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Setting Levels
April/May 1999
Decibel Deluge
Edited by Paul L. "Pro" Pearson, Ph.D., (pro@strangepleasures.com)
Strange Pleasures-www.strangepleasures.com
Tape of the Month
Site of the MonthIn the past month there have been too many signs to ignore. It's on many people's minds. From Brad Slate's article in 'Levels' last month on ear protection, to a thread on the Jambands.com message board, to comments at a couple of shows I was involved in this month, I think it's a topic that needs to be brought out into the open.
"If it's too LOUD, you're too OLD!"
The bumper sticker cliché of past rockers doesn't seem to apply anymore. When a friend ten years younger than me came up and politely told me it was too loud, I guess I didn't know quite how to take it. Your natural reaction as a soundman (with all due deference to the women in the business, wherever you are) is to be defensive. Unfortunately, your natural reaction is often the impulse you act upon first and, unfortunately I didn't show this person the full professional courtesy I should have. I should have taken her suggestion, apologized, thanked her and did what I could to reduce the decibel level in the room below the perceived pain threshold. That's what I SHOULD have done.
IT'S TOO LOUD!!
"Brad Slate of Allset- thank you so much for letting the people know what is going on inside our ears when the music is pouring in. I get really irritated at live music shows that are too loud. Some fellow fans seem totally oblivious to the treacherous treatment their ears are receiving by an abusive soundman. I have had rough encounters with soundmen as I approach them with the pain in my ears. Once at a Roots show the sound was deafening so I asked the man to turn it down, he screamed at me to "get the f--k out of his way". Now I explain in the kindest way possible that the levels need not be so high. Has anyone ever noticed how some bar shows are so loud that the audience stands twenty feet from the band because it's saturated near the speakers? I see Agent Porridge all the time and have grown accustomed to many different soundmen around upstate New York. One thing I find is that many of them are deaf, they don't even know what they are doing to people. The band does not want to force their music down peoples' ear canals, it will get to the pleasure centers in its own time, not with dynamic intensity but with beautiful harmony. I would love more people to become more sensitive to this issue, we all love to see music all the time and want that to last a lifetime. In order for that to happen we need healthy hearing. Temporary Threshold Shift occurs when the level at which sound becomes audible moves up a notch, but eventually moves back to normal if the ears are given a rest. If this intensity of sound is continued night after night, than Permanent Threshold Shift occurs. Its name implies just that, permanent damage, which is why musicians and sound guys don't know how bad the sound really is... Thanks again, Brad, I will be seeing Allset very soon as a result of your concern. In the meantime, plug your ears because bombs can be way too loud."
Posted by Joel Blizzard on April 01, 1999 at 15:37:59 on the Jambands.com Message Board.
A frustrated, but honest plea from a knowledgeable music fan who thinks it's too loud.
What do you think? Are we all just too damn loud? Are soundmen 'abusive'? Does the sheer volume detract from your enjoyment of jamband shows? If it is too loud, it the sound engineer's fault-or is it the band? Is it only a problem in small venues, or larger venues as well? I'd encourage anyone (fans, sound engineers, band members) with an opinion on this subject to discuss it on the Jambands.com message board and/or send me your opinion by email to pro@strangepleasures.com. But, please read on for another perspective.
"Yeah, I KNOW it's LOUD"
Joel seems to have had several encounters in the past with sound engineers that reacted in a similar fashion to me first instinct is to get defensive and either lash out or transfer the blame somewhere else. My scapegoat was the band, MY band, the band that if I go up and tell them to turn down, 95% of the time they will. It wasn't her fault that a couple of guys on stage were too loud and it wasn't her job to go tell them. It was MY job, and I didn't do it-I got defensive.
But here's the dilemma. I know it's loud. I've been working for a couple of hours or more painstakingly mixing and remixing every knob and every slider on every channel. I have now found a sound that satisfies me-I can hear the vocals and lead voices on top, I can hear the supporting voices and I'm comfortable with the level at the board. I know the bass player is too loud, but I'm sick as hell and I'm not going to argue with him to turn down tonight. I've finally gotten THE mix-the voices in proportion-and here you are telling me it sucks. What do you know about sound anyway? How many years have you been dealing with whiny musicians? I'm SO sorry you can't HEAR your friends talking about their stupid dog and the geek that hit on them at a party last night, but I've got a JOB to do-I'm trying to make these guys sound GOOD!! See how easily it goes from insecurity/frustration to just silly defensiveness. Being a sound engineer is a difficult and acutely stressful job. Talk to the same guy an hour after the gear is packed and his attitude will be markedly different. I'm not defending the behavior, I'm telling you there are definitely reasons for it. The job of the 'house'soundman can be particularly difficult, because they've got to instantly work very closely with 4-8 new coworkers with expectations, attitudes, demands and complaints. They're most likely unfamiliar with the bands' music and personalities, but EXTREMELY familiar with the sound in their venue, and can be VERY set in their way of doing things. This may explain some of Joel's encounters. I hope any sound engineers reading this column will take the message to heart and see what you can do about improving the sound without turning it all the way up. I would also put it to the sound engineers to be more courteous and listen to people when they kindly point out that volume is excessive. They really are not trying to dis your work, they just want to HEAR without pain. I don't appreciate interruptions, particularly criticism, when I'm working either, but this is one case we need to be attentive to. If your fans can't stand the volume, who's going to listen?
