Hi everyone, was gutted I couldn't come to Olympia in the end. So I still haven't met whirly yet. Epic fail. :-(

Anyway, I'd just like to ask everyone to sign the Turn It Up petition at http://www.ravetalk..../soundpetition/ if you care about what is happening to sound at festivals in the UK.

If you've been going to many festivals and outdoor gigs this year, you might have noticed the sound getting a bit naff at times, sometimes with the crowd chanting "Turn it up!"

What's happening is that new regulations have been brought in on the licensing of outdoor events so that councils can bring in ludicrously harsh decibel limits, even if just one or two moaning old gits object to a festival near them and even if 99.9% of the rest of the community has no objection.

These limits mean not just a reduction in overall volume (which does affect the atmosphere of musical events, let's face it), but usually affects sound QUALITY as well because the engineers are often told to cut specific frequencies, which ruins the mix. Even Reading was hit by this during Rage Against The Machine's set.

I think the balance now has gone too much in favour of miserable old gits with no lives who want to go to bed at 9pm with a mug of Horlicks. Why should their say be more important than tens or hundreds of thousands of others, most of whom are working year-round for that one weekend where they can let their hair down?

Remember it could just as easily ruin a Chems show next time they play an outdoor set in the UK, so I hope you'll support this. Thanks.

in France there's a 110dB limit during concerts. I don't know if it's in state in festivals too, but It never bothered me.

I know of one UK festival where the limit was set for 45 decibels after midnight.

I don't know what distance from the tents that was set for but it's bloody ludicrous. I could fart and break the regulations.

45 ?! what the fuck

Just to update, there is now also a petition on the Prime Minister's website at http://petitions.num...k/SaveOurSound/

Some may prefer this one because it's 'official'. However, some may be put off by the fact that you have to give your real postal address to the Government on there. Also, the Ravetalk one allows you to post a short comment.

I say do both. ;-)

Edit: And yes, Ben, 45dB!! I'm not sure what distance that was for though.

"in France there's a 110dB limit during concerts." Same in switzerland and i heard that they are planing such limits here in germany. But imo it is a stupid idea because hitting a snare on the drums descently is louder than 120dB...

Meat Beat Manifesto topped 170dB or something when I saw them. It was so loud the part of the ceiling broke off and people couldn't put their drinks down for fear of it being knocked off. I've never heard that much bass in my life.

Anything louder then 110dB is fine with me. Of all the concerts I've been too, I've only worn earplugs once!

prochem // Posts: 2364

Member

Meat Beat Manifesto topped 170dB or something when I saw them. It was so loud the part of the ceiling broke off and people couldn't put their drinks down for fear of it being knocked off. I've never heard that much bass in my life.

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Is that actually true though? I've heard that same story or urban myth circulated about various bands over the years most famously Leftfield playing Brixton Acadamy

Quoted from Wikipedia -Live performances

At the very first Leftfield gig, in Amsterdam, the Dutch police were close to arresting the sound-man due to the sound system reaching illegal volumes. At the next concert, in Belgium, thirty people were given refunds after complaining that the sound level was too high, leading to a newspaper headline reading "Leftfield Too Loud". In June 1996, while the group was playing at Brixton Academy, the sound system caused dust and plaster to fall from the roof;[2] subsequently, the group was banned from ever returning to the venue.[2] The ban however was taken by the band as a ban on the sound system and not themselves[2] which was confirmed when Leftfield played Brixton on 20th May 2000. [3]

110 isn't too low. I've never to a gig where the sound was a problem (except for once but the soundsystem was really really lame). Even to an Amon Tobin gig (and he complained about the limit in France), the bass was so massive that the floor was shaking.