ROCK ON? Music vs. NOISE
Sample sound levels --
90 decibels - Factory machinery sound level at 3 feet.
82-88-110 decibels - Typical amplified rock concert.
82 db - Michigan maximum legal ORV muffler noise.
81 db - KSO symphony sfz note. (sforzando)
75-82 decibels - Drunk conversation in a typical bar without music present.
70-75 db - Typical amplified folk band music and unamplified KSO
70-80 db - Busy street traffic, according to the Sound Meter smartphone app.
WM Jazz Society, W Ottawa HS Jazz Band 1, at Millennium Park, 72 db @ 150 ft, 77-82 db at 50 ft
I have seen a third of the audience leave an 82 db (at 50 feet) loud concert at intermission, including me, though I was wearing ear plugs. At over 81 db, music notes become noise, often of indistinguishable pitch. Bands should sound better than ORV mufflers.
Summer outdoor concerts feature very talented musicians, but three-quarters of them sound terrible, due to inept audio amplification engineering.
Renée Fleming, with one piano accompanist, was unamplified. Her voice filled the 300 seat Chenery Auditorium beautifully. She is a powerful operatic soprano.
The Kalamazoo Symphony has almost a hundred musicians and is unamplified. They fill the 400-seat Miller Auditorium with 70-80 decibel music. Seventy-five db is average and they hit 80 db rarely for one sforzando note. At the Bronson Park bandshell, the KSO also sounded beautiful and was unamplified. Of course, KSO audiences are quiet.
Cutler Park, like most other parks, usually sounds terrible. I heard a 6 piece group where the keyboard, and the keyboard player’s voice, were completely inaudible. (Professional singers, as seen on TV, hold a microphone almost touching their lips) The big disadvantage of Cutler Park is that there is not a solid background to help reflect sound to the audience. A recent 5 piece group put out an almost pleasant 76 db, but hit frequent peaks of 79 db that were ear-piercing. The musicians stood over 10 feet apart and sounded like 5 soloists, instead of a group. Not pretty, but tolerable if wearing earplugs. And the constant audience chatter was 62 db!!!
La Cantina restaurant patrons, without music, put out over 80 db of chatter. One gal alone measured 82 db with her laugh. I imagine that bar musicians typically try to drown out the crowd. I have measured several bar bands at 85 db, intolerable even with earplugs. And forget about trying to converse.
The Lowell riverboat sound stage bands put out 75, 77, and 80 db from a distance. Tolerable at over 150 foot distance, but not pretty. And one 2-piece band was inaudible at 100 feet.
The Allegan Gazebo usually produces pleasant sounds. The musicians stand rather close together and put out 70-75 db, measured from the rear of the small park.
Hastings’ Thornapple Plaza has a large brick back wall and a probably too-high roof. At the first note of a recent concert, I almost laughed. Oh no! What we mostly heard was boom, boom, boom of the drums. It almost drowned out the otherwise pleasant instruments and singers. It might have been beautiful if they had not placed any microphone near the drums. The back wall could probably provide plenty of sound reinforcement. Previous bands were 80 and 77 db, too loud without earplugs.
Plainwell has a very good small bandshell. But its acoustic qualities are usually not utilized much. The musicians stand to the front of the deep shell. The two large speakers are placed 30 feet in front of the shell to prevent audio feedback. The drummer was near the rear of the shell and had his microphone set correctly for very little volume boost. The overall music was pleasant ( ! ) at the back of the audience, as is usual at Plainwell. I might have had to wear earplugs at the front. But most of the grey-haired audience was probably a little deaf, and the younger ones were probably accustomed to deafening rock music. Bands were 72, 75, and 79 db. I had to wear earplugs for the loudest band, but they all sounded good. Their audio booth is near the front of the audience.
The West Michigan Jazz Society does a similar good job at Millennium Park. 77-82 db at 50 feet, but tolerable at the back of the huge field. Unfortunately, many in the audience chatter constantly. Apparently, symphony audiences are more polite than jazz and rock audiences.
Middleville also has a good small bandshell. The musicians stand near the front of it and the loudspeakers are to the sides and a little forward. The audio engineer has a control booth near the back. Bob makes the overall sound good, but 75 db is too much. The music is better at 72 db at the back sidewalk and further away.
Overall, most summer music is a complete waste of talent. Earplugs are usually required for listening comfort. It seems that, in order to sound good, a band needs to employ an audio engineer at the controls, back in the audience, and would benefit from a music director or conductor. A band controlling its own sound amplification reminds me of the saying that "a person who defends himself at a trial has a fool for a lawyer".
Cal - Sir Dancealot