Should metal bands turn down the volume?

[adaher]

Now you're going to think I'm an old far, but hear me out here. I realize it's metal shows we're talking about here, but metal today isn't what it was in the 70s and 80s. Especially with prog, there's a lot of subtleties that get drowned out in the wall of sound at live metal shows. I also attend pop shows, and it's pretty loud, but they make sure you can hear every instrument and the vocalist clearly.

So, should they turn it down a bit? I think so.

 

[Diabolik]

I agree....I have been at shows where it is so loud it is a wall of noise. When I saw Kreator and Vader a few years back at the House of Blues in Chicago, I couldnt even tell what song they were on sometimes and the vocals were all washed out. Then again at the same venue...I have seen perfect sound.

 

[Cheiron]

Absolutely. But one of the problems is that I don't think that the bands are getting a good queue from their monitors of just how drowned out they sound.

This was my biggest complaint about Mercenary last year. I know a lot of people loved their set (as did I for most of the songs). But they were so loud that a lot of the subtleties of their songs were drowned out.

 

[GreggSuspyre]

I completely agree as well. I just saw Symphony X the other day, and without earplugs, it was unbearable, painful even. The earplugs helped with the volume, but then you have to put up with the awkward feeling of something in your ears, and you lose the brightness of the sound. Also, what's with all the bass at shows too? I guess live sound guys don't listen to the bands on CD before they mix them live. All I heard was thumping the whole time. The human ear picks up so many more sonic idiosyncrasies at lower volumes, and I wish sound techs knew this.

 

[rms]

Turning sound down = clearer. I agree with turning it down some.

 

[AMBR]

I completely agree as well. I just saw Symphony X the other day, and without earplugs, it was unbearable, painful even. The earplugs helped with the volume, but then you have to put up with the awkward feeling of something in your ears, and you lose the brightness of the sound. Also, what's with all the bass at shows too? I guess live sound guys don't listen to the bands on CD before they mix them live. All I heard was thumping the whole time. The human ear picks up so many more sonic idiosyncrasies at lower volumes, and I wish sound techs knew this.

Agreed. I have never been able to understand why the sound has to be so painfully loud that you MUST wear earplugs. And the mix is frequently poor so I find myselft wandering around the venue trying to find that one "spot" where you can kind of, sort of hear it almost right. I don't know how you can get bands to turn it down and sound guys to learn their job better, but in the mean time, I recommend these ear plugs. They let a much truer sound reach your ear while keeping the volume at a manageable level.

 

[Jibrille]

Agreed. I have never been able to understand why the sound has to be so painfully loud that you MUST wear earplugs. And the mix is frequently poor so I find myselft wandering around the venue trying to find that one "spot" where you can kind of, sort of hear it almost right. I don't know how you can get bands to turn it down and sound guys to learn their job better, but in the mean time, I recommend these ear plugs. They let a much truer sound reach your ear while keeping the volume at a manageable level.

Nice, thanks for the recommendation. I was actually thinking about asking what kind or where people suggested to get earplugs for a somewhat reasonable price. I know nothing will be better than custom earplugs but I can't afford that. Unfortunately, I'm also more susceptible to going deaf if I'm not careful because of some issues I had growing up with my eardrums. And after being deaf in one ear for 2 months when I was 18 due to a ruptured eardrum, it's not something I wish to repeat.

 

[mëtålspëd]

Ive used those plugs for years, and they rock. I dont go to a show without them.

 

[The Invisible Guest]

I've also been using those same plugs for a few years now .. they are very good. They have like three levels of rings to them, and you can push them in or pull them out a little based on how loud the music is. I don't put mine in very deep fairly often, but at least I'm getting protection while still being able to hear some of the higher range sound.

Britt

 

[Diamond45]

But why should you have to wear ear plugs to begin with? Obviously the music is loud enough to require the use of them. So why just turn down the volume to the point where you can hear the music to where it is somewhat loud, but not enough to damage your ears.

 

[GreggSuspyre]

But why should you have to wear ear plugs to begin with? Obviously the music is loud enough to require the use of them. So why just turn down the volume to the point where you can hear the music to where it is somewhat loud, but not enough to damage your ears.

Exactly. This is why 90% of the concerts I attend are jazz or classical concerts. They all sound amazing and I never need ear plugs. I honestly have been very disenchanted with metal shows as of late for this reason.

 

[metropolisimages]

If you have the proper gear and an EXCELLENT soundman, You can turn it up as loud as you want and it will still be clear. The reason it starts distorting and you cant hear all the instruments is that the P.A. is being pushed too hard and cant handle it. However, if you crank it to the max and bust some eardrums AND it is clear.... That is the shit! I like to be able to feel the kick drums rattle my chest. haha...

 

[SharkBlack]

Hell No! Make my ears bleed...

 

[Stingray11214]

I need to wear earplugs at shows in order to protect my hearing for my job. Even on my job, I need hearing protection. But, I think many of the bands lack the expertise to truly mix their sound live. While major bands like Iron Maiden and Slayer have their own sound teams, many bands ned to rely on others.

Furthermore, I think many of these bands have significant hearing loss. I have not seen many bands use ANY type of hearing protection. That is probably part of the problem.

 

[Yippee38]

I need to protect my hearing so I can still enjoy metal shows 40 years from now!

I bitched about this elsewhere and a friend of mine who has been a soundman for more than 20 years told me that usually this is because the guy doing the mix can't get the sound right. So he just keeps upping the volume until it doesn't matter.

 

[OrbWeaver]

I never did understand the need (or perhaps more accurately, desire?) to make metal shows as loud as possible. I always carry ear plugs with me. After all, I want to continue to hear the music I love, well into old age.

 

[booB]

if it's too loud, you're too old...

 

[OrbWeaver]

if it's too loud, you're too old...

Going deaf is decidedly not metal.

 

[Greykiller]

But why should you have to wear ear plugs to begin with? Obviously the music is loud enough to require the use of them. So why just turn down the volume to the point where you can hear the music to where it is somewhat loud, but not enough to damage your ears.

Why is the music so loud? When you have jackasses who will shout over the music like they are in their living room, chatting like old women when other people want to hear the show, or people who think they should be onstage, and shout every single word in a song, that's why.

I KNOW these people paid their money, same as I did...but if the music was at a reasonable level, those douche bags would completely ruin the concert for me. At least with it really loud, I do not have to force myself to very nicely ask them to STFU.

 

[Iced Dog]

Yeah, concerts are just ridiculously loud...it's not fun when you have muffled hearing into the next day...I always wear plugs now...I'll have to look into those Etymotics.