Karaoke Forums

Ok, you have seen me go on about SPL and decibels.
There were not many takers.
Just how do YOU rate the loudness capability of your system.
Of any system for that matter.
Like typed, I go off SPL.
How do you rate things.
I know we are going to get Loudness can not equate to quality.
Fair comment.

I am so loud, that i can make the paint peel off the walls, or i can knock the stink off your arm pits,,, now THAT is loud!!!!! haha..

Seriously tho, I have never had the ability to put a meter on it, but I will tell you, you can "feel" the music when i crank it up. People can't have a good conversation while I am playing the nights end dance music. I run (3) 2400 watt amps, going into (2) 18" subs, (2) 15" mains (yamaha S115's) and (2) 12" Behringer B212XL speakers as floor monitors ( I turn them around at the end of the night). Yeah,,,, its LOUD!! and clear!!! will make almost any pacemaker wanna get up and quiver. hehe

If I actually do turn it up to full power, (not often tho), it can be heard for several blocks away,,, and i get compliments from that far away too.

So how do i go about checking the decibel levels??? without costing me money!! I find that if i am not getting a few minor complaints about the loudness, then it's not loud enough. I usually just turn it down from there, just a wee bit

Loud enough that it demands attention and doesn't simply become the "jukebox in the corner".

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

I don’t know how many decibels but I play my music loud to a point. Not so loud the first hour or two, but middle part to end of the show the volume is pumped to get them dancing. When someone approaches me to ask something and we could barely carry on a conversation, then it’s time to lower it down a notch or two.

Our bartender likes it loud. He told me lab studies show high level music volume led to increase alcohol consumption in bars & clubs. With the loud karaoke music coupled with patrons talking, it becomes even noisier and soon gives up communication to one another and just focus on their drinking and dancing. They get thirsty, hence more trips to the bar. I told him he’s full of beans (although in a way it does makes sense).

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I have measured greater than 130db at 1 meter. My meter max is 130db I would guess I can hit 137db.

That's my small everyday system and it's very clear.

I would guess I can hit 142db with my larger system.

It's more about low end SPL if you ask me.

I don't know how loud my system is in terms of decibels, but one of my bars I installed a system with speakers mounted on the walls. I don't have to turn it up very loud because the sound is so well distributed with these speakers.

I also believe that you SHOULD be able to hold a conversation in a bar without having to get an inch from somebody's face to be heard. That doesn't mean my music isn't loud, but I don't blare it either. Plus, if you have a good system and good subs, you shouldn't have to turn it up loud. That's why I use a Bose system at my mobile gigs.

Loud is the one thing the boyfriend and I argue about. Seems to be a male/female thing as to what levels are exciting vs tolerable. I want to keep my hearing.

No mate, I don't mean your home stereo.

I CALL BS on your db levels!!!!
From the video you provided of one of your singers and the system you've outlined in the past, there is no way you are louder than a typical rock concert (avg 110 db) or a jet airliner (avg 130db).

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Lon, notice he said at one meter. Now I'm not familiar with what his rig is (and am too lazy to go back and look) but a peak SPL of 130dB @ 1m is pretty common for most PA equipment these days. Remember that when people say a rock concert averages 110dB, that's measured at listening distance not 1m from the stack or array. The goal in a large concert venue is to produce as clost to uniform SPL coverage as possible over the entire listening area so the speakers used, and their combination in an array, are capable of very high SPL. But again you have to take in the distance factor which has a minimizing effect when we're talking SPL.

That said, I would be extremely skeptical that you're seeing 137 SPL on any portable PA. Even with perfect mutual coupling across your two boxes (which is impossible, especially with horns and cones boxes) and speaking in terms of peak SPL there's just no way. I'd also go so far as to say 142dB is a pipe dream. Even the biggest baddest JBL Vertec Line Array cabinents only hit 143dB at 1m and that's a box rated at 3000W continuous that's packed with dual 15's, four 8's and three 3" horns (just to provide you some context).