"It's not ME, it's the BAND!"
I hear this complaint from other soundmen. "The bands are too loud on stage." They say that if the band would turn down and play with a reasonable stage volume, they could make it sound better while keeping it at a safe and sane level. I agree with this criticism, particularly in small venues. Our home bar, the Saddle Creek, is notorious for its sledgehammer dynamics. Lesser, the soundman for the Disco Biscuits, worked his ass off trying to defeat the Creek at unity (a painstaking 2 hour soundcheck ensued). The only reason he was successful (other than experience) was that he had a band that would play at a level quiet enough to make it possible. An amazingly quiet level, in fact. I have seen and worked with dozens of bands at the Creek, and invariably when it is too loud it is because someone, or everyone, in the band had their amps cranked. Captain Sound back at the board is forced to do what is possible to make the vocals intelligible. Joel's criticism about the sound being 'saturated' and people standing 20 feet back is a direct result of this condition. Band's too loud, can't hear the vocals, turn up the mains.
"Can't we all just get along??"
I realized that what I had said to my friend was wrong. I paid particular attention to the volume levels at our most recent shows-I even asked her if the level was alright. I made it very clear to the band that we needed to turn down and turn down again on stage and listen more closely to a lower volume. I even told the drummer to back off the skins. This past week I had several compliments on the sound and even a couple of thank you's on the decibel level. But, it's a difficult thing. Your musicians have to LEARN how to hear at a lower level and LEARN what level is tolerable on stage. It took over a year to get our guitar player to turn down so that he wasn't drowning out the rest of the band. The bass player and I have been going through this for several months, but we're just about there. Yet, it's a fragile line. When one guy on stage turns up too loud, the whole thing snowballs. When the soundman and the band have a 30 minute working relationship and there are clashing egos, it's often the crowd that suffers.
So here's my proposal:
1. Band members-Check your egos. Listen to the sound engineers who know their rooms and ask you to reduce your level, ask for monitor first before turning up, and pay attention to the needs of your fans.
2. Sound engineers- Take the comments of listeners who are complaining about the decibel level seriously, but not personally. Work with the bands and be more assertive if necessary, but give them what they need in the monitors. Do what you can to improve the sound structure without extra volume. Don't be 'abusive.'
3. Fans-Let the sound engineer know if you are experiencing pain from the level-but be respectful, and do it when they are not busy. Realize that they have a difficult job to do and are under a lot of stress. Realize that it may not be their fault.
4. Everyone-Take precautions to protect your hearing. Sit farther from the stage if you must, but buy HEARING PROTECTION if you go to a lot of shows.
Tape of the month: If you are interested in getting into tape trading, but don't know how to get started, you've found the place. You have to have less than 20 hours of jamband tapes, send me blanks and postage (B&P) and agree to be a good trader and spread them around. This month, I'll take up to the first ten requests that meet those requirements and tell me what you think about the volume levels at jamband shows. Is it too loud? Is it just right? Is it the band, or is it the sound engineer? Is it the venue? Is everybody that's complaining just too old? Are we all headed for permanent hearing loss? I wanna know what you think.
This month's tape is:
Moe 9/29/98 Granada Theater, Lawrence KS-Set OneSetlist:
32 Things
Nebraska
It
Backwoods
Brent Black
Threw It All Away
Recreational Chemistry
My copy is a DAUD1 from Charley Cioffero, a taper from Omaha NE. Just send your request to pro@strangepleasures.com and let me know what you think about the decibel deluge.
Site of the Month: I will take submissions or reviews from anyone for sites dedicated to tape trading, mixing, web audio or related topics.
This month's featured site is:
Oade Brothers Audio-Tapers Section
http://www.oade.com/tapers/The Tapers Section is part of a commercial site owned by Oade Brothers Audio-Jim, Doug and Carlos Oade from Thomasville, GA. Here you will find a taper's reference from the technical side-a microphone FAQ describing stereo recording techniques and a general FAQ on taping with DAT that will prove to be very helpful to the advanced novice and intermediate tapers. There is also a taping tree and links to a lot of jamband and other kind music related sites. The commercial portion of their site offers everything you need to get started taping. Enjoy!
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