Unfathomable Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Hi, I am starting out hiring a PA to small halls, schools etc. and several people have said I should carry a decibel metre. Firstly, is this entirly nessessary? and secondly, what range should it measure? All the ones I can find online (with a budget) are measuring to around 130db. is this enough? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 It shouild be fine. http://condor.admin.ccny.cuny.edu/~ms6785/page4.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfathomable Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 It shouild be fine. http://condor.admin.ccny.cuny.edu/~ms6785/page4.html Thanks, thats great. Is it nessesary for working with PA in halls etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 To be honest, most people still simply use their ears, however - the recent(ish) legislation can be a problem in a sensitive venue, and carrying a meter to show them, if asked, what the level really is can be useful. That said, I don't have one, and in the venues I work at, nobody has paid any attention whatsoever to volume levels for staff - which they of course are required to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Is it nessesary for working with PA in halls etc.? Not really... If there is any kind of legal limit affecting the sound pressure level that the event can generate (e.g. environmental noise limits) you should really use a more professional device and know how to take measurements properly. It is likely that those who enforce such limits will tell you when it is too loud! If you are concerned about noise at work exposure, then having a simple SLM to take readings can be useful, but again a better meter is often helpful (e.g. one that measures A weighted LEq and C weighted peak sound pressure). However, the venue should have already addressed the issue of staff exposure to noise. (yeah, right!). Where the simple SLM really comes into its own is as an objective guide to how loud the sound system is. Our ears tire and become less sensitive as they are exposed to loud sounds. Over an evening, what initially sounded loud and dynamic appears quieter and compressed. Our natural response is to push the sound system harder. Combine this with the related response of making it louder over the course of the evening to "get the crowd going" we can end up with systems much louder than needed without the operator being aware of it. The ability to check a SLM and keep to a sensible maximum is good training and makes a low cost purchase worthwhile. Oh, 130dB is just fine as a maximum scale if you are measuring noise at your mix position.... In fact, I'd be leaving the venue long before you reached that level ;-) Incidently - although not set in stone, it is customary to use 'meter' for measuring device and 'metre' for the SI unit of length... Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfathomable Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 The ability to check a SLM and keep to a sensible maximum is good training and makes a low cost purchase worthwhile. Oh, 130dB is just fine as a maximum scale if you are measuring noise at your mix position.... In fact, I'd be leaving the venue long before you reached that level ;-) Would something like this do for this use? it is only cheep but would give enough of an idea for monitoring levels.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mini-Sound-Level-Met...em#ht_771wt_889 Incidently - although not set in stone, it is customary to use 'meter' for measuring device and 'metre' for the SI unit of length... thanks, I didn't know that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Would something like this do for this use? That's fine for non critical use. It says it's class two, but then quotes the old standard, so chances are it's not up to present class 2 standards. For that money, you can' really go wrong! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timtheenchanteruk Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I use a cheepie, just to keep me in check after a long days noise. the one linked to on e-bay is 14.99 in maplin at the moment, even better!!!! here you go... I have also used it as a ready reconer, then hired in more expensive kit as required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfathomable Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 I use a cheepie, just to keep me in check after a long days noise. the one linked to on e-bay is 14.99 in maplin at the moment, even better!!!! here you go... I have also used it as a ready reconer, then hired in more expensive kit as required. Thanks, I had seen that but it is type C (work space etc) weighted and I need type A (music etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Looks a good meter in the economy range. It will suit your purposes BUT I wouldn't want to contest environmental issues with it. A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on. Pop into a maplin and see if their model does A weighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfathomable Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 Looks a good meter in the economy range. It will suit your purposes BUT I wouldn't want to contest environmental issues with it.Pop into a maplin and see if their model does A weighting. I will do tomorrow. Got to drive to Doncaster to return a speaker anyway. (maplins is nearby in Lincoln, but speaker needs to go far. dam.) Won't bother with environmental issues, but if an angry resident storms in (only doing jazz or speech so no late nights) then I can always show them the reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Thanks, I had seen that but it is type C (work space etc) weighted and I need type A (music etc) Don't be misled by those terms... It is useful to have a meter that can display A and C weighting, but it is even more helpful to understand what the weightings represent, and the explanations given in the advert you've quoted are wrong. C weighting is close to (but not the same as) no weighting at all - in other words it will show all noise within its frequency range on the display. A weighting doesn't display the lowest frequencies and some of the highest frequencies. It is supposed to represent the way humans hear quiet sounds, but is widely used for environmental noise measurements (i.e. work spaces!). C weighting is used when we have to take account of the low frequencies, which might include music - but the local EHO might well measure your band with an A weighted meter.... If you just need to check the level you are playing at, a C weighting would be OK - any low frequency content will make the reading higher than if it was set to A weighting, but a mid range tone (1kHz) would read exactly the same. Having said all that, the more expensive Maplin meter does both A and C weighting, fast and slow response and is probably more accurate, but I'd forget the digital readout if you want value for money, and get one of these from CPC... It's the spiritual successor to the Tandy sound level meter that thousands of live sound engineers still keep in the flightcase of their mixing desk. Only £17.40 and it would probably survive a nuclear winter... http://cpc.farnell.com/productimages/farnell/standard/IN0497806-40.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I often find them too long to put in the tool case, something less than 20cm is ideal, a metre is just far too big. </sarcasm> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfathomable Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 I often find them too long to put in the tool case, something less than 20cm is ideal, a metre is just far too big. </sarcasm> yes... I got it... forgive me the small mistake, I didn't know. :) And thanks to the previous post, enormously helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljoshua Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I have one of those more expensive meters from Maplins, however I paid £9.99 on special offer. It works just fine and the back light comes in handy at times. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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