After 7 years of FOH at my church I’ve settled in with what works and what doesn’t work for Cornerstone when it comes to volume levels. Volume is the most popular and complex subject when it comes to church sound and worship. In this post I’ll stick with where we actually run our levels and talk a little about the hard work of getting a great mix within context.
I’d like to frame our context a little first. We rock like most churches in America with Tomlin, Hillsong, Crowder, and the like. We offer ear plugs for people who ask but here’s the deal: I don’t want to be that church where a third of the people feel they need to plug their ears to worship God. That’s lame. For me it’s just plain lazy because I’ve learned that when I get lazy it gets too loud. The quickest way to make things sound better is to turn it up 3dB and that will push it over the edge for us. Getting a stunning mix within the green of the picture below is hard work that involves more than turning knobs; you absolutely need a great performance from the band and tools that are often met with resistance like full isolation for the drums and off-stage guitar amp isolation.
With that in mind, here’s my take on Cornerstone’s dB levels. Get a DB meter app on your iPhone and check it out for yourself this Sunday. We’re probably just like most churches in the country. We stick to the green and creep into the yellow.
Our target range is 85dB to 90dB measured A-weighted with slow response. An occasional peak of 94dB might sneak out but we don’t ride up there. A-weighting doesn’t measure sub frequencies (felt more than heard) and we run those hot. Depending on where you sit you will really feel the kick and bass. We are not timid with our mix by any stretch. To compare with a couple super big churches, we run a little louder than Willow Creek in Chicago and much quieter than North Point in Atlanta. Contrary to many volume complaints I receive, we are well within OSHA noise exposure limits.
One interesting piece of trivia for you: the chatter in the courtyard between services rides at 90dB. That’s louder than worship in the auditorium. Who would have guessed? Keep those ear plugs in! Funny how perception rarely reflects reality.
(After the jump is a little more about perception and getting a great mix within context.)
If I were king…
If I ran it according to my personal preference we’d range from 90dB to 95dB-A on average with peaks in the upper 90s. It is hard work to get a mix I’m stoked about at a level most of my congregation will enjoy but lately I’ve been really stoked. My assistant, Chris, has been an invaluable balance for me over the years. Perfection usually lies between our individual styles so we try to meet in the middle.
It sounds better loud.
The louder the music, the more even it sounds to our ears. Check out the Wikipedia article on Equal Loudness Contour. Our perception of full range sound varies greatly from 70dB, conversation level, to 100dB, concert level. At lower volumes we don’t hear low and high frequencies as well as we hear midrange frequencies. That’s why some home and car stereos have a “loudness” button. It boosts the lows and highs to match what you might hear at a higher volume without bringing the actual volume up much. A rock mix just starts to open up and sound good at 91dB-A. Ironically, that’s my speed limit but it’s not impossible to get a great mix under 91.
Do the work.
We dial it in during Thursday rehearsals as much as we can without the BGVs there. We add plenty of subs and sparkle (like a loudness button) to support the entire mix. Most importantly, we dial it in at actual service volume. That equal loudness contour is true so if you dial in a smokin’ mix at rehearsal then turn it down for service it will sound more mid-rangy. Not only will it loose punch, clarity and sparkle, the spectral balance of the mix will seem to compete with the congregation’s own voice. Turning it down is more of a sacrifice than most people understand so, if you care about quality, you’ll do the hard work of dialing it in right before the service and stick to it during service.
The one weighty and often overlooked factor to the mix is the band and their solid performance. My bands do a great job of playing during rehearsal like they will during the service. This is a critical element for us but that’s a topic for another post.
I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions, observations, experiences or helpful suggestions to share please leave a comment or shoot me an email.
Entries (RSS)
I love this. Now, if I had a dollar for every time I will be saying, “My friend Sam says…”
Good stuff Sam! The sound is one of the elements I really love about Cornerstone! Now to boost up the quality in the KidsChurch rooms!!! He He He
If anyone complains that it is too loud I will punch them in the face…
I have measured the weighted sound levels during two services, crusing the floor with a hand held sound level meter. The first service was with the “Youth Band” (the band that normally plays at the youth services). Their levels were from 89 dba to 98 dba, with averaged peaks in the 102 to 104 dba range (101 dba is the threshold of pain). Impulse levels were at or above the 120 db range. The “Regular Band” was lower, reading 84 to 94 dba with peaks just below 100 dba and impulse levels in the 106 db range. The problem with your explanation is that the 90 dba levels in the lobby are lower frequencies where the music is broad spectrum. Hearing loss starts with the higher frequencies where 3rd. through 5th harmonics are gone, making it difficult to differenciate between instruments or people. Ask some one with a hearing aid about their hearing lives.
You are right, the older members are most concerned about the levels. We generally are not attached to music and see it as a intrusion when someone yells in our ears or requires us to experience uncomfortable levels of noise. If Cornerstone was our workplace rather than our church, the management would have to issue hearing protection to each member and require us to take a hearing test yearly per OSHA regulations. Good thing the services do not last over an hour! I inquired about the sound levels the US CIA used to irritate Presidente Manual Noriega into surrendering to the US military. The sound levels inside his abode were similar to those inside the Auditorium during services. Comparing Cornerstone to other churches with elevated sound levels is like comparing my sins to yours. The excitement for coming to Cornerstone should be for the content rather than the sparkle.
One of my greatest gifts from God was to slip into my babies or grandbaby’s rooms and listen to them breathe. Watching their little fingers flex and hearing the air go in and out of their lungs was such a joy. My daughter is about your age and listened to music at elevated levels when she was a teen and young adult. Several years ago we were in her son’s room just after his birth. She could not hear him take a shallow breath!
Listing to elevated sound levels is like taking drugs. The more you do it, higher levels are required to satisfy your need. A second similarity is that the needs of user supercede the needs of anyone else. I have particular interest in this issue because I have a medical condition that causes a mild form of shock when exposed to loud sound levels for a period of time. There have been several services that took me hours to recover. I now carry several ear plugs to services and even move to the Chapel when the levels get elevated. Thank you for e-listening and God bless – Frank