Behind The Mixer

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How Loud is Too Loud?

Find the Best Volume for Congregational Worship! Photo provided by sraburton

The answer to this question is easy.  The problem is you might not like my answer.  How loud is too loud?  What a great topic for a Monday morning…

The problem in giving the correct answer to this question is that, first, it depends on who is asking the question.  Typically, a congregation member will want an answer of “you’re right, the sound tech is wrong” whereas a sound tech will want the answer, “you’re right, the congregation member is wrong.”  Honestly, it depends.

I recall getting this question from a congregation member and based on their scenario, the volume level really was too loud.  I’ve also had the question from church sound techs and I agreed their volume level was good and it was just a matter of a particular congregation member.   But in some cases, I’ve told them just the opposite.

You are dealing with a very subjective question.  How do you define “too loud?”  Who defines “too loud?”  What if your definition of “not loud enough” clashes with another person’s “too loud?”  Therein lays the answer.

How loud IS too loud?

It’s too loud if;

  • The pastor says it’s too loud
  • Multiple people complain week after week
  • The louder you make the volume, the less people sing along
  • You are mixing for yourself and not the demographic of the congregation.  You’ll likely see this in less people singing along…or people glare at you after the service.
  • Parents take their kids out of the service (yep, I’ve heard about someone in that scenario).

Enough with the bullet points!

The answer to “how loud is too loud?” comes down to this;

If it’s not conducive to worship for the majority of the congregation or you are told by the pastor to turn it down, then it’s too loud.

THE WRONG QUESTION IS BEING ASKED!

The more and more I hear from people with this question…well, I think the wrong question is being asked.  Ask yourself the question “what’s the best volume level for worship?”

  • The best volume level for worship depends on the demographic of the congregation.
  • The best volume level for worship depends on the song the band is playing.
  • The best volume level for worship depends on the mood the worship team wants to project (exalting, introspective, somber, etc.)

The “best volume” might have an average for YOUR PARTICULAR worship service, such as 96 dBA.  But it’s just an average.  It’s nothing more than that.

Desire to reach the best volume for worship by the church body and that’s however loud it happens to be.

One simple method to volume control and testing

Volume control for a full band can be simple.  Start by placing all the instruments into a subgroup.  Then place all the vocals into a subgroup.  You might call them VCA’s instead of subgroups. You now have complete control with two faders.  Want the vocals to be prominent in the mix?  Bring down the instrument fader.  Want to push the instrumental energy?  Bring up the instrument faders.  Bring both up / down and watch the congregation.  If you’re not comfortable with subgroups, use the master volume fader.

Using just the master fader, or the subgroup faders, actively adjust the volume from one song to the next.  You might even do it during a song if you feel it calls for it.

Active volume mixing gets you focusing on getting the best volume for worship.

Question: Which question is more helpful for you…how loud is too loud…or what’s the best volume for worship?

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  1. We have been attending the same church for 25 years and have raised all 3 of our children in this church as well. We love our congregation and staff and desire to continue to worship here. About 10 years ago our church moved to a more contemporary style of service that includes a worship band. At first, this was an exciting way to worship and incorporate the newer worship songs into our corporate praise and worship experience. It was a great way to find a meaningful experience for all of our generations. Over the past 2 years the volume has been turned up increasingly so that fewer people are attending the contemporary service. It has been expressed that the loudness of the sound could damage the hearing of some members and there are some that are using an app to actively monitor these levels so that the technicians are aware of the times that the volume is specifically too loud. When some people have asked if the volume could be turned down, they have been told no. I have a son with a disability who has grown up in the church and has always enjoyed the worship experience, until now. For the past 2 years we have had to leave the service during the praise and worship because it is not only too loud audibly, but physiologically as well. He feels the vibrations in his chest and just cannot continue to be in the sanctuary. This breaks our hearts. I am a musician. A vocalist with a music degree and 35 years of music teaching experience that includes 48 years of church music worship leadership vocally, instrumentally, and through teaching and direction. Praise and Worship is sometimes the most meaningful part of my Sunday morning experience. Many members have expressed this problem with the loudness of the sound inhibiting their worship experience to those in charge, but to no avail. It seems that the unbearable volume of the sound system is more important to the church leaders than the worship experience of the congregation. We recently made the decision to move to a satellite campus and for some reason, the worship team here has adopted the same volume levels in a smaller building. Last Sunday, I noticed many people covering their ears and this Sunday, once again, I sat out in the foyer with my son until the praise and worship time was over. Some of my most meaningful moments with God have come from Corporate praise and worship in our church. It is heart breaking that, due to volume levels, this should become a thing of the past. As a musician, I have been taught and believe that it is the quality and the musicianship of the musician that helps to create a beautiful experience. The volume of the sound system is there to enhance the music, not to cover up poor quality or mistakes by the musicians. I have been to my share of concerts of many different genres. When I attend a rock or country concert, I expect a certain level of loudness. I do not expect this at my church. People cannot sing the songs when they cannot hear themselves or the others around them. I am in no way against those who run the sound board. My oldest son helps run the sound system at a satellite campus of a very large well known progressive church. As a musician, teacher, and director, I know that a great deal of thought and energy goes into getting the right sound for the song or event. I just wonder if there is a time that the technicians should try taking off the headphones to see what the sound actually sounds like to those in the congregation. Please correct me here. Wasn’t one of the many reasons that bands began using sound systems to combat the differential of the speed of sound delay in large arenas … over 1,000 feet in distance? There is not that much space in the new satellite campus location. So, I ask you, as a person who runs the sound board, Why does it need to be so loud? Is there no potential to find meaningful praise and worship experience in the acoustic “coffee shop” sound level? Please help me to communicate with my church. I love them. I know that God made us all in His image and we are all so very different, so I am not looking to drown out those who really find meaningful worship in the rock concert volume levels, but does that mean that the rest of us will no longer have a place in the sanctuary? Will we forever be relegated to the foyers and halls until the preacher takes his time in the service? Please help me to express myself intelligently. I do care about the hearts of those who run the sound board and I do not believe that my education and experience as a musician makes my feelings and opinions more valid in God’s eyes. I just would like to be able to attend church without having to leave the sanctuary due to the loud volume and unbearable vibration of the bass.

