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Too soft can be just as bad as too loud.

Too soft can be just as bad as too loud.

[Guest Post from Robert Naylor, Jr. with his take on volume levels]
This is a challenge for all church sound people to consider your volume level and how it may be impacting your worship services. This is not a discussion of specific SPL levels, or contemporary versus traditional worship. I want to speak in more general terms and consider some real world examples that show how volume can affect worship.

Too Low

At times I have been in a worship service where the sound person was, shall we say, a bit timid with the levels. Immediately, I lost some of my enthusiasm for the service. Instead of being inspired to participate I felt like being quiet because the volume of the music was so low. Then, I looked around and noticed that others were not participating as enthusiastically as they had at other times when it was louder.

Clearly the lack of sufficient volume was having a negative effect on the worship service. This is not what we want as church sound people. We should be using our equipment to assist the congregation to a have an inspiring, exciting worship experience. When the volume is too low it can stifle their participation.

Too Loud

I have also experienced things on the other end of the volume spectrum. The following example did not happen in a Sunday worship service, but it could have. I once did FOH for a concert at our church for a very powerful gospel group. After a few songs, I saw some people move back a few rows. Then, I noticed a friend’s wife walking out of the sanctuary with her hands over her ears.

After the show he came back and told me the volume had been hurting her ears. He thought the music was great, but really loud, like the time he saw Def Leppard. Those three things plus the ringing in my ears convinced me that I had run the show too loud.

Another friend had a similar experience at his church where he does sound. One Sunday the worship team was in fine form, and when they launched into one of his favorite songs he decided to crank it up a bit more. Just then a new couple came in and sat right in front of his mix position, and it did not take long for these newcomers to feel uncomfortable.

The woman turned around and stared at my friend, shocked.  After a while the man asked if he could turn it down and my friend said, no, he was within the range that he and the worship leader had set. Not surprisingly, my friend has never seen that couple at his church again.

If the volume is too high, it can hurt worship. People will be distracted and instead of focusing on the words and worshipping, they will think about how loud it is and that their ears are hurting, or leave. I know it is impossible to please everyone, but as church sound technicians we do not want to chase people away or cause hearing damage because our services are too loud.

Just Right

We need to guard ourselves against the fantasy that we are mixing big rock bands at Madison Square Garden. What we do is not a rock show, it is a worship service for all – from the very young to the very old. So then what exactly do we want? I think an analogy would be helpful to illustrate what we might strive for.

Have you ever been in a room with music playing softly in the background? People are talking, working, but nobody is really paying attention to it. Then someone turns the music up to a more attention getting – but still comfortable level – and it starts to sound really good. Then what happens? They start snapping their fingers, tapping their toes, bobbing their heads, singing along.

I think this is what our worship services should have: sound that is not so low that we cause others to feel self-conscious and hinder their worship. Still, it should be loud enough that they feel inspired to participate, snap their fingers, tap their toes, bob their heads, sing along, maybe even dance a little. Wouldn’t that be great?

There should not be anyone running for the exits or leaving church with their ears ringing like they have just been to a Def Leppard concert. No offense to Def Leppard of course. I saw them myself back in the day and they were quite good. A bit loud for church though.

It’s a Wrap

So what’s the volume like at your church? Is it low? Is your congregation still and unenthusiastic? You may be hindering their worship. Try turning it up some and watch what happens. You may help them to participate more in the worship.

On the other hand, do you sometimes get complaints the volume is too high? Have you had people leave the church because of this? Have you had your hearing checked lately? You may be hurting the worship. Try turning it down some, maybe some new people will stay, and your young people will grow up and be able to hear normally and no one gets tinnitus from church music.

Robert Naylor, Jr. has worked for over 15 years in pro audio and broadcasting building, maintaining, and sometimes designing sound systems and broadcast studios. He also mixes live and recorded music for Christian and secular artists, and has served in the Audio Ministry at his church for many years.         

The Next Step

For Chris’s take on volume levels, check out the following:

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  1. Here is what is happening in our church.

    My husband and I, both in our 50’s, helped launch this church recently. Gradually over time, the music has become so loud that I can no longer stand it inside the sanctuary during worship. I don’t know anything about decibels, but I can tell you it’s not just the drums or the bass; it’s everything, and it is so loud that you literally could not hold even a shouting conversation with anyone right next to you.

    I’m not the only one. Several people have brought this to the attention of the person doing the sound. He laughed. They brought it to the attention of the pastor. The “solution” has been to pass out earplugs.

    My husband plans to make one final appeal at the next meeting. He and I are talking about what our response will be if the volume doesn’t change. I can tell you this. I’m losing patience very quickly and I don’t see why I should continue to attend a church where my concerns aren’t taken seriously and where I’m unable to participate in a major chunk of the service.

    Who is “hurt” if the music gets turned down? I know some people’s preference is loudness, but who would get physically hurt if it was turned down? No one. Who would be hurt if they didn’t? Everyone in the building would suffer hearing loss. Earplugs??? Please.

    It isn’t funny, and it’s a major problem. That’s just my two cents.

    Reply

    • Nancy, that’s way too loud. I’ve been in one or two churches like that, as a visitor. The pastor needs to work with the sound guy to find an acceptable level for the majority and then set that as the standard.

      Reply

  2. I have been doing sound for worship bands since the 80’s. I have notice for many contemporary churches the volume has gotten much louder. Many churches have a full band and have a focus towards the youth. As being an old dog I don’t like it that loud. As stated when it is too loud it limits the congregation from entering in.

    My suggestion to sound guys and gals is to know before you start to know how loud you will go. Know your audience. If it is mostly the youth you can let it rip a bit or a mixed crowd then keep it at an even volume. As mentioned in some of the comments the volume is not just the sound persons doing, a loud drummer, guitarist or bass player can make the volume louder than wanted. It is important to work with the worship leader to help the whole team to work together.

