It was teen conference in a room I had never mixed in before. The church brought in extra subs for the floor, and they wanted this event to rock.
During a quick sound check I struggled with getting the tight low end I was after. It felt good initially, but once I started walking the room there was a lot missing in the low end and things just seemed unfocused. After sound check I tried doing a quick retune of the system, but the start of the service was quickly coming.
As the countdown began, I knew the room was going to change with all these bodies in the room. I was just hoping that the change would be in my favor.
First song in and I'm changing things on the fly. Initially it feels a bit too quiet for a rocking youth event. I adjust a few things, bump the overall band mix up and then decide to get off this bass trap of a mix position to get a real idea of what's going on. The first thing I notice is that the bottom has tightened quite a bit, but there's still a lot missing.
Back at the console I push the subs a bit more and back off the guitars and vocals to get the sense of a more even, full mix. Seems better now, although I'm getting some comments from some of the event producers. They want more. I hesitate, but then I reach for my master bus and give a healthy push. Teens are moving, hands are raised, some are jumping. All seems to be fine. I take a quick glance at my dB meter. Wow. I know it was loud—I just didn't realize I was there already.
That's a problem because I know that this set is going to end “up.” The last song has to be bigger. I try to back off things for a bit before we get to the last song. It gives me somewhere to go for the last song. It comes and I give it another healthy push at the appropriate time. Set ends. All in the room are happy, clapping, and have enjoyed the music.
Later that night after dinner I'm reflecting on the service. My ears still feel a bit fatigued. I know that it was too loud. I feel bad for the young ears that were subjected to that.
When things aren't sounding “right,” the go-to solution is often more volume. Volume can overwhelm poor acoustics and volume can push through dense rooms. But at the end of the day volume is not fixing the problems.
I'm not sure most people understand this. Service producers and event organizers are used to things feeling a certain way. If they are not hearing what they want, the first instinct is to push the volume.
But every room cannot sound the same, and an underpowered or inappropriate system is not going to work better louder. Laws of physics cannot be changed. Hearing loss is the cost of ignorant decision-making when it comes to volume. And then it becomes an ethical matter.
I have to confess, I let volume be the solution in this case. So I humbly ask the forgiveness of my ears and those subjected to the worship at that event. It'll be better next time....