    Reply

    • It’s hard to take sides on this issue not being there to judge for myself. However, if it truly is too loud – and I’ve visited such churches, then the people will stop going and that will speak volumes. It could be someone in charge is trying to apply principles of concerts or “loves loud music” and therefore don’t have someone to correct them. IN this order; go to the audio lead tech or technical director and voice your concerns. If that hasn’t worked, go to the worship leader. Again, if that hasn’t worked, go to the pastor. I’d also take a group of people with you to talk with the pastor. In the end, if you and your son can’t worship there, you need to look for a new church. I have seen churches that “mix too loud” and it’s sad.

      Reply

  2. Hi, just like to say you write some very helpful blogs which I’m learning a lot from! I see a lot of people here have written that DB level doesn’t help – but recently we’ve had some complaints (including a letter) saying that it’s too loud. We’ve explained that it’s not necessarily volume but mix.

    To help monitor this we need a DB meter – I’ve looked around but was wondering if you could recommend anything? Ideally I’d like something that could be linked to a computer so that I can monitor max/average/current db level. and mayber even showing the frequency split as well?

    Any links would be appreciated!

    Thanks, Sam

    Reply

    • Hi Sam,
      Every church will probably be a little different in terms of comfortable sound pressure levels but you can set standards to protect your sound tech and musicians ears and fine tune them over time. We wrestled with this a few years ago and there was considerable wrangling in the beginning as we searched for a workable solution. We chose to follow OSHA standards and not reinvent the wheel. “A” weighted and “slow” settings were used for OSHA hearing protection standards and a simple Radio Shack meter will provide accurate readings for this. Using other weightings or fast response times moves away from OSHA hearing protection standards and into the realm of system tuning. There are hundreds of different meters available for system tuning but the simplest meter is often the best for hearing protection. These guys have several that allow data logging:
      http://www.dasdistribution.com/products/sound_level_meters/

      In addition to regular SPL monitoring during service we have a small FAQ handout card at the mixing desk that says “We take hearing protection seriously” and simply explains that we monitor every service and follow OSHA standards for your protection. “Like it louder? Move towards the front or try The Edge venue for guitar driven rock worship. Like is softer? Move towards the back or try our Acoustic Cafe venue for a more intimate acoustic worship experience.”

      In the end there is no perfect solution that will satisfy everyone but we give our congregation choices to allow them to pick the best worship situation for them. I hope you find this useful.

      Reply

  3. [MARKED AS SPAM BY ANTISPAM BEE | Empty Data]
    Hi Chris, I’ve been that parent taking their child out the service when it’s too loud :-) I can tell my 3 year old means it when he covers his ears and says repeatedly “Its too loud!”

    Reply

  5. This is an important topic that every church wrestles with over time. I think it is useful for the head pastor, worship leader, and sound/audio leader to get together and agree on objective standards in advance and then measure the sound with a meter to remove subjectivity from the equation. Modern church sound systems are often capable of producing sustained SPL of 110db or more. It is generally accepted that sustained music above 100 db can and will cause hearing loss and our first job behind the mixer is to do no harm.

    Our church has several venues with different worship music styles and volume levels to suit the congregation there.

    One is a general audience with contemporary christian music and maximum sustained levels of 93db.
    One is a youthful audience with guitar driven rock and max sustained levels of 98db
    One is an Acoustic music venue with max sustained levels that vary from 85-90db depending on the team.

    These may or may not work for your particular church but having a plan… an objective guide that leadership can agree on clarifies the need to protect the hearing of church membership while creating a moving and engaging worship service, and dissolves conflicts between the audio team leader, the worship leader, the pastor, and the grumpy old guy who is uncomfortable with the volume levels during service.

    Reply

    • Cajondaddy, great to see you! Your comment on “sustained” should note that 2 hours or under, at 100dbA, is acceptable by OSHA reg’s. That’s NOT to say you need to run it at 100 dbA. Like you show with your different groups – different levels for different folks. I’ll also assume your other readings are in A-weighting.