    Stage volume is also a major issue when it comes to it being too loud in the house. In the ear monitors have been a great help for many churches. The acoustics in a church can also cause it to not sound right. The correct acoustic treatment can have a major improvement in how it sounds.

    In a nut shell it is so important to realize we are providing an environment of worship. We must work as a team and work with in limitation we face at every church.

    Reply

  3. I use a dB meter to help monitor volume levels while mixing, as the presence of hearing fatigue can hinder ones ability control volume levels. I have found that a range of 88-92dB with peaks not exceeding 95dB on up-beat, energetic songs tends to be a crowd pleaser in a typical church worship service.

    Reply

  4. In my experience, another risk of running volume too loud – at least for my church – is that it can discourage involvement because no-one can hear themselves. Now for some people – myself included – that’s not a bad thing! There’s a reason I’m not on stage. :-) But for me, at least, hearing everyone’s voice around me blending in with the singers and musicians on stage encourages participation and is a more satisfying experience. It’s a delicate balance, I know. Just my two cents. :-)

    Reply

    • Mike, I’ve heard both sides of that argument. One person says, “I DO want to hear myself sing” and another says, “I DON’T want to hear myself sing.”

      I’ve heard people say they should be able to talk to the person next to them during the music. I say if they do, I will beat them senseless… (this view is not necessarily that held by my church – LOL)

      Reply

      • Chris, I know what you mean! But to clarify, I don’t want to hear *myself* sing; I want to hear the congregation joining the band. Make sense? I’m making the point that the balance has swung to one extreme — that is, letting the band dominate our ears. I believe we’re better off if we can achieve a balance where the band and congregation can be heard *together*. But again, that’s just my personal preference. I always follow my worship director’s directions. :-)

        Reply

        • That’s another reason the tech should be in a place that’s inline with the main loudspeakers. I’d ride the vocal faders just to bring them down at points where the congregation really needs to be heard as one voice. And that’s often a matter of how many people actually sing during the songs. I might have said this before but I’ve found the more people have lived through, the more likely they are to really worship. I’ve been at small churches where the congregation could outsing a church 3x the size. Sigh.

          Reply

          • I’ve been thinking of the volume issue recently, and did some experiments changing the volume of the vocal group. (The church – around 70 people, and 4/5 vocals in front plus keyboard/piano). And several times when I lowered the volume of the singers I had impression that congregation started singing louder. It will work with songs that are familiar and in the right key. On the other hand I visited a church where leading vocals were so loud that congregation barely was singing. The sound guy was reluctant to accept my point, but next day he lowered the volume of the vocals and I’v noticed more people were singing.
            I’ve read somewhere that audience will tolerate higher volume of familiar songs/music, than something they haven’t heard earlier. So if for someone the it will be ok, and someone else too loud at the same time.

  5. Hello, I have this next dilemma then. What do you do when you also have drum sound coming of the stage, reduced because of the drumscreen, but still sound. Do you crank the drum volume till you hear it through the speakers??
    Thnx, Gil

    Reply

    • You will have some sound unless you place them in an isolation box. And some sound is ok. Now, if they are sitting in front of a brick wall or other non-absorbent surface, then the shield is only bouncing the sound around. As for volume, it all depends on the room and what it takes to get the volume at the right acceptable level so it sounds good to most people.

      Reply

    • Gil,

      One thing to consider is to add a foam “top” to your drum cage. You will still hear the drums in the cage (especially with some drummers), but hopefully you can add some drum volume back to the house mix for clarity (and control). To help the drummers play at a more reasonable level, you can add more drums to their headphone mix. Your EQ for drum channels in the house should complement the sound of the “live” drum sound… in other words, your sound system is adding to, not replacing the sound coming from the cage. Finally, once you get to where you can add a fair bit of drums to the house (which may be Sanctuary dependent), you might consider adding some reverb to the drum mix to make them sound more natural again.

      Reply

  6. Brothers (and sisters),

    Perhaps you might have guidance for me on this one simple dilemma… I was going once, with a worship set that was at what I considered an ideal level, and then the unexpected happened… Two people approached me with diametrically opposite requests… one was that the music was too loud, and one that the music wasn’t loud enough. Worse yet, they were both wives of elders. Worse yet, when I asked them both what they felt was too soft or what was too loud, which has served well in the past, but they both said the drums. I nodded to both, said that I’d fix their issues, but struggled afterwards.

    Thanks,
    Benjamin

    Reply

    • LOL – I’ve heard such stories. The telling question…where were they sitting? Was one closer to the stage, inline with a loudspeaker, in the cheap seats, etc. ? That would make the difference. Did one have a hearing aid? Not trying to be funny, it’s just there are so many variables involved.

      Reply

    • Benjamin,

      That only happened once? Must be nice! What I have noticed is even worse. The people who think it is too loud go to the pastor, and the people who wish it had been louder mention it to the sound guy. One way that i have dealt with some of this issue is by using a little compression on my mains. This makes it sound louder for those that want it louder, but reduces the actual volume of the peaks which is what tends to distort in hearing aids (at least that is my theory… I fortunately don’t wear them yet!). So effectively, even though I bring my overall volume down, it still sounds louder. Word of caution though… be careful with this technique! This is not a case where if “a little is good, more is better.” If you”crush” the sound with a heavy compressor on the mains, the resulting constant “pounding” will quickly become irritating and turn people off. As an example, my mom can no longer tolerate a local Christian radio station for very long because they tend to overcompress their output which sounds great for a few minutes, and REALLY irritating after a few more minutes.

      Reply