HOW LOUD (or low) SHOULD THE SOUND BE

OK, let’s start by addressing a technical issues of sound,  Sound pressure level (SPL) or sound level is a logarithmic measure of the effective sound pressure of a sound relative to a reference value, SPL meters measure the sound volume much like a thermostat measures room temperature.   The chart below is the OSHA Sound Exposure Regulations chart. Simply put it lets you know how long you can listen to music at a specific volume before it may damage your hearing.  

So, this would be a reasonable assumption and one I follow; the sound in church should not exceed OSHA regulations.

With that said let me say this, the question of how loud or low the sound should be in church is highly subjective, that is, it comes down to individual preference. 

I am not writing a book on sound reinforcement in this post so posting OSHA is about as technical as I am going to get. What I do  want to share with you is at what volume I like the sound and why.     

I like the music at a volume that moves me, the band and the congregation.  I’ll cut to the chase; I like the SPL at 97 with peaks of 102 or so.  That is kind of loud for some but not loud enough for others.  Believe it or not I do get comments that the music is too low.  OK, so how can I justify this volume level…

Saddleback church in California has 22,000 members. So I think it’s safe to say they are doing something right.   Here is an excerpt from an article By Rick Muchow, Pastor of Magnification at Saddleback Church:  “When leading worship, the leader must worship! Don't direct. Certain cues for the band or congregation might be needed to keep things together, but it is great when the crowd's focus leaves the platform and is caught up in the moment experiencing God's presence. Likewise, ask your worship team to smile genuinely and avoid bringing attention to the platform. Start on time and use appropriate volume (loud but not too loud). At Saddleback our dB level ranges from 98dB to 108dB (every 3 dB doubles the volume level). Saddleback Seekers don't just want to hear the music they want to feel the music.”  I love Bethel church in Redding California, they are a mighty force in the Kingdome and have worship conferences constantly.  They often run their sound so loud that I feel my chest thumping from the sub woofers. 

My iphone has an app to measure SPL and while at Bethel this past year I turned it on during worship, it ran off the meter at 110 db. 

Another justification for running the sound on the high side is this observation that I have made.  Large growing churches run their sound loud, smaller churches with dwindling populations run their sound low. 

Random Worship Thoughts: FAVORITE QUOTE...

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
                                                                                            Theodore Roosevelt

Random Worship Thoughts…..

Sound, how loud is too loud and how quiet is too quiet…  Do I have to ask the Pastor what he is preaching on and match the songs to the sermon theme…  Two fast songs, 2 medium songs and 2 slow songs is that right…   What is prophetic worship and is it for Sunday morning….  What is presence worship and is that for Sunday morning…  The musicians are only volunteers so I can’t ask them for too much of their time right…   Can unsaved people play on the worship team….. Should I lead with my eyes open or closed….   Do I look at the people during worship to see if they are engaged….   What if they are not participating what do I do….  Are Hymns outdated and what about choirs…  As a worship pastor can I just be myself or am I expected to act a certain way….  Does the worship team need to pray together before practice, after practice, on Sunday morning….  What’s the difference between practice and a run-through…  Is giving the team a CD and music and asking them to learn their parts at home asking too much…  How do I handle negative or critical comments…  How long should the music go for…  What if my drummer is a no show on Sunday morning…  Why is it important for the members of the team to all make practice…  Does the team have to learn the song the way it’s on the CD, can’t we just “make it our own”…  What does it mean to go deeper... Do I have to play "Easter songs" on Easter, Christmas songs on Christmas... My thoughts and experiences on these subjects will be posted from time to time.