      Use your “objective” levels as max-levels. Then you can sculpt the volume as needed and keep it below the max. You can also use it as a guideline for general levels for that group of people.

      Reply

      • Yes, yes, our standards are A weighted for maximum sustained levels at the mixing desk in the back of the room. A $30 Radio Shack SPL meter is plenty good enough for this task. We know that as you move 1/2 the distance towards the speakers, levels will increase by 3db. Occasional transients like a cymbal crash or timpani are not considered and quiet balads can certainly be much lower. Of course music is still subjective and a lovely tenor voice at 100db is a lot more pleasant to my ears than a searing, atonal lead guitar at 90db. Instruments or voices that clash with the rest of the team sound bad at every audible level. That is why we have faders:)

        Yes 2hrs/day at 100dbA is our limitation because our most valuable ears (musicians and sound team) are often putting in that much time between morning rehearsal, 3 services, and an afternoon youth group or Baptism.
        Here is a link to a study that may help you develop standards for your own church. By bringing this to the attention of your head pastor and worship leader you will likely gain credibility and build trust with them that you are putting the needs of the membership first:

        The idea is to find common ground among church leadership regarding worship sound levels and empower the audio techs to uphold those standards. This has resolved 90% of the grumbling over “It’s too loud/No it’s not/Yes it is.” Always understand that a plan or standard is simply a starting point subject to review and is not written in stone tablets.

        Reply

    • I agree with the “do no harm” policy. I really like your breakdown of the different styles of music at different levels. An acoustic guitar at 110 dB in most venues wouldn’t be appropriate, and trying to keep a student band under 85 dB would be nearly impossible, let alone impractical, and wouldn’t sound right to most of us.

      I’ve found that pointing a sound meter at the stage doesn’t solve much. There is a lot of education that goes along with understanding the number you get. Should we use A weighted or C weighted? Fast response or slow? How sensitive/accurate is the meter. Add to that the fact that bass frequencies push a lot more air, resulting in higher SPLs than higher frequencies. A bass guitar can be over 100 dB and not be unpleasant, where a grindy, screeching electric can be at 88 dB and send people running for the doors.

      Some pastors want to set a ceiling we are not to exceed, but don’t understand the science behind what the number represents, and don’t care to learn, which makes our job more difficult. I want to make it sound the best that it can, appropriate for the music and the congregation, so I tend to disregard the numbers. When he looks at the meter, sometimes it doesn’t read as high as he thinks it should, and tells me to turn it down anyway.

      Reply

      • Yes, we use “A” weighted and slow response at the mixing desk because that is how OSHA standards were developed. Sustained volume is more likely to be damaging to ears than transients. If a Pastor is looking over your shoulder it is an indication that it is time for a meeting (on Tuesday) so you can find some agreement and build trust with this issue.

        Reply

  6. How about a simple rule of thumb like “If you can’t hear the congregation singing, it’s too loud”? That, after all, is the fundamental difference between mixing for church and a concert–the congregation is the main voice in the “mix” and the reason the band is there is to support their singing. Taking this approach would encourage the sound tech to listen to more than what’s happening up front. They might keep the overall volume down, or find creative ways to leave space in the mix for the congregation’s singing.

    Reply

  7. “You might call them VCA’s instead of subgroups.” Yes, but only if thats what they are. Be careful about causing confusion on that one.

    I’d agree with the comment that volume perception is often more about frequency balance than overall SPL, try muting everything but the HF drivers and see if you don’t immediately want to turn it down :)

    Reply

  8. I think loudness also depends on how things are eq’d. People at my dad’s church always complained when his friend ran FOH because he ran the higher frequencies too hot, whereas when my dad runs FOH, at a higher decibel than his friend, he doesn’t get any complaints.

    I’ve also personally dealt with the frustration of not having sufficient enough speaker coverage so that it is too loud in the front of the room, but nobody in the back can hear anything.

    Reply

    • Tiffany, those are terrific examples of how volume issues aren’t always about the volume of the overall sound. Excessive low and high frequencies will do it! Oh, and speaker coverage…that’s a tough one. And if the person at FOH pushes a vocal or an instrument so that it sits on the other instruments, some might call it “too loud” when really it’s a problem with the mix.

      Reply

  9. How about: •The best volume level for worship depends on the target audience.

    Our church has identified our target audience, yet a significant portion of the congregation (I wouldn’t say majority) is 10 – 20 years older than our target. Those are also the most vocal when it comes to almost everything, but sound in particular.

    Interestingly, I just turned 50, and fall in the latter catagory, but also tend to like it loud. I tell my contemporaries that we are the first generation in history that our children have said, “Dad, turn it down! It’s too loud!”

    Reply

    • Ken, “Dad, turn it down!” That’s great.
      As for target audience volume differences, that’s a tough one. How does one do it without alienating the existing core audience? Imagine you are a pastor preaching a sermon on corporate worship. What topics would you address? Something to think about…something for me to think about.

      Reply