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[John Roberts {JR}]

ACDC Black Ice Tour in Dallas may have actually exceeded the 100db average as well during Riff Raff & Thunderstruck....

I was backstage in Hartford CT back in the 80s when ACDC had to test fire their (hells bells) pyro for the fire marshal. The lads thought it would be funny to not warn me and the friend I was visiting with behind a closed door a few feet away... 

JR

[Simon Lewis]

Just to say that rather than being a set of prohibitions put together by disapproving anti noise enforcers, the contributing working group included people from speaker manufacturers, respected touring sound engineers and audio rental companies.

[Ivan Beaver]

The link to the actual document: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240043114

It contains all the answers you asked, because the details indeed matter here.

The too short summary: the limit is 100 dB A-weighted, averaged over 15 minutes, measured centrally (between 1/3 to 2/3) in the listening area. But check the full paper, it is very comprehensive !

I didn't see any of that in the linked article.

I figured there would be more specifics involved, but the article did not elude to any of them.

Thanks for the clarification.

So all that means is that you can "turn up the bass", and still be OK.  HAHA

[Simon Lewis]

While we all know iphones aren't the best SPL meters out there, anyone have a good recommendation for an SPL meter that would show average SPL over a 15 minute duration?

The NIOSH SLM app does this very well indeed....

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/app.html

[Dave Garoutte]

The NIOSH SLM app does this very well indeed....

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/app.html

Looks like the app is apple only.

[Art Welter]

I didn't see any of that in the linked article.

I figured there would be more specifics involved, but the article did not elude to any of them.

Thanks for the clarification.

So all that means is that you can "turn up the bass", and still be OK.  HAHA

You can turn everything up and still keep the sound level below the WHO recommended sound level limit of 100 dB LAeq, 15min, assessed at the reference measurement position.
The example given of a compliant outdoor fest in Germany has LCpeak levels over 130dB, LAF max above 110 (1110 max, oops..) and still complies, though 600% of the allowable dose under occupational noise regulations.

The WHO Global standard for safe listening venues & events 
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240043114
is really well written, and it's implementation could actually make a difference in saving some hearing loss, though the venues that need it most will be least likely to adopt it.

Art

[Art Welter]

While we all know iphones aren't the best SPL meters out there, anyone have a good recommendation for an SPL meter that would show average SPL over a 15 minute duration?

What would be neat to see on the screen is the 'current' SPL along with the average over times. 

If you have a PC or Mac, download REW, it can do all that and a lot more for free:
https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

You would need a measurement mic capable of handling the peaks you will encounter, which will be above the level any smartphone can do.
If you're used to time weighted dB meters, "LZ peak" will be an eye opener, hand claps at a meter can be above 120dB..

[boburtz]

Therein lies the problem. Your title is "turn down the volume", and the spec is 100dBa over 15 minutes. I don't think I've ever mixed a show that would not comply with that spec, at least as measured at the FOH position. No need to turn down... If it's commonplace to mix louder than that, then certainly turn down the volume.

Fun fact;  I don't go to many shows, as it's my job and I'm not inclined to go to work on my day off. I occasionally make exceptions for shows that have some nostalgic significance. Recently I went to see two bands at the Warfield in San Francisco. The difference in audio quality between the two bands was stunning, with the headliner sounding heads and tails better. More clarity and articulation, nothing was fighting for sonic space. The biggest difference?; about 5dB lower average spl (as a guess) on the headliner. Bear in mind, these were heavy metal bands, so the implication is that it's going to be LOUD, yet the headliner's FOH person thought it was appropriate for his act to be less loud, and his decision was correct in my opinion.

Another show I went to see was Heart, Joan Jett, and Cheap Trick at the Shoreline Amphitheater. Of the three, Joan Jett sounded the best (from a purely audio perspective), coincidentally her band was the least loud. She was in the middle of the lineup, so her FOH person made the decision to present to the audience a lower spl than the preceding act.

I prefer to mix at a comfortable volume at foh, and I think the audience ends up preferring it too, whether they know it or not. My comfortable volume would easily comply with the WHO standard.
My $.02

[brian maddox]

Therein lies the problem. Your title is "turn down the volume", and the spec is 100dBa over 15 minutes. I don't think I've ever mixed a show that would not comply with that spec, at least as measured at the FOH position. No need to turn down... If it's commonplace to mix louder than that, then certainly turn down the volume.

Fun fact;  I don't go to many shows, as it's my job and I'm not inclined to go to work on my day off. I occasionally make exceptions for shows that have some nostalgic significance. Recently I went to see two bands at the Warfield in San Francisco. The difference in audio quality between the two bands was stunning, with the headliner sounding heads and tails better. More clarity and articulation, nothing was fighting for sonic space. The biggest difference?; about 5dB lower average spl (as a guess) on the headliner. Bear in mind, these were heavy metal bands, so the implication is that it's going to be LOUD, yet the headliner's FOH person thought it was appropriate for his act to be less loud, and his decision was correct in my opinion.

Another show I went to see was Heart, Joan Jett, and Cheap Trick at the Shoreline Amphitheater. Of the three, Joan Jett sounded the best (from a purely audio perspective), coincidentally her band was the least loud. She was in the middle of the lineup, so her FOH person made the decision to present to the audience a lower spl than the preceding act.

I prefer to mix at a comfortable volume at foh, and I think the audience ends up preferring it too, whether they know it or not. My comfortable volume would easily comply with the WHO standard.
My $.02

yup

[Simon Lewis]

Looks like the app is apple only.

A bit of a pain that.... However it's because the Apple hardware is known and standardised (unlike Android) which means the NIOSH app writers can code the app knowing the exact performance and behaviour of the devices. This, together with the proper acoustic testing and verification they have carried out, is what makes the NIOSH app far better than the general "noise indicator" type apps that prevail.

If use of a PC is acceptable, you could download the free REW software and pair it with a soundcard and measurement mic. It would need an acoustic calibrator and a piece of gaffer tape over the interface's gain control ;-)

[ProSoundWeb Community]