of the room. It comes with a built in reflector strip to keep from
over deadening the room. It is used in a criss-cross grid pattern
on the ceiling and in a vertical spaced pattern on the walls. Its
absorption coefficient is 150%, NRC 1.05, which means it only has
to cover about half the amount of wall or ceiling surface as flat
panels do. Because of its high aspect ratio it produces directional
acoustic properties, in which some sounds are barely attenuated
and yet others are heavily attenuated. One of its most surprising
features is that it provides not only absorption but powerful diffusion
as well.