Are gigs quieter today than they used to be?

Posted by yesterdaysomelette22@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 32 comments

Are gigs quieter than they used to be? I mean the music PA system rather than the crowd.

I remember seeing LCD Soundsystem (early 2000s) and it was ear-splitting.

Gigs I’ve seen recently seem to be much quieter. Am I imagining it?

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Traditional-Leg-1122@reddit

Also bear in mind that sound systems have improved greatly.

Systems like Funktion 1 can go loud and punchy without making your ears ring at the end of the night.

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jake_burger@reddit

Funktion 1 is from the 90s / 00s era (I know they have current stuff as well).

When I think of cutting edge I would look to the big 3 - L-Acosutics, D&B and Meyersound, honourable mention to Martin audio, CODA, Danley

They do almost all of the big stadium, arena and festival sound systems in the world. Funktion 1 is way way down the list.

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muaythaiguy155@reddit

Yeah I’m a sound engineer and function 1 being spoken about like that is fucking wild. Martin should be higher up than HM though

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i think it depends on which band is playing. they have concerts about a mile from my house every summer. Most of the acts you go only just about hear - not enough to be able to work out which song they are doing. But certain acts are much louder and you hear the songs clearly.

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jake_burger@reddit

Some gigs are quieter yes, some are still very loud.

It depends on two things - on the venue as some places have strict noise limitations which weren’t as common 25 years ago, and some bands just prefer their shows to be a specific volume.

I try and mix 90dB at front of house (sound desk) with a few peaks into 100 for the band I work for, it just doesn’t need to be super loud for their music, I used to mix to 100dB but I think that was OTT in retrospect. Smaller venues it tends to be harder as the drums can be that all on their own before you turn the vocals up over the top of them.

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jdsuperman@reddit

Went to a small indoor gig a few months ago which left my ears ringing in a way they hadn't for a couple of decades (eg going to see Slipknot and not being able to hear the teacher calling my name for the register in school the next morning).

But I've had bad experiences too - Springsteen at Hyde Park in 2012 was a complete disaster as local residents were powerful enough to force a ridiculously low decibel limit on the gig (outdoors, on a Saturday, in a huge open space). You could barely hear it.

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bukkakekeke@reddit

No, you probably just have hearing damage

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BarryTownCouncil@reddit

Needs most context..I've not experienced it personally but I've rarely been to explicitly loud gigs, Mogwai etc... all good I think.

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filbert94@reddit

Mogwai are hilariously loud

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BarryTownCouncil@reddit

And now I think Stuart Braithwite has hearing problems... who'd have thought it?

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kristmace@reddit

The tech behind PA systems have greatly improved meaning gigs are much better EQd these days. This means that volumes can be lower and you can still hear all the instruments.

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

Depends on the gig really, I find the sound has got better overall as in the clarity in small shows. It was common to basically barely hear the vocalist. There is still a lot of heft to it, but without those ear splitting distorted tones that ring for days and make you feel like it is louder than it necessarily was. More midsized concerts seem pretty much the same, I went to see Mogwai recently and they have definitely not got quieter.

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levezvosskinnyfists7@reddit

I’m not sure Mogwai are the best yardstick to judge whether gigs are getting quieter!

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WrongExplanation1065@reddit

The p.a systems are now just better quality

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Constant-Tax-8240@reddit

I've noticed the opposite, last gig I went to in Bush Hall, London was absolutely deafening, you couldn't hear the singers or individual instruments. Was just an absolute wall of indistinguishable noise, ruined it for me really.

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SignalTransition5@reddit

Pardon?.

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AskUK-ModTeam@reddit

A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question.

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Desperate_Land_8975@reddit

I SAID “ARE GIGS QUIETER TODAY THAN THEY USED TO BE????????”

*ffs I wish you would wear your bloody hearing aids!!!

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