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Thread: Music too loud or too soft ?

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    Registered User stewart38's Avatar
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    Music too loud or too soft ?

    Given the small debate about nosie levels at Camber I was wondering if people have a problem with the music being too loud/soft at venues around the country and/or weekenders

    Very rarely do I have a problem and thats usually if a speaker had broken etc (as happen at Hammersmith once )

    If its too loud (for a individual) then they can move away and get there hearing checked

    The sound at Camber and infact any weekender Ive been to has always been perfect for me and id hate to think organisors would turn the volume down so people can speak or one individual had problems with it. If a 100 did thats a different matter


    Quote Originally Posted by Rocky View Post
    You're right David. But I guess it has to be a number of people for it to have an impact: because if you're DJing to a room of 1,000 people and only 1 person comes up to complain about the volume you really have to wonder if that's representative of how the majority are feeling.

    Which was really my point about protecting yourself. Maybe I explained it badly, but the whole point of that post was to say: by all means you can make your feelings known but you should not automatically assume that people will act on your requests, or even agree with you - human nature being what it is, you should always expect to have to take your own steps to ensure your comfort, because your perception of what 'comfort' means to you, is a very personal and subjective thing.

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    Re: Music too loud or too soft ?

    the loudness effect depends on the quality/capability of the gear and whether the sound man chooses to overload any of the stages in the reproduction chain.

    An overloaded amp and/or speaker sounds a lot louder than the same SPL coming from a system that is designed and operated within it's maximum SPL range.

    Avoid clipping at all costs. Save our ears.

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    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Music too loud or too soft ?

    Quote Originally Posted by stewart38 View Post
    If its too loud (for a individual) then they can move away and get there hearing checked
    More likely if its too quiet for an individual then they need to get their hearing checked. (Seriously - anyone finding music too quiet at a weekender probably has hearing loss and should get it checked.)

    Only issue with too loud and hearing problems I can think of is hyperacusis, and knowing someone who suffers from that they wouldn't be able to be anywhere near any sort of dance venue without suffering! (And using musicians earplugs is only a short term solution as it can actually worsen the sensitivity to sound over time.)

    Have to admit one of the main reasons I gave up salsa was the music volume. Got fed up getting ready to go out dancing only to stay 15 mins or so before giving up cos of music volume so stopped bothering.

    Live bands tend to be worst, I remember spending a couple of hours at a dinner dance driven to sit in the hotel foyer by silly volume levels when the band came on.

    If a particular track is too loud at Ceroc - as sometimes happens, I leave the room. If consistently too loud, I say something.

    If its loud enough that you have to shout to talk to someone, its likely to be loud enough to cause hearing damage/tinnitus. If you have any sort of ringing in your ears after coming out - then its been too loud.

    If music was consistently loud at a particular venue or at a weekender (can't say I've ever noticed it as a consistent problem at a weekender), then I'd simply stop going.

    And I'm not talking about 'comfort' - I'm talking about risk to my hearing for the rest of my life. I've seen the suffering that hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis causes and I want to do my best to enjoy my hobby of dancing without damaging my hearing.

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    Registered User killingtime's Avatar
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    Re: Music too loud or too soft ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
    And I'm not talking about 'comfort' - I'm talking about risk to my hearing for the rest of my life. I've seen the suffering that hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis causes and I want to do my best to enjoy my hobby of dancing without damaging my hearing.
    . I worried about the after effects of the (much worse) music volume at clubs that I'd go to once or twice a month. I don't want that same issue for the three times I go dancing a week with partner dancing.

    I want a music level where I can talk to my dance partner without yelling but, at the same time, be able to hear any underlying subtleties in the song. Obviously some speaker configs means that you are only outputting from the stage of the room so the drop-off means that you have to have it louder at the stage for it to be an audible level at the back.

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    Re: Music too loud or too soft ?

    Obviously some speaker configs means that you are only outputting from the stage of the room so the drop-off means that you have to have it louder at the stage for it to be an audible level at the back.
    That's where a properly designed system will not be lacking.
    Achieving similar unclipped SPL around the whole dance area without subjecting any dancers to excessive and possibly damaging volumes.

    BTW,
    the majority of "disco" systems are completely incapable of allowing any subtleties to be heard. They are played far too loud for their ability by incompetent sound technicians, if one has been employed.

    Our Ceroc DJs rarely, if ever, fall into the competent sound technician category.

    If I may mention a name, Brian does rather well at getting a good balance between SPL, listenability, and avoidance of long term hearing damage.

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    Re: Music too loud or too soft ?

    Spl ?

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    Re: Music too loud or too soft ?

    I don't think I've ever had a problem with music being too quiet, except for the very occasional track with a wide dynamic range and a very soft intro. I frequently find the music is louder than it needs to be, or is causing distortion. Maybe I'll try harder to point out to DJs when this occurs, but usually I think I won't come back to that venue.
    I'm surprised at the number of venues where only 2 speakers are used in a large room (and then at one end as well)

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    Re: Music too loud or too soft ?

    Quote Originally Posted by stewart38 View Post
    id hate to think organisors would turn the volume down so people can speak or one individual had problems with it. If a 100 did thats a different matter

    Quote Originally Posted by killingtime View Post
    . I worried about the after effects of the (much worse) music volume at clubs that I'd go to once or twice a month. I don't want that same issue for the three times I go dancing a week with partner dancing.

    I want a music level where I can talk to my dance partner without yelling but, at the same time, be able to hear any underlying subtleties in the song.
    Quote Originally Posted by dep View Post
    That's where a properly designed system will not be lacking.
    Achieving similar unclipped SPL around the whole dance area without subjecting any dancers to excessive and possibly damaging volumes.

    BTW,
    the majority of "disco" systems are completely incapable of allowing any subtleties to be heard. They are played far too loud for their ability by incompetent sound technicians, if one has been employed.

    Our Ceroc DJs rarely, if ever, fall into the competent sound technician category.
    I have an unusual form of hearing loss.
    Too much thumpity thump base line - like in night clubs as Killing Time says - and I can't hear the melody.
    And very loud hurts my ears.

    Plus too loud and the music becomes distorted and fuzzy, as the "cheap" system cannot cope. Sometimes this happens at Ceroc.

    If the volume's too low, it is just as depressing as I then can only here the base line, not the melody. This also happens at Ceroc.

    So too loud or too low has the same effect on my range.

    I like to inject a little musicality into the dance, which i can't do if I can only here the basic beat. Sometimes if i know the song well I can wing it by doing it in my head from memory.

    If the volume is low I have to stay in one place all night.

    This is usually near the stage.

    I much prefer to circulate around the whole room, because staying in one place I'm limited to the amount of leads. Plus the hot shots are usually there.

    It gets crowded near the stage at the best of times, but when the volume's low all us with hearing loss are down there too.

    One in seven people have some form of hearing loss.

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    Registered User killingtime's Avatar
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    Re: Music too loud or too soft ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Astro View Post
    Plus too loud and the music becomes distorted and fuzzy, as the "cheap" system cannot cope. Sometimes this happens at Ceroc
    Lloydian Aspects DJ bit had something to say on this (it's been a while since I linked to his site):

    5. Don't play at ear-shattering volume.


    {...}

    There seems to be a law in Britain which requires all music amplification equipment, no matter how powerful, to be over-loaded. A DJ has one system, and cranks it up as high as it will go, until the music distorts horribly. Later, he gets a more powerful system which can play at the already-loud volume of the previous system, but without the distortion. That, though, would break the law. Instead, the DJ cranks the new system up so loud that it too distorts horribly. Later, he gets a new system, and the process continues. {...}

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