LEE Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 As a touring theatre we obviously from time to time have rock concerts that use their own sound equipment.We have had a few instances where the engineer pushes the levels. hey presto.....complaintsI have a portable sound level meter for measurement but I am looking into purchasing some sort of noise/sound level device that the said engineers can be prompted by to turn it all down. I know that you can buy limiters that cut the power if it gets too noisy but I want to refrain from that.Is there some sort of visual box of led's out there. If so where.Does anyone else have a similar problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 Would a Spectrum Analyser do the trick? I think I've seen ones that show overall level in Db.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEE Posted March 20, 2003 Author Share Posted March 20, 2003 I am thinking of a unit that can be either installed in the line of sight of the engineer or maybe a little remote box that shows a green or red led. I keep barking on about a small visual display as I am sure I have heard of something out there but cannot remember where. Also I may need to record the readings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmonk Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 A Spectrum Analyser wouldnt really work Rob as it doesnt acuratly show the volume level (as its only taking a feed from the desk)Also they arent designed to show a volume level, only peaks on each frequency band. Lee, As you mentioned about the little boxes that cut out the mains if it gets too loud, depending how much they cost then you could just go along this route as they usually have a Red/Amber/Green led that signify's the aceptability of the volume level, just dont connect the output mains supply to anything, so that it doesnt actually trip anything off, it just acts as a signaller... Could then be installed in line of sight of the sound engineer. Hope some of that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 Canford sell a number of units by Castle that seem to fit the description (pages 812-3 of current catalogue): I.e flash a warning sign when the sound level hits a prescribed value. If you want you could go further and either have one that cuts the sound level to keep it below a max level or cuts the mains. However, the punters might get a bit narked if you cut the sound in the middle of a gig. I'd go for a flashing sign type thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Russell Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 Lee, Formula Sound make the Sound Sentry which lists for about £550. Maplin do a sound level meter that will give you a visual display on 12 leds. This will give you a box that will give them a reference for how loud they can be, the recording may be slightly harder... maybe some kind of computer based analyser like SMAART using a remote mic in a suitable point in your auditorium with the computer safely locked away set to hold a peak would do??, if you wanted to get carried away you could give them a monitor so they can see the RTA or would this be too advanced for the average touring operator to deal with :-) Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteSav Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 Formula Sound make the Sound Sentry which lists for about £550. Also the AVC2 from Formula Sound is worth checking out, as it doesn't cut the Mains power but instead reduces the level discretely to a pre- determined threshold. IMHO having just an indicator and no active control is fruitless, unless you, yourself want to stand there and give the engineer a nudge if you see the red lights staying on. We've had similar problems with rock concerts and much worse, DJ's who seem to think that when the clip indicators are all on and the P.A sounds like s*** they've done their job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 People only take notice of complaints, if it hurts their pockets. Have it written into the theatre contracts that if the sound levels go over a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time, part of the fee will be withheld.It means that some one has to monitor the levels accurately, and fill in a few forms during the show, but it usually works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted March 21, 2003 Share Posted March 21, 2003 We use one of the Formula Sound units mentioned above in one of our Dubbing Suites and they are rather effective at showing SPL obviously (That is in a clear and obvious manner) Well worth a look IMHO James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limetech Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Came across this post while searching for info on sound limiters and thought that others doing the same may be interested in the company below. They seem to know what they are talking about and produce their own porduct which is much cheaper than the Formula Sound Sentry The Sound & Light Company - Sound Limiters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 My venue tonight used a RION Hand held sound level meter which had internal data logging. Sorry model unknown! Think it was this; http://www.noise-and-vibration.co.uk/pages/noise/nl20.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMPSA Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 As a touring theatre we obviously from time to time have rock concerts that use their own sound equipment.We have had a few instances where the engineer pushes the levels. hey presto.....complaintsI have a portable sound level meter for measurement but I am looking into purchasing some sort of noise/sound level device that the said engineers can be prompted by to turn it all down. I know that you can buy limiters that cut the power if it gets too noisy but I want to refrain from that.Is there some sort of visual box of led's out there. If so where.Does anyone else have a similar problem.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>There's a nifty little device from a company called Sensorcom - it's a key fob meter which has a green, amber, red type system. They're a tenner. There are obviously more sophisticated devices out there - one of which was shown to me at PLASA - I'll have a dig for the company name. Anyone wanting to know about the law on noise levels at work and hearing protection should come to a PSA seminar on the subject. 31st Jan - Novotel London West. www.psa.org.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 The on-site, on-the-night teeth are important. A cut-power sound sensor could lead to an un-happy crowd leading to trouble. A flashing light is so easily ignored. But the band dont care if you lose your license as they are off to the next gig by then. Only a clear contractual agreement with noise level logging and prices for infringements even starts to address the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Terralec do a "Noise Pollution Control System"Code: SL2000Price: £542Theres a main unit with a keyswitch for programming, a remote Mic and a box with 3 LEDs. They also do a large remote indicator, it looks like a 4 light chaser but with green, 2 orange and a red lamps. It can also automatically limit the sound output. Page 67 in the Teralec catalogue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Our band played at a party in a village hall recently and fell victim to a sound limiter that de-powered the mains, and as all sockets had RCDs, required a reset to continue. Couldn't work out what was going on for a while. This thing was even wired up to trip if you opened the emergency exits (presumably because that would increase the external volume) The idea's great in theory, but this was set ridiculously low, just piano & vocals would set it off at the soundcheck - and we're by no means a loud band at all. Heard later that even the (unamplified) Brownies have had trouble with it. Quite simply we wouldn't even have been able to do an unplugged session! Toyed with removing the mic (just an XLR plug-in jobbie, but realised that there was one socket not wired up through the thing so we simply cascaded all our power from there. What was annoying was that the bookers for the hall had said that they'd have a band, and no prospective problems were raised. Moreover, the place had a decent stage with a fairly well specced stage lighting setup - but sound totally crippled. Got away with it, but that's another question to ask before agreeing to any gigs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.