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LOUDNESS
So, imagine that you are sitting in the pew of your usual church and the Pastor gets up and from the pulpit said that he wants everyone to stand up, go out side, lay down in the parking lot and stare at the sun for 10 minutes or so. Would you do it?
There are a number of ways to approach this question. One could look at it as a question of submission to the authority of the Church. One could also look at it as a matter of having enough faith and trust that God would protect you in your obedience. One could also have a sense of outrage that the Pastor would suggest that you do something that could potentially harm you. Ultimately you would have the choice to either comply or not. When you began to weigh the options, one factor that would very likely be in the foreground of your thoughts would be the fact that staring at the sun is dangerous and could cause permanent damage to your eyes.
What if the decision was not up to you? What if the Pastor picked up a powerful laser and started pointing it into your eyes? After being hit once, you could get up and find your way to the door and leave.
By now you must be wondering what this is all about. This scenario is happening in our churches every Sunday across America. Only it is not with light it is with sound. And if you are reading this you are probably the one in charge - the one who is pointing the laser. For some reason we are more likely to understand the dangers of bright lights and lasers to our eyes then we are to understand the dangers of loud sounds to our ears. The dangers are just as real and just as devastatingly permanent. It just might take longer to experience the effects.
So, next time you mix for a service, check the levels. If you do not have a sound level meter, they are available from Radio Shack for about $50.00.
There are three well known standards for noise exposure, the EPA, ANSI/NIOSH and OSHA have all published standards. According to ANSI/NIOSH if your mix is averaging 98 dB SPL (A weighted) the maximum allowable limit is 23 minutes! If you are mixing at 100 the limit is 15 minutes, at 105 the limit is just under 5 minutes! If you turn down to 94, the limit is 1 hour. OSHA allows significantly higher doses, however some experts believe that OSHA does not adequately protect workers’ hearing. The EPA which is the most conservative says that the limit for 94 dB A weighted is only 6 minutes and anything over 100 dB A weighted is considered not safe for any amount of time.
NIOSH
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/98-126/chap1.html
Comparison of EPA/WHO, ANSI/NIOSH, and OSHA sound level limits.
http://www.nonoise.org/hearing/exposure/standardschart.htm
Note that none of these standards regulate sound levels in churches, but they are none the less guidelines we can use for safe sound levels.
It is the responsibility of the mix engineer to set safe levels. Please, no more hearing damage in the Name of Christ!
Douglas Jones
djoneseasi@mac.com
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