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K
Beginner August 2015

Wedding venue and noise limit

Kerrypug, 27 of June of 2015 at 13:24 Posted on Planning 0 10

Just hit our first snag in wedding planning and the groom is furious. We found out from the venue that the noise limit is 89db and when it goes over this the sound will cut out. When we told our band (singer/guitarist, bassist and drummer) they said the drums will exceed that on their own and they could only do acoustic, which is really not what we're after. We can't speak to our co-ordinator until Monday about it so we're a bit stuck! Has anyone else had this problem? It seems strange that a popular venue would have a limit that even a 3 piece would exceed when my friends husbands band has played there and they go up to a 10 piece. We really don't want to give up the band ☹️

10 replies

Latest activity by Kerrypug, 29 of June of 2015 at 10:36
  • InkedDoll
    VIP January 2015
    InkedDoll ·
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    Is it a listed building? If so, that's why - they have to have one. It seems odd that your band haven't cone across this before, especially if they play weddings often. They should be able to cope with it without resorting to only playing acoustic.

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  • Sam&Louise
    Beginner September 2015
    Sam&Louise ·
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    Loads of wedding venues have sound limiters- even the rather new and cool ones tend to have them if they're near a residential area, so as ID says, it's strange that it's something they've never come across before. Can they not work around it in a way other than doing an acoustic set?

    We've shot at venues that have sound limiters and bands playing before- ones with drums, keyboards, guitars, the works.

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  • MrsB88
    Beginner August 2015
    MrsB88 ·
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    You'll find most venues have a sound limit. Ours is a barn type venue, in the middle of nowhere and still has a sound limit of 95! Not quite sure why but hey ho lol.

    Does your band not often do weddings? As I'm very surprised they aren't used to this request.

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  • Peter
    Peter ·
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    Find out exactly where the measurement device is. Although the band may go louder at point of position, the measurement device may be some distance from them, which reduces the "effective" dB.

    hth

    Peter

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  • Wedding Photography By Bill Haddon
    Wedding Photography By Bill Haddon ·
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    Good one Peter ?

    Aslo that is a peak but you are allowed a few blips into the max before it shuts off, I have seen a monitor on a wall that has a scale of green lights that rise upto a red one at the top and have seen the red one reached momentarily with no issues but if the leavel stays up there it then gets cut off

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  • MadamRed
    Beginner April 2017
    MadamRed ·
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    It's to do with EU and Health and Safety legislation, I believe. Prolonged exposure over 80dB is harmful to hearing. Under the Control of Noise at Work regulations, employers have to take action in industries where noise is regularly above 80-85dB. A noise level of 95dB actually shows a 10x higher level of sound pressure than at 85dB. Just to give it context, the 95dB noise limit is the same as the limit in place at the Nurburg Ring, so it's pretty high. Because bands etc can vary so much in terms of volume, and there's a risk that some bands could exceed the 85dB, it's just easier to set a permanent cut-off at a high level than have to work with each booking individually.

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  • Paula @ Ollievision
    Paula @ Ollievision ·
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    The drummer could switch to an electronic kit where they can control the volume better. My son plays drums and has a Roland TK4 which sounds like a "real" drum kit but you control it via an amp. It plays like normal drums - he switches between the Roland and real drums depending on where he is playing.

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  • Wedding Photography By Bill Haddon
    Wedding Photography By Bill Haddon ·
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    I Used to play the drums in a band in my teens but we did not have all that "fancy marlarky" then, if I wanted to tone down the bass I would stuff a duvet in there or put duct tape across the snare drum, electronic skins never gave the same bounce and feel back then as proper ones did,old school drummers may well still feel the same, these instruments are loud on their own without any amps

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  • MrsB88
    Beginner August 2015
    MrsB88 ·
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    Ahh makes sense! Thanks for that.

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  • The Wedding Singer
    The Wedding Singer ·
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    Hi there

    Noise limiters are becoming increasingly common. Totally understand why some venues need them and I'm more than happy to work with limiters (although I'm a solo singer / DJ and not part of a band so can tailor my volume to suit). What also seems to be becoming more common though is venues not telling brides and grooms about the limiters before they book their entertainment! If I get to a new venue and the limiter is particularly sensitive, I always tell the bride and groom, just in case they wonder why the volume might be lower than they were expecting, more often than not they have no idea about any volume restrictions!

    89db is loud enough for you all to dance to but you are quite right that your band's drum kit may trigger the limiter. Having said this, it depends where the 89db is measured from. If it's way over at the far end of the room to where your band are setting up you may be ok - some limiters are notoriously sensitive, some very forgiving.

    It's likely that I've performed at your venue over the years (I'm up to a 500+ running total :?) so if you wanted to PM or email me, I'd be happy to share my experience with that particular venue or limiter if I've been there before.

    James

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  • K
    Beginner August 2015
    Kerrypug ·
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    Thanks James, I've just sent an email

    Kerry

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