Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Dan Richardson]

Local wedding venue with db levels written into their contracts is looking for a big display. Anyone here have experience with this piece or similar?

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Decibel-Monitoring-30-130dB-Measuring/dp/B0946SZ2BC

[George Reiswig]

Local wedding venue with db levels written into their contracts is looking for a big display. Anyone here have experience with this piece or similar?

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Decibel-Monitoring-30-130dB-Measuring/dp/B0946SZ2BC

That’s the same unit I use in my rehearsal space. Its readings match my regular dB meter. Only issues I can see are that it only seems to take a reading every second (or a little under) or so, and doesn’t show peaks. For their purposes, I suspect it would do fine.

[Brian Jojade]

Another alternative would be to pick up an old iPad and install software on it.  You can then have settings to turn the display red if it goes over a limit.

Older iPads are practically free and great for this sort of thing.

[Dave Pluke]

Local wedding venue with db levels written into their contracts is looking for a big display.

My question is where will they place it? I've been to some weddings where the clinking of dinnerware and alcohol-fueled conversations have been louder than the band or DJ...

Dave

[Andrew Broughton]

Needs a way to plug in an external mic and a "Leq (10min)" mode to be useful...

[Brian Jojade]

My question is where will they place it? I've been to some weddings where the clinking of dinnerware and alcohol-fueled conversations have been louder than the band or DJ...

Dave

That's always the fun part about dB restrictions.  What seems like a simple rule can have lots of variables.  If you're the one setting the rule, figure out a consistent way to enforce it, and make sure it's realistic.

Truth be told, a dB measurement really isn't often the solution to the problem, but it's the only tool people know about.  Often times, the dB limits are due to noise leaks into other rooms. There, the problems are far more frequency dependent. Hight frequencies are easily dealt with by closing doors or whatnot.  Low frequencies can penetrate throughout a building much easier and be the source of the problem.  Reducing LF level is the solution there, not just overall volume.

[Dan Richardson]

My question is where will they place it? I've been to some weddings where the clinking of dinnerware and alcohol-fueled conversations have been louder than the band or DJ...

It'll go on a beam above and in front of the band, where they can easily see it. The number it displays and where those levels are coming from are not really the point. It's more of a device to back up the venue manager when they come over and say "It's too loud. You are in violation of the contract. Turn it down." Kind of like how some amount of building regulations are essentially just tools for the inspector.

"Don't make me tap this sign."

[Tim McCulloch]

That's always the fun part about dB restrictions.  What seems like a simple rule can have lots of variables.  If you're the one setting the rule, figure out a consistent way to enforce it, and make sure it's realistic.

Truth be told, a dB measurement really isn't often the solution to the problem, but it's the only tool people know about.  Often times, the dB limits are due to noise leaks into other rooms. There, the problems are far more frequency dependent. Hight frequencies are easily dealt with by closing doors or whatnot.  Low frequencies can penetrate throughout a building much easier and be the source of the problem.  Reducing LF level is the solution there, not just overall volume.

The issue is that some folks have no restraint, no sense of what is reasonable and proper.  The vast majority of events I attend as a civilian I find to be too damn loud, and I kinda like stuff in the rock and roll range.

The other thing:  if this is for weddings and society events, these are NOT "art delivery mechanisms."  It's pretty likely that nobody is there to hear a local bands original material and they sure ain't there to support some bands idea of "art".  Turn the shit down.  Learn to play at 90dBA.

That said, my guess is any venue posting this is just for the manager to point to.  The band didn't contract the venue, the wedding couple did.  Unless the bride or Mom-Zilla threatens to withhold payment from the act, the band won't give a damn about the meter or the venue's rules.

Been there, saw that, didn't stay for a shirt...

[Jano Svitok]

One wedding venue here has DB meter coupled to breaker. DB meter has a led bar (green, yellow and red leds), when you reach the red light, breaker goes off.

There's a fee for turning it on, and the you have to find the responsible person first.

The reason is neighbors have complained in the past.

[Noah D Mitchell]

One wedding venue here has DB meter coupled to breaker. DB meter has a led bar (green, yellow and red leds), when you reach the red light, breaker goes off.

There's a fee for turning it on, and the you have to find the responsible person first.

The reason is neighbors have complained in the past.

This sounds like an interesting contraption.


Not really interested in the breaker & fee part, but if that could be encoded into something like a Raspberry Pi device, you could use it to trigger other events. DMX signals for lighting (flashing or blackouts), mute groups on a board, sudden drastic volume reductions (via a scene change), or an embarrassing FX patch that makes the lead singer sound like Mickey Mouse.

[ProSoundWeb Community]