Tinnitus

Last night we had a concert in the Rafters, featuring “Four Letter Lie” headlining and two more local Minnesota bands opening. This might mean nothing to all of you but the volume on stage for the second band was 116dB (A weighted.) For the less nerdy, that equates to approximately fucking loud. I asked the band if they wanted me to turn it down, but they said to crank it as much as I could, and that they were deaf anyway, so not to worry about it. Some people are dumb. It blows my mind how people subject themselves to these extreme volumes willingly without any sort of protection. The volume at the sound board (Front of House, FOH for those in the know) was a less pummeling but still loud 106dB. That means that it was much louder up near the front where the crowd was. Just about the entire night was spent beyond the threshold of hearing damage, meaning some of those people were exposed to damaging audio for three hours with very little rest. I was wearing ear plugs of course, but a vast majority of the crowd was not. In thirty years when they can’t hear the drive through attendant at Wendy’s they’re finally going to get it.

But Clay, aren’t you the sound guy? Don’t you have control over the volume?
Thank you for asking. Yes and no. Everything on stage is mic’ed, but many things on stage just don’t need it. Snare drums, especially in rock groups, are ridiculously loud, and I usually have them muted in the system. The same goes for guitars, who are the main offenders. These rock bands show up with Marshall Double Stacks (a 6 foot tall amp,) and they’re used to playing grungy clubs with terrible sound systems, so they usually have to compensate with their own amps to make the show sound decent. Our system has more than enough power to shake the plaster down in the Rafters. Unfortunately, turning down a guitar amp means changing the sound of the guitar, and these musicians are used to the sound of their guitars at 120dB (Decibels by the way, sorry.) I always ask kindly for them to turn down as much as possible without changing their sound. Usually artists are willing to comply when I explain that I will be turning them back up again, and it will help me to make them sound better. But last night. Last night was a bunch of high school kids. Nuff said. They wanted it loud, they were going to make it loud. So in order to make it so things like the kick drum, bass, and *gasp* the vocals could be heard over the earsplitting roar emanating forth from these gaping maws of Marshall (or Mesa Boogie, take your pick,) I had to crank my system even further. This only compounds the damage being done to the tiny hairs deep within the ear canals of the unsuspecting hardcore dancers flailing wildly about in the “mosh pit.”

So what have we learned today class? If it hurts your ears, it’s probably hurting your hearing. And hearing is not something you can re grow. Ever. You lose it and it’s gone. Always bring ear protection to concerts, even if it’s a gospel choir, because you may end up with seats right next to the speakers, and as you get closer to the source of a sound, the volume increases exponentially. And turn down your headphones, wow. Headphones are the fastest way to hearing loss short of a tea party on the tarmac (god I hope someone gets that.) iPods have a customizable volume limiter on them now, which is smart. Of course, it was put in as a result of a lawsuit from some fuckwit who had their headphones turned up too loud and went partially deaf. Speaking of iPods, mine came in the mail on Monday. I opened the box to find this little gem of a warning on the protective sticker on the front of the gadget.

Cute.

Thursday night! 1am! 103.3 or kumd.org. I’ve got a bunch of new music you probably haven’t heard. If you’ve heard it, I’ll buy you a pony.

Listen loud, listen responsibly, and don’t forget to spay and neuter you pets.

-63hz