Sound system design:
Just the right amount of LOUD!
by Charlie Holland
Around 33% of complaints received each year by the Liquor Licensing Division are related to excessive noise from licensed premises, usually due to loud entertainment and noisy patrons in and near the premises.
The Liquor Licensing Division set volume levels for any amplified music or voice at the premises. The current noise restrictions are 75 decibels if no entertainment is to be conducted or if no acoustic report is submitted. If an acoustic report indicates the premises can contain a specified noise level, a condition will limit any noise source to this level.
The typical music volumes required for common forms of entertainment include:
- Video disc background music 80 - 95 decibels
- Other small bands 95 - 110 decibels
- DJ 100 - 115 decibels
- Small rock band 105 - 120 decibels
Beyond the environmental items (noted on the liquor licensing website), you can empower technology to set and globally manage the sound levels across your venue. Most recent installations are utilising a control system (AMX or Crestron) and a DSP (digital Signal Processor). This DSP (digital Signal Processor) can set levels by source and zone for more streamlined operation of your venue-wide audio levels.
Additionally, new designs in dance-floor speaker systems create the typical audio levels on the dance-floor, yet you can enjoy a one-on-one conversation a few metres away, without losing your voice. This technology directs the dance-floor audio to the parameters of the dance-floor and has very minimal “audio spill” beyond the dance-floor, compared with conventional speakers systems.
The audio system design process can now be made more predictable by adopting the likes of the Bose Modeller (acoustic modeling system), which accurately identifies the following requirements for your audio system:
- Type of speakers
- Quantity of speakers
- Zoning of speakers
- Location of speakers
- Direction speakers are facing
- Reflected audio
- Required amplification
Engaging Acoustic Engineers to co-develop your venue sound system strategy is recommended to maximise audio efficiencies and cater for any environmental aspects of the venue. This may include treating of walls, double glazing windows and other related strategies to conform with your licensing requirements and optimise your system performance.
No longer is it a case of installing a speaker in each corner or a room and cranking up the amplifier. You can achieve excellent and equitable distribution of audio through appropriate speaker specification, amplification and placement.
Source Reference - Liquor Licensing Division: Noise restrictions fact sheet
http://www.liquor.qld.gov.au/_Documents
/Fact+sheets/Noise+restrictions.pdf