Quote:
Originally Posted by Smalley
People are using ear plugs or just staying away because of the overly loud music at the squares. What can we do to lower the volume before lots of folks lose some more of their hearing? Who is in charge of this?
Thanks for opinions and information.
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I avoid going to hear music on the squares partly because I’m a musician who suffers from Temporary Threshold Shift. That means that my hearing is normally excellent for my age, but loud noise (especially from electric bass, drums, amplifiers with the gain turned up too much, loud restaurant) paralyzes the cilia in my inner ear, so then it’s as if I’m hearing things from underwater. It’s very unpleasant, and it can lead to permanent damage. For me, a band much louder than 90 decibels will soon cause problems.
A lot of us who like the music on the squares go to sit and chat with people. Plenty also go to dance. Loud, throbbing music is more likely to get people up and dancing. It’s too loud for chatting.
If you have an iPhone, go to the App Store on your phone and download the free app called SPLnFFT Noise Meter. This is accurate and will tell you how loud the sound is where you are. Decibels are on a scale like earthquakes. A three decibel increase in sound is a 100% increase in the sound pressure, even though 3 dB is about the smallest change most people can notice. If you can do to the sound people and say “During the first set the volume was never above 92 dB and averaged 89 dB, but during this set it is averaging 100 dB, which can cause hearing loss,” then you are more likely to convince them. But probably not.
I’ve tried several types of earplugs supposedly for musicians, but they cut the volume too much, and if I talk, I sound way too loud in my head. I’ve recently found a product on Amazon that I like a lot, called “ Flare Calmer Nude – Ear Plugs Alternative – Reduce Annoying Noises Without Blocking Sound – Soft Reusable Silicone”. Only $25. These cut the volume by only 3-6 dB. That isn’t much, but it’s often enough to bring the volume down to what I can bear. It doesn’t interfere much with the sound quality, and when I talk while wearing them, I don’t sound to myself like I’m shouting.