Is that too loud???

By: Tony Flammia

In every Church I go to there are a set of parameters that someone has come up with when is comes to the overall volume of the PA. In fact, I've even heard exact figures to the Decibel what cannot not be exceeded.

"We never go above 95db in our worship" "We don't want to feel the music, just hear it" "We never go below 105db"

That's great that there are some guidelines in place for the volunteer engineer, but.....is 95db the same as 95db? I mean, if you heard 95db on a mix that was loaded up with high end frequencies it may sound ear piercing, but if you had your mix where all the nasty mid and highs were cut you may be able to get up to 105db and think it 95db.

I was mixing a VERY contemporary Church this morning with one of the best bands in town. During worship I noticed people were entering in and jumping up and down from the front to the back. The dynamics in my opinion were spot on. I was asked "How loud do you think it is? With out looking at the DB meter I figured we were running at 95db with 100db peaks." I noticed the house sound guy was looking nervous about overall volume so I told him... "listen.....you hear what everyone else is hearing.Now if the first couple rows were backing up and leaving you may have it a bit loud but everyone is jumping." Then I pointed out the pastor in the front row with his hands raised and jumping up and down like he wants someone to pass him the ball.

While I mix I look and listen for a few things.

1. Is the sound warm and pleasing?



2. Who is taking the lead?



3. How is the congregation responding?

First, is the sound warm? Some instruments are harsh to begin with...guitars could be ear piercing and female vocals can break glass. If the EQ is not set to "warm up" those channels, your overall volume could suffer. Try to cut some high-mid and highs from the guitars and vocal...not too much to where they become muddy, but just enough to take the edge off. (This will be a future blog on EQs)

Second,who is taking the lead? Is the main focus the verse of the song? If so, why is the guitar or the keys the loudest thing in the mix? Make sure your focus is on the lead instrument or vocal...don't be afraid to push the lead up to single out the lead. Remember, the vocals should be sitting on a bed of music. The vocal is the most important part in a worship setting.

Third, keep an eye on the congregation. If you see people backing up, standing still, or just plain leaving....TURN IT DOWN!!! If you see everyone entering in and jumping up and down...you may have found the sweet spot. Personally, I like to feel some kick drum, I like to feel some bass, I want to be able to close my eyes and hear only the music in a wide mix. (Wide mix...another future blog coming soon)

Some thing to remember when mixing a PA is you can really hurt someone. The NIOSH institute, which is where OSHA gets their sound level guidelines, had studied the effects on sound pressure level at extended time frames. Below is a chart that shows DB levels with time durations that OSHA will not allow a worker to be exposed to. According to the chart 95DB for 30mins is ok. 100db for 30 min is causing hearing damage!

Next time you go to a concert and listen to an hour of pounding 115db to 120db just remember... your fragile ears can only handle about 30 seconds..........

Download this DB level meter...its a bit scary to think how much damage we've done to ourselves already.....Click Here

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