When FOH called around to find out how they were approaching the issue of sound volume, the silence was practically deafening. There were some who wouldn’t talk on record, others who pushed off the request for months on end and still others who just plain avoided the topic. However, there were a few that were willing to tackle this issue and talk about what systems they’ve put in place.

Mike Garcia, general manager at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, doesn’t doubt his peers’ reticence to talk about this subject. “I’ve just put our policy in public record,” he says. “Somebody can come after me and say it’s too loud, but it’s in black and white. We just do the best we can and we know that 98 is the right decibel limit for us.”

One person contacted by FOH responded via e-mail by saying, “Opening the book on decibel levels at venues, to me, does nothing to increase the chance of a trouble-free show for all involved... I sincerely believe that you will not find anyone in our business who really wanted to be in law enforcement, but instead chose professional sound reinforcement.”

No doubt, yet at venues such as the Greek Theater, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Va. and others, sound policies have been in place for roughly 10 to 20 years. Rather than placing those venues in the position of enforcement, it has given FOH mixers, bands and tour managers a solid guideline provided for the enjoyment of all.

“We’re all in the business, both the performers and the venues, of building audiences,” reports John Gray, chief of the Division of the Performing Arts at Wolf Trap. “If we entice some folks to come out to see a show here and it’s the first time they’ve ever been here and they have a bad experience, there’s no way we’re going to get them to come back to see an attraction that might not be as popular or as well known as a pop act. So, when mixers say ‘We know our audience and we know what they want,’ we understand that, and yes, BB King is not the same as a National Symphony Orchestra concert, but there are some lines that can be drawn, no matter how wide the line is, between what’s a good experience or a bad one for a patron, and what we’re trying to produce is a good experience.”

Wolf Trap’s sound policy, which was developed in the late ‘80s, was fueled by the nature of their room—reverberant and shaped like a reverse megaphone—and a specific dB number. One of the easiest solutions the team found early on was telling incoming acts, from pop and country artists to Broadway musicals to dance companies, that they had to use the house P.A. “We learned that the hard way,” he admits. “If you’re touring and you’re playing all these different venues, your P.A. can’t possibly be flexible enough to deal with all of the various acoustical changes you might find day to day. We learned that the best way to give the best show to our audience is to not take the risk that any given act will be competent in overcoming some of these challenges.”

Finding a number was a bit of a challenge because they needed to factor in the room dynamics, employee and patron ear safety and, to a lesser extent, the surrounding neighborhood. “Then we selected a number, I guess you have to count beans somehow, of 95 dBA,” he explains. Levels are measured with an ANSI Type One sound level meter set on a slow scale with a microphone at FOH and at the stage manager’s console. By using homemade software, Wolf Trap’s policy is that if an FOH mixer exceeds the 95dB limit for 30 seconds, a warning is issued. “It’s an integrated 30-second reading,” Gray explains. “The software measures the input from that microphone for 30 seconds and then it records that reading, then it starts a new 30-second interval. So one 30 second interval above 95 is a warning and three of them in a row is a violation.” A video monitor placed at the FOH position provides real time readings, warning and violations. Knowing that crowd reaction could spike sound levels, the Wolf Trap software takes out any 30-second interval where crowd noise is loudest.

“We feel that we give every advantage,” Grays says. “It’s A-weighted, we tag out the audience and the measurement is taken all the way at the house console, which is a little more than halfway back.” During the policy’s early days, violation meant a cash fine. “But we didn’t think that was very productive and we adopted a kinder, gentler approach. Now if there is a violation of our policy, the artist is going to be held responsible for any refund requests and the artist will release all of us here at the venue from any sound related claims for damages.” There are two additional levels of remedies—the artist will relinquish control of the board with too many violations and the artist will acknowledge that excessive SPL or poor sound quality will be a determining factor in future bookings. “That’s our policy and we incorporate the language in the contracts that we negotiate with the artist,” Gray points out. Since those contracts rarely get in the hands of the production manager, FOH mixer or the artist, the Wolf Trap staff makes sure a one-sheet agreement that spells out the specifics of the policy is signed before the performance.

One venue manager who insisted on anonymity told FOH that the venue’s sound person meets the incoming band’s Front of House engineer on the morning of the performance. “He lets them know what the requirements are,” he reports. “Most of the bands have been through here before or most of the touring people have been through here before, so it’s not surprising to them.”

The limits at this California outdoor venue are 102dB at the FOH position and 98dB at the top of the lawn. Those numbers, he says, were mediated between the venue and several nearby cities about 14 years ago. Sound is monitored during the show via a dB meter that records the levels twice per performance. Those records are then saved and charted for the entire season. “We keep the record just in case we do get any complaints, because we have the mediated agreement to ensure that it is below 102 at the mix and 98 at the top.”

There have been times, he says, when sound is measured more than twice a show. “The standard is two times per performance, but certainly if there are artists that are known to have a louder sound, we will take a few different tests during the show,” he reports. “If it’s going over, then we immediately notify the Front of House engineer that he needs to bring the decibel level down to the agreed level, and if he has any problem with it, we take it directly to the production manager, and the tour manager if need be.”

In the year that this venue manager has been in place there has not been one problem, nor has there been a penalty given. “We haven’t had to institute any penalties because all of the acts have been okay with abiding by the decibel level,” he says. “Sound travels well here and acoustically it is known for having great sound.”

Sound travel is a definite issue at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, Mike Garcia says, because the venue is smack in the middle of a high-priced neighborhood. “The average house here is a million dollars,” he reports. While their shows are audible and Garcia has heard from the neighbors, the Greek has taken some steps to keep things in check. “Our shows start at 7:30 for the most part and are over at 10:30,” he says. “The Greek has been here longer than the neighborhood has, so we do our best to coexist. We did definitely listen to what they had to say and if we have to we’ll make adjustments.”

The limit at the Greek is 98dBA, and it’s monitored at the FOH position, roughly 80 feet away from the stage. What’s unique about the Greek philosophy is that the venue rents its own sound system—usually a Clair S4. “That allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of the sound,” Garcia points out. “It’s such a great system that when it’s driving at 98 it’s pretty loud and bands are pretty happy. We’ve had some of the loudest people play here in the past and have had no problems.” The self-imposed limit has been in place for 10 years.

The key to future success, Garcia says, is continuing to work together. “We all have to understand that at a certain point there’s a bigger picture. Bands will be here tomorrow, but the remaining 364 days of the year I’ll be here and it just helps if we can all work together,” he says. “For the most part, all of the people I’ve dealt with have been very professional and they understand what it’s about. What I’m finding is that most of the house engineers have been around for a long time and they’re maturing with their craft, and for the most part they realize that they can drive it loud here, but take it down here and it will still sound really great and allow the band to feel like they’re playing loudly.”