From: Ramon Tate
Subject: Re: Earplugs for audiences?
Organization: Computer Systems Lab., NIH
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 21:59:05 GMT

In article <3162@ariel.its.unimelb.EDU.AU> cm@ariel.its.unimelb.EDU.AU (Charles
Meo) writes:
>I find it hard to credit that people feel the need to seriously discuss
>earplugs at rock gigs. If you need 'em, you're too old, and should go home.
>
>In this country, we have these stupid SPL meters hooked into the mains and 
>when the gig gets above an animated conversation, it shuts off and blows
>the crap outta your rig. What I want to know is, who's going to say what is
>excessive SPL and what is not?

Well, I take my cues from the numerous studies that have shown that over
certain SPLs at various frequencies, your hearing is progressively and
permanently damaged.

>If the old farts drive, it's the end of the
>biz, or a no-fun zone anyway.

Well, this "old fart" wonders why younger persons - the ones with supposedly
better hearing - seem impervious to these SPLs and the "old farts", whose
hearing is declining, find the intensity so uncomfortable.

 Bet that would a lot of people happy, judging
>by the ridiculous satanism stuff that gets an airing from the US.
                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'm not sure what relevance this has to SPLs....

>This is very much a judgement thing: know your product. Stay away from
>grunge bands that will blow the roof off; go see something a little tamer. 

Well, yes, I *do* attempt to stay away from concerts that have a reputation for
aural destruction, but unfortunately it seems to me that these days it means
not going at all. Recently, I attended a performance by Peter, Paul, and Mary
[just a folk group, right?] at Wolftrap, the semi-outdoor amphitheater just
outside Washington, DC. We sat in the upper balcony, squarely facing, I'm sad
to say, a speaker array about 30 feet away. Needless to say, a great deal of
the concert was painful. Even Paul, when he was doing a solo spot, tried to get
the house sound person to cut it back, but that only lasted a short time. I
immediately noticed on the first number that the speakers were being driven
into breakup on the peaks, and I wondered how the SEs could even consider
themselves professional with that kind of stuff going on right under their
ears.

>I have been in the business for 15 years (drums and board) and my hearing
>is maybe 10% gone  on some frequencies last time I checked. To me, this is
>quite acceptable and if my ears start to pack up about the time the rest
>of me does, that's OK too.
>
>When I drive the board or the kit, I decide how to use them. The performer
>(including the crew) MUST have the discretion here--and that doesn't rule
>out being quiet and tasteful when necessary either!

I think at least one point here is that people who have impaired hearing -
performers, SEs or audience - CAN'T make proper judgments about sound levels. 

>The duty of care in this stupid decade should be put back on the individual,
>where it has always belonged. If you don't like the heat...

If you mean "responsibiliy" by your use of the term "duty of care", that is
exactly what I mean: the performers and engineers have a responsibility to both
themselves and their audiences to respect their hearing, and that means
operating at SPLs that are NOT destructive.

>Flame suit -- ON!

No flames, just getting it off my chest....

>Chuck
>-- 
>Chuck Meo
>Solbourne Computer Australia
>cm@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au
>'SYS5R4: one size fits nobody'
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ramon L. Tate
Computer Systems Laboratory, DCRT
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892                               tate@faxcsl.dcrt.nih.gov

Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro