I work for a church as a system admin. Considering the size of the organization, my tasks also involving being the go-to guy for research and making any decisions involving any form of technical needs, including audio and video setup.
Within the next year we are planning on breaking ground on a new facility. Since this is a 100% new construction, and we are still working with the architect on the design, I have full say on how to layout the sound area, conduits and flooring. I have an entry-level hobbiest understanding of this stuff but I'm nothing close to being an expert.
My question is, specifically, in laying out a sound booth for an auditorium, where should the booth be located? Bonus points, what else should I be sure to consider when designing a sound system for an auditorium.
I've seen many auditoriums in my life and, regarding sound booths, I've seen it all-- the best and the worst. I have a good hunch about what is less than optimal, but I have no clue what would be considered the "absolute best" setup for the audio and video techs and the acoustics of the facility.
My inclination, from observation, is to have a raised platform, dead center of the auditorium I think this is what I'm going to push for in future meetings. However, if I'm going to get behind such a request, I'd like to be sure that this is the best for our needs.
I'd appreciate any input.