Business Spotlight: Sounds Great

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by Dustin Shipman|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Intern|ret||ret||tab|

sbj@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

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Sounds Great started as a small guitar and amplifier shop, but in 28 years of business it has turned crancked it up a notch-or two, evolving into a design-and-build contractor for lighting, sound and video systems. |ret||ret||tab|

Sounds Great has designed and performed installations for clients in 28 states, building sound, lighting and video displays for everything from concerts and amphitheaters to baseball stadiums.|ret||ret||tab|

Local clients include Springfield Expo Center and Hammons Field, several local churches, and Celebration City and Silver Dollar City in Branson.|ret||ret||tab|

Mark Morton, owner and president of Sounds Great, said his company handles clients and systems of all sizes.|ret||ret||tab|

"We have customers in Branson that spend $2 (million) or $3 million," Morton said. "The average theater system would be about $150,000 to $500,000, a church system can be anywhere from $5,000 to $300,000. It's just all over the place; we do little, we do middle, and we do big. We do whatever is appropriate because everyone has a different budget. We just try to give them the most bang for the buck and make sure it meets their needs."|ret||ret||tab|

Sounds Great has performed two of its biggest jobs for two of country music's biggest stars.|ret||ret||tab|

Kenny Chesney and Alabama are using systems designed by Sounds Great for their tours, totaling about $5 million in business for Sounds Great.|ret||ret||tab|

"Three years ago, when Kenny Chesney had his first No. 1 selling album, we sold him his complete touring sound system to go do arenas, sheds and theaters," Morton said. "And after that he basically doubled that so he could go do huge outdoor stadiums and the like."|ret||ret||tab|

The tour management company that has Chesney also has Alabama, and when Alabama announced its farewell tour last year "we sold them a complete sound system and light system. Their farewell tour was so successful that they're going to do it again. Farewell tour version 2.0."|ret||ret||tab|

Morton walked into the Chesney deal because of a former employee, Phil Scobee, who is now head of audio with Morris Leasing in Nashville. Morris Leasing bought the equipment and supplied each of the tours.|ret||ret||tab|

"Through my dealing with Mark for many years, I knew they were the right choice for me to use with their professionalism and their ability to take care of a design-build contract of that size," said Scobee, a Monett native. "They're one of the industry leaders in that field."|ret||ret||tab|

One of Sounds Great's longtime clients is Park Crest Baptist Church. Sounds Great has been working with Park Crest for at least 13 years, according to associate pastor Brian Grey. Park Crest completed a new building project February 2003, and Sounds Great set up the sound system and video system, Grey said.|ret||ret||tab|

"They assisted us in our worship sound; that's how they started off. Their service was what won us over," Grey said. "When we had this new building project they worked with us step-by-step. You always have to tweak the sound once you get in. They even had some of their representatives over here during services to help us fine-tune and get everything going. They've done a wonderful job for us."|ret||ret||tab|

Tony Bishop, general manager and senior designer of Sounds Great, said he takes pride in the fact that the company approaches each project with the architect, engineer and the client in mind.|ret||ret||tab|

Bishop said each project is created with the help of a computer audio design program called Enhanced Acoustical Simulator for Engineers. This program creates a three-dimensional acoustical model of the sound system and allows corrections to be made before installation.|ret||ret||tab|

"I take the blueprints of a building or a stadium and reproduce those to scale taking all the particular material, such as concrete floor, into account," Bishop said. "The computer doesn't design the sound system; what it does is allows me to place various types of speakers in locations so I can then actually see what the sound coverage is going to be."|ret||ret||tab|

Bishop said that Sounds Great has been using computers to design projects for a little more than 10 years.|ret||ret||tab|

"Initially, learning how to use the program and figuring out how to take something two-dimensional off a blueprint, making it three-dimensional, was a little difficult for us," Bishop said. "But once you get past the learning curve, it makes the job of design so much easier. It can predict the reverberation time and intelligibility of the system, so I am able to recommend architectural changes that might improve the acoustics of a room before it even gets built."|ret||ret||tab|

Sounds Great, an authorized dealer for more than 100 audio, video and lighting manufacturers including Eastern Acoustics Works, JBL, Electrovoice and Yamaha, also has an in-house service department that performs repairs on all types of professional equipment and is a factory-authorized service center for many of the products it provides. It services all the systems that are designed in its in-house repair center. |ret||ret||tab|

"There are a lot of places that sell the equipment, but they do not service it," Morton said. "If you have a service issue or need a repair, then it gets sent back to the factory or to some repair depot somewhere. We do the majority of our own repairs in-house. We are an authorized warranty station, so we do warranty work here and then get reimbursed from the factory."|ret||ret||tab|

Morton said almost any type of sound system can be serviced in Sounds Great's in-house service center with the exception of wireless components, which must be sent back to the factory for repairs.|ret||ret||tab|

Sounds Great's strength is the way all its different elements work together, Morton said.|ret||ret||tab|

"It's everything: the people, the experience, it's the breadth and depth of our product offering and the manufacturers we represent; it's our service, our design, our documentation and our ability to interface with architects and mechanical people," Morton said.|ret||ret||tab|

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