Giving back

Can you hear the homily?

How the art of perfecting sound became a ministry for Michael Tylinski

BY NANCY COOKE

So many things about Michael Tylinski are unexpected and surprising, including the bright Mickey Mouse sweatshirt he’s wearing as he greets me at the door of his historic west Toledo home, once owned by the Oblates of St. Francis. Today, I’ve come to find out how he mastered the fine art of creating custom sound and audiovisual systems for dozens of parishes in the Diocese of Toledo. His work enables many to hear music and homilies with clarity.

“I’ve always been into electronics,” he explains. “I remember many days spent at my maternal grandfather’s side as he built short-wave radios. I learned how they worked and discovered new musical instruments as well. My grandfather always included me when he worked on projects.”

At the young age of eight, Michael learned to play the accordion, just like his father. “Dad always enjoyed playing musical instruments,” he says with a chuckle.

This early exposure to electronics, sound and music foreshadowed an eclectic and fascinating future for Michael. By the time he turned fourteen, his father regularly drove him to various parishes to play music for a myriad of weddings and festivals. Growing up Catholic in Toledo’s St. Hedwig parish community provided many opportunities for him to display his talent and love for music.

Just as Michael starts talking about the band, I spy a shiny, framed Grammy nomination hanging on the living room wall. “Is that what I think it is?” I ask. Michael gives an affirmative nod as he gently takes the award from the wall to hand to me. “We received multiple awards – this one is for being the 1990 ‘Favorite Ethnic Recording of the Year.’ ” Only then do I realize the scope of the fame and popularity of this band. “Toledo Polka Motion traveled all over the country performing in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida and Las Vegas,” he says. “I could never have done it without the love and support of my wife, Laura.” After 30 years of marriage, he still gets a glint of emotion in his eyes as he talks about her. “She worked hard to take care of our two children while I was touring with the band. We help each other with everything – we learned to support each other in our careers.”

Mike Tylinski and audio-visual expert, Jim Serafin, test components at St. Aloysius Church in Bowling Green, Ohio.

DIOCESE OF TOLEDO PHOTO

Perhaps it was the need to make the band’s music sound great in many different locations that truly prepared Michael for designing and building sound systems. He also worked in a music store, with an electrician – his high-school friend, who taught him advanced acoustical installation techniques. Additional skills were acquired through three years of training at American Audio in Columbus, Ohio, and through helping develop Peeler Commercial Sound Division with Robert and Dolores Peeler, until their retirement. That’s how the idea for his business, Commercial Sound Resource, Ltd., was born nearly thirty years later. His focus has always been on improving the quality of sound in churches and school auditoriums. Having to sit through countless homilies he couldn’t hear convinced him to focus on these specific venues.

I ask Michael how he knows what to do in each parish, since they are all so different. “That’s where experience comes in – knowing many different product lines and how they work in particular environments,” he says. “We design specifically for the acoustics and architectural structure of each parish using custom, not pre-packaged, systems.” There is also a visual aspect to each project. The best work is “hidden” from the eye and fits into the architecture of the parish, so it does not become a distraction.

It is clear to me that Michael has found his calling in life. “This is my ministry,” he says. He attends services or Mass in every church where he has installed a system – just to make sure it’s perfect. I ask him how it feels when he knows he has everything right. “The hairs stand up on my arms,” he says with a big grin, “I love it.” Michael has a special interest in serving the hearing-impaired, as he has experienced hearing loss over the years. He knows that if he can hear something clearly in a parish, others can, too. Once, an 85-year-old man sitting in the pew in front of Michael thanked him and said, “I haven’t been able to hear the homily for years, and now I can.”

Everything I am learning about Commercial Sound Resource, Ltd. comes to life when I visit St. Aloysius Church in Bowling Green, Ohio. Michael is there with a team member completing a sound and audio-visual project. Perched atop a ladder, he adjusts an electronic component mounted near the door – moments later, he sifts through a jungle of cabling on a nearby control panel. Multiple trips through each area impacted by the installation are made until everything is perfect. I stop to admire just how cleverly he disguised the acoustical components within the architectural framework of the parish – exactly the way he described earlier.

“We take the architecture of the parish into consideration first,” he says, “then I find out what their needs are for present and future growth.” A site survey follows with the teaman electrician, sound engineer, carpenter and a Wi-Fi /audio-visual expert. Each parish has a different budget, which is also considered. “We are proud of our ability to save money for parishes using proper equipment from the outset of the project.”

When asked which parish installation was the most challenging, Michael quickly responds, “Historic St. Patrick, here in Toledo - but I am the most proud of it, too. We were able to achieve their goal through programming their equipment properly.” Fortunately, Michael needs very little traditional advertising, as praise for his work travels by word of mouth. Parishes recommend his services frequently.

Michael’s work is a combination of so many talents that I become curious about the future of his business. I ask him about succession planning. “Well, I don’t really know of anyone who does what we do,” he says. “There really isn’t any specific university program I’m aware of that prepares someone for a career like this – but a person with an electrical engineering or music recording background could learn how to do this.” He adds that taking customer service seriously and having a true passion for the work are also essential. “I don’t have customers, I have friends. I treat them like friends and family, because they are.”

Mike Tylinski holds the 1990 Grammy nomination awarded to Toledo Polka Motion band for “Favorite Ethnic Recording of the Year.”

PHOTO BY NANCY COOKE/DIOCESE OF TOLEDO

Outside of his sound ministry, Michael and his family lead an adventurous life, often traveling together. During family trips to Europe, Michael researches sound system installations in challenging acoustical and architectural environments, such as St. Peter’s Basilica and other churches. He also enjoys cooking special meals with his wife. “I’m a sausage-maker and a great cook - she’s Italian and a great cook, too. We have a fantastic family recipe for sausages,” he adds. If Michael Tylinski’s many talents extend to the kitchen, perhaps I can figure out a way to interview him about those sausages next time – I am more than willing to take a taste test!