“It’s Too Loud”
Updated: Oct 12
Many Churches have begun reopening and getting back to live services. People no longer have a personal volume control which will inevitably lead back into volume complaints. While there is no sure-fire way to eliminate them, there are some factors that may be contributing to the comfort level of your audience. Most importantly, there are probably some things you can do about it that don’t involve earplugs.
Disclaimer: I’m not going to address SPL (Sound Pressure Level) in this post but rather the factors that an SPL meter can’t tell you. I’m going to assume that you are running at a reasonable SPL and still recieveing complaints.
1. “I want to hear myself and the people around me sing" There is power in corporate worship when the people of God sing His praises together. It serves as a way of reminding each other of who God is and what he has done.
2. “I want to sing loudly and not worry about others around me hearing how bad I sound."There is also a personal side to worship as we each individually praise God for the things he has done in our life or cry out to him for the things we need.
But They’re Still Comming….Once you’ve reached a decision and adjusted accordingly. There are some further considerations to make as to why you may be receiving volume complaints.
Often it is a quality of sound and not a quantity of sound issue. Meaning there isn’t too much level but how it sounds is abrasive no matter the volume level. If things are out of balance or hard to distinguish from one another it can be hard to listen to. The average person doesn’t have (and doesn’t care to have) the knowledge to differentiate between abrasiveness and volume so they will simply say ” it's too loud”. This is even more true in cases where an individual's ability to differentiate between sounds diminishes like in cases of hearing loss where medical devices are required for the individual to hear.
In my experience, there are 3 primary reasons people perceive it as being “too loud” (not including if it is extremely loud).
Unfortunatly there is no quick and easy fix for sound complaints, so take the preasure off. You dont have to fix everything overnight. Break it down. Discover where the problems actually lie, then develop solid solutions that move you closer to your goal.
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About the author
Chris Eslinger is a founder and partner at Ignite Sound + Stage and Creative Production Director at Greenwood Christian Church. A contributor to Technologies for Worship Magazine, he helps churches improve audio, video, lighting and volunteer workflows through practical, hands-on training.
Read Chris's Yamaha DM7 mixing console review in Technologies for Worship Magazine.
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