TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Music Discussion
-- Speakers/SoundSystem US vs. Europe

Hi guys,

Just curious.. after watching the footages of parties in Europe, I noticed that the sound reinforcement setup is quite different from ours(here in LA anyway) than yours.. (?)

You guys like to have it loud (decibel level), clear, and crips sound whilst we much prefer high SPL (sound pressure level).
Don't know if this is the case, hence I am asking :P

The setup here is usually composed of walls of big woofer boxes with several horns placed in front and between the dj booth. The bass doesn't go boom boom and rumble the floor but you actually creates hurricane like wind blowing through your body.. I swear, you can feel the air rushing all over you and your internal organs vibrating every time it goes boom! It's certainly not clear and crisp and the high (treble) is usually attenuated as it gets deafening, since we actually dance right next to the speakers..hell we even pound it.. and this is for trance, even worst for hardcore/jungle. For example, at How Sweet It Is, there were about 4000 people in each warehouse and there were 4 of them.. I counted all the speakers, each of them had between 370 to 460 boxes EACH... mostly 2 x 15inch woofers each....some had 18 and 24 inch sub-boxes (jungle room)...I asked the engineer guy and he said each room was sucking down approx. 117,000 watt..and damn that shit was painful to get close to! not on the ears but on the body.. hard to even breathe! but it's all good cos it makes you burp alot hehe.. well anyway, this post is long but I am interested in this stuff as i am a sound engineering student.. correct me if I am wrong or share your opinions .. thanks.

I haven't partied in europe ever so I wouldn't know the dif but all I want to say is I have lost some hearing standing next to big ass speakers especially at an Oakey set ( I dunno I think they put it really loud just for him or something ) this was last year and I've learnt from it but I'm serious I lost some hearing, I also listened to music loud at home and walkman too, apart from clubs and stuff!!! I feel like an idiot when sometimes I don't hear what my friends say when they talk....

So wherever you are, watch out for your ears... I even have to sit in the front rows in class cuz I can't hear the profs at the back...

latez...

Personally, I'd rather listen to something at a reasonably loud level with a flat frequency response rather than soak everything in Bass. This seems to be a trend over here and for the Tech Reason below, it results in lower level sound.

Tech Alert: Treble is more harmful to your ears than bass. This is because of the stapes reflex in the ear. This muscle reacts to bass and stiffens thus attenuating sound level by approximately 10dB.

I hope for the sake of people in Europe that the clubs there have less bass than the ones here. I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile, and when I'm at a club around here, I think the bass is turned up way to high. Most of the time, it's so loud that the amplifiers are acually starting to clip giving the beat a fuzzy distorted sound. I wish they'd turn it down.

That kind of thing is a sign of cheap speakers. It's easier to get a loud bass than a decent frequency response due to inherent problems in the actual physics of the things.

It is a problem over here but not as bad as it sounds like (no pun intended) over there.

You're probably right, but I think it has to do with cheap amplifiers as much as the speakers. Either way it doesn't sound good. I'm amazed more people don't complain.

Last party I went to the bass was amazing. It wasn't fuzzy or clipped or anything, but it was really pumped and sounded great for drum n bass, trance, house, whatever... we had a 40,000 watt sound system going in a 500 person venue, it wasn't bad

I can't stand it when the system is set up so you get that higher end buzzing/static noise in your ears, but I love phat bass.... hell, I used to have 2 15" subs in my room till my parents made me get rid of them

hmm.. hehe, one thing is for sure, with alot of bass and everything else compressed and distorted, it's alot easier for the dj's to mix and not sound fucked up... especially with trance with its intricate melody and synth lines... but I guess the people here prefer the mid bass region pounding more than the sub bass or something... it does create a more underground/party like atmosphere though.

Looks like different people prefer different things!!!!! I agree the really low bass end does create a better atmosphere - what the clubs should do is have sub-woofers and main speakers so you still get the sub bass ie < 70 Hz but keep the punchiness of the 70 - 200 Hz region.

Joel Fielder is absolutely correct. Pretty smart for someone without a name

All I know is you sholdn't mess up your ears...
High bass can kill your ears up and you'll probably be pissed when you get older. =P
So.... Do yourself a favour and don't stand next to 3meter high speakers when your at a rave. lol
: )


[This message has been edited by sKyBreAK (edited 11-14-2000).]

The real problem is that if you want to have a clear and loud system it is extremely expensive, its much easier (and cheaper) to flood the floor with distorted(clipping) bass and treble, good sound engineers are few and far between. To get the "floor" shaking bass that some people here love its probably more efficient to use tranducers, and use speakers for bass above 40 HZ. Great clubs get engineers to design their audio systems and are willing to spend good $$ thats why it sounds so good, lesser clubs just pump distortion because its just too expensive to do it right.

Mike

Most clubs have alot of mid-bass region not just for its punchiness but because our body cavities resonate best at that area (150-180hz) ..so it says in my text book. But sub-bass creates more of a wave, especially during our beloved frequency sweeps, i.e. makes you feel all floaty and weak-knee when you're all sauced up :P

Did you know it's illegal in the UK to be exposed to above 95 dBA at work without ear protection, you know the kind of thing you see on people with those pneumatic drills - so over here clubs that don't enforce this on their DJs and bar staff (and who does? no-one!) are actually in breach of their license!!!

Every club should have Genelec 1033As with subwoofer.

Hey Joel, we do have similar laws.. but yup, no one enforce it at parties. I brought a decibel meter to some parties before, highest level recorded was at 128.4 dB (in a happy hardcore room, next to the speakers)

It's always good practice to bring a set of ear plugs since they cut out the piercing treble (most damaging obviously).

I doubt OSHA does a lot of check ups on clubs while they are open. Maybe they should. I know if we had that kind of sound level at the plant I work at, there would be some major fines.

DJ's don't have to worry as much as the rest of us because they are usually behind the speakers and often have headphones on queing up the next song.

ummm... you think the DJs don't have to put the headphones pretty damn loud to hear above the speakers AND the monitors they have pointed at them?
One of my DJing friends (not even really professional, yet) says he already is down to 20% hearing in the ear he puts his headphones on.... one of the pitfalls of the hobby/occupation I suppose.

That's bad. How old is he/she? Human hearing is at it's best at 18 years old and then steadily gets worse. If he's lost that much hearing, he really should do something about it soon or he'll be buggered.

I always mix records with both headphones on. This means I attenuate the loudness and can have the headphones at a reasonable level. If you buy a really good pair of closeback headphones you can get loads of attenuation ie protect your ears.

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.