This is why I avoided getting into this discussion in terms of Sound Pressure Levels. There are too many variables to adequately discuss it with any real context in this forum. I've seen plenty of audio "book worm" engineers who stand there with the SPL meters thinking everything is one way when in reality it's not. What is important is the subjective experience. How loud does it sound in the venue, can you hear everything the PA is spitting out, can people carry on conversations, does the PA get lost in the wash, etc. etc. etc. I've said it a million times, I'll make it a million and one, your primary tool in the audio world is your ears. All these meters, lights, specs, etc are supplementary tools that can assist you when used right, but in the end what you hear is the single most important thing. Seems obvious but it's amazing how quickly that concept is forgotten.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

I have done gigs at places with a Sound Limiter.....go past a certain limit and all the power to the stage is cut,and needs re-setting. (Usually in venues where nearby residents have complained about the noise to the authourities). One was set at 118dcb...and one at 130......the 130 venue ,I tripped out twice...I have to doubt the accuracy of these gauges...especially as the 118decibel venue didn't trip out once

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I lost 30% of my hearing in one ear during a car accident. Ever since then I've been very protective of my 'good' ear. I'm behind the speakers at my gigs, but I'm considering bringing ear plugs. Like someone said, at the end of the night, it tends to get really loud.

Not interested in "loud" as much as I am with "great sound and mix"

"loud" is easy, "great" is not as easy.

According to Popular Mechanics, the "loudest" single enclosure ever made was a Wyle Labortories WAS 3000 in 2003. The enclosure handles 30,000 watts and produces measured at free space SPLs of 165 dB. This speaker, however, is very limited in dynamic range, and is most often used as the FOGHORN speaker in lighthouses and at airport air traffic control centers.

The most efficient (highest SPL) speaker ever made is Richard Clark and David Navone’s Concept Design sub, which contains a 54" woofer, is capable of free space SPLs up to 188 dB, and produces 6,000 lbs of force with the air it moves, which is equivilant to 161 average 10" woofers.

The highest SPL (efficiency) consumer (i.e., mass produced) speakers ever made were the Klipsch Klipschorn loudspeaker made in 1946, with a 105 dB @ 1w/1m and 147 dB long free space SPL. That's out of a 400 watt program speaker.

I checked with Sweetwater.com, and the highest SPL, full range PA speaker they carry is the EV TX2152, with SPLs of 103 dB @ 1w/1m and max free space SPL of 139 dB.

Of course the word "LOUD" is not the same as "EFFICIENCY/SPL." If you want just "LOUD" you can keep combining speakers and make it virtually as loud as you want!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

Only know wattage. 550 PER my two mains. 700 sub. Continuous. Loud enough for everything I've done so far, however looking like I might be hired for a huge annual outdoor festival,,,,,, wild festival, not flower, but bikers, drinking, stripping, yada yada! If I do this, I will probably rent some equipment. Could be 10,000 people or more.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

No mate.
You will rent a lot of equipment.

If you're talking about filling a 10,000 seat venue, yeah now you're talking major production and there are relatively few companies in the country prepared for that. Also, at risk of sounding like a major D/B (not my intent but I am going to be very matter of fact here), are you really prepared skill wise for anything of that degree?

Seriously dude, it is one thing to bring portable or semi-portable PA into a 100-1000 person venue. It's a very different situation when you're talking 10,000 person venues. First, is the obvious change in the criticality of what you're doing from an audio perspective. Covering such a venue requires true audio engineering including a competent understanding of wave forming, speaker array behavior, mains power management and distribution, speaker rigging, etc. Second, a venue that big usually means acts that big. Dealing with touring acts from a production company perspective is a completely different animal from anything you've seen before. Contract riders, band engineers, sound check/rehearsal/show scheduling nightmares, you name it. Finally, from the rental perspective, you're talking far more than just bringing in a speaker system. Scaffolds, motors, rigging, speakers, amps, snakes, etc.

Now, if I misunderstood you, maybe you've only been hired to provide Karaoke on a side stage or something like that for this festival. That would obviously be entirely different. However, the way you described this gig, you sure didn't make it sound that way.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke