Sound Advice
How Loud Is Too Loud?
In the past few months our group has been on stage with several other Southern Gospel Groups who have, shall we say, ran their sound system a tad loud. In a couple of those situations the audience has shown their distinct disapproval by getting up and walking out. I don’t think anyone could consider this a good way to garner more fans. In fact it might be a sure-fire way to destroy your group’s hard won following. Our group, Southern Sound Quartet, has always tried hard to be conscience of how loud we are and not blow everyone out of the building. But even then, I am sure there are times we have been too loud as well. For that we say forgive us, and we will try to do better.
Sometimes you can get caught, and then it takes a few minutes to recover, as in this example: Recently Deon, of this forum, called me and asked me to provide sound on a couple of the nights of their annual event held in Symrna, TN and we were happy to help in anyway we could. The night of the event, we did sound check late in the afternoon with the groups and soloists that were to appear that evening. Invariably, performers during sound check, sing at a far more subdued volume than later after the audience has arrived. The adrenaline kicks in and we all tend to put a bit more into our performance than during the sound check. This happened during my watch on the very first group’s set. The sound was noticeably loud and immediately people began to complain. (Sometimes I think the people that complain so quickly are the same folks who honk their horn behind you, one millisecond after the light has turned from red to green, but that’s another story.) I began to slowly bring down the master fader till it was within the region of comfortable. It would have been rude of me to immediately reduce the volume on the group singing, for it could have distracted them and they might not have performed to their potential. Such distractions can sometimes spoil an entire performance for the artists have a hard time overcoming the initial distraction. However, my greater concern with how loud we as Southern Gospel artists have become, is hearing damage, not only to the performers on stage, but to our audience as well. The thermometer-looking graph located in this section, shows how loud certain common everyday occurrences are in terms of decibels, or db. The graph shows level in dbSPL, (decibels of Sound Pressure Level) which is the recognized method whereby we measure the intensity of acoustic sound pressure.
A healthy human under about twenty years of age can hear a wide frequency range of from 20 Hz to 20kHz. After the age of twenty, our hearing gradually begins to lose the high-end portion of our hearing, and can become acutely noticeable at the age of 55 or beyond, thus making conversation hard to understand, especially in the presence of background noise. We hasten this detereiation of our hearing with even one single loud event. This, my friends is the hard, bitter truth. All hearing loss is permanent.
Some SPL levels you might relate to:
Typical conversation occurs at 60 dB
A bulldozer idling (note this is idling, not actively working) is loud enough at 85 dB that it can cause permanent damage after only 1 complete 8 hour day.
Listening to moderately loud music, either on earphones, or in a concert setting, can generate levels easily reaching 100-110 dBSPL, Loud enough to cause permanent damage after just 15 minutes per day!
Measured SPL of one popular Southern Gospel group recently in a concert setting was 120db average level.
As a point of reference, a clap of thunder from a nearby storm (120 dB) or a gunshot (140-190 dB, depending on weapon), can both cause immediate and permanent hearing damage.
So, how does this relate to our Southern Gospel field you ask? The answer is simply, with devastating consequences. Not only do we endanger the hearing of our own group members, our loved ones, and especially our small children, but we also endanger those people who we depend on to fill the seats, buy the product, and keep us all on the road doing what God gave us to do. Our audiences tend to be older, and even though age may have taken some of their hearing ability away, “very loud” still hurts in a most profound way.
Recently we were at a large performance hall that was nearly full with some 1,200 in attendance. We were one of two groups on the program that evening and as it turned out, both groups setup their own sound system. Our sound system console was positioned out in the audience with a capable person mixing the sound and making sure we were heard, but not too loud. The other group’s mixer was on-stage with them, so they really had no idea how loud they were out in the audience. We were on first and when our portion of the program ended, the other group came on. We had already muted our sound system so as not to contribute in anyway. Needless to say, they certainly did not need contribution from any other source. They were immediately ear piercingly loud and very distorted. At one point one gentlemen walked over to me, as I was setting near our muted mixer, and asked “Can’t you turn it down?” I explained to him that our system was turned off and the other group was running their own sound, and we had no control whatsoever. Then the audience began to get up from their seats and leave. First just a few, but in only a few minutes it was a constant stream of people exiting the building. When the 2nd group had finished their set, roughly two-thirds of the audience had left. The promoter came to me after the program, and he was not a happy camper. I wondered then how many people attending that evening thought our sound system was the offending source of their pain, for I am sure many saw our console out in the audience and just assumed we were the reason it was so painfully loud. If that one man thought as much, surely there had to be others.
Let’s be clear here people, Gospel Music is not about the beat, our how loud, nor how high you can sing. It is rather simply, about proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. I have heard more than once, a Southern Gospel artist say they need it loud to get inspired enough to sing. Another common phrase is “I need to feel the energy.” I say to you, if the honor of singing about Him is not giving you the inspiration and energy you need, then you need to re-evaluate the reason why you sing.
We need to become far more aware of our audience and what they want and need, rather than what may suit our own fancy. Loud and proud just for the sake of being loud and proud will get you nowhere. Having the lyrics understood by all without causing them pain is far more important than you feeling the exhilaration of an auditorium filled with sound. We just came back from Grand Ole Gospel Reunion in Greenville, SC, and I witnessed something there that caught my attention. The Dixie Echoes sang on Thursday evening, over our sound system, but with those two old RCA microphones and no monitors, as was the method of years gone by. Their singing at times, was so low in volume, I had to listen intently to hear all the parts and understand the words. In fact, they at times were no louder than normal conversation. But let me tell you, their blend was fantastic and the audience loved them. Now, I would not give up my four wireless microphones for the old method of two mics for any reason at all, as I feel they do offer advantages that the old method does not afford. However, it made me realize, without question, that we as Southern Gospel singers and musicians, need to tone it down, not just a notch, but a full magnitude lower. Even at NQC each year we have countless attendees drop by our booth and tell us they simply cannot stand to sit and listen due to how loud the performances have become. Listen everyone! There are lessons to be learned from these folks.
I can personally testify that listening to loud music for hours on end, will without a doubt, damage your hearing. I mixed music in major recording studios in Nashville for a living for many years, and my hearing is now damaged. Not only do I not have the sensitivity that I once had, but I also have continuous ringing in my ears. One January night in the mid 1980’s, with a big snow on the ground, I woke up in the wee hours of morning and told my lovely wife, Delita, “Those crickets are driving me crazy.” She told me there were no crickets and that no self respecting cricket would be caught dead singing a tune with such a heavy snow and how cold it was. That was the first time I became aware of the hearing damage I had sustained. Doctors have told me since, there is very little than can be done. A fact I will live with the rest of my days. I still mix records and I still monitor the music far too loudly for my own good. I however, do not wish my granddaughter or your granddaughter to experience the same damage that I have sustained.
Turn it down folks, Be safe and be enjoyable for all, not just those very few who want the loud and proud. Inspiration, energy and exhilaration, in the context of God’s Music, comes from God, not from excessive loudness.
Until next time,
Ben Harris
http://www.southernsoundquartet.com
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Author: Ben Harris
| Author's Website: www.southernsoundquartet.com
Written: 09/01/2009
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Category: Sound Advice
Comments: 5
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