Church Tech- Sound Amplification

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michaellee

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I am new to church sound and didn't know just how important it was until I read this article. Does your church have a sound system and if so, how do you know what the volume level should be? Thank you! Here is the article I was talking about: http://kingdomincblog.com/the-importance-of-sound-amplification-in-the-church/
 
michaellee said:
I am new to church sound and didn't know just how important it was until I read this article. Does your church have a sound system and if so, how do you know what the volume level should be? Thank you! Here is the article I was talking about: http://kingdomincblog.com/the-importance-of-sound-amplification-in-the-church/
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I'm a guitar player and I like it loud so my opinion is that we should have earplug dispensers and warning signs at entry doors for the blue hairs but I digress. We typically run at 94 to 96 db's.
 
Sirk said:
I'm a guitar player and I like it loud so my opinion is that we should have earplug dispensers and warning signs at entry doors for the blue hairs but I digress. We typically run at 94 to 96 db's.
Click to expand...


hey now, watch who you're calling blue hairs!! lol.. ;)
 
The amplification should only be loud enough for everyone to hear. Nothing worse than over-amplified stuff -- especially readings, prayers, etc. The ideal is to not feel as if it's amplified at all.
 
I've never been involved in a worship team but in multimedia that generally runs along side it, and setting up sound equipment etc. I've found that even though it sounds too loud when the room is empty, when people enter the room and it fills up, the bodies soak up the sound...something to keep in mind.
 
If it's not loud enough to bring the walls of Jericho down than God needs you to
crank-it-up-a-notch.jpg
 
Love the praise and worship - and the sacrifice of all those involved that set up early, play the instruments, choose the songs, sing, and run the sound board.

However, there is a trend I have noticed in the last few years - the louder the music, the holier the service. Ok, maybe not EXACTLY that sentiment, but having experienced actual pain from the worship music being too loud over and over again, I can't understand the logic behind playing music at extreme levels.

The question was asked at different churches in my area:

Why do you play your praise and worship music so loud?

Here are some of the replies:

-- LOUD music attracts the young people! (So middle-age and older people don't count?)

-- This is the way we have always done it.

-- We have ear plugs available. (Ear plugs do not always work.)

-- Try moving to a different seat. (Doesn't always work depending on acoustics and size of church.)

-- BYOE - Bring your own ear plugs.

These responses are from different churches not just one particular church.

What is not realized is that even if church members do not feel any pain from the loud music, music played at louder decibel levels (80 decibels or over), actually can damage hearing. Scientific studies have proven that young children and older adults can experience severe hearing damage when the music is played at 80 decibels or higher. Rock concert volume levels tend to be around 90 - 120 decibels.

However, I finally gave up asking about the music. So when I go, I just get up and leave the service once the praise and worship starts, to stand out in the hallway (anywhere between 20 - 45 minutes) or I try to arrive about the time the sermon begins.

Something to consider:

Do all the reasons given for playing worship music at extreme volume levels, justify damaging the hearing of the listeners?

Are people saved because the worship music is extremely loud or are they saved because of the drawing and conviction of Holy Spirit?

So micheallee, thank you for asking for feedback on this issue.

Please if you are going to be running a sound board consider researching more about decibel levels and the damage the higher levels can cause.

God Bless!
 
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