19. February 2018

Live sound mixing – watch those bass frequencies for the neighbors

Live sound mixing – watch those bass frequencies for the neighbors

Getting a bass sound you can feel through your whole body and successfully blending it into the whole mix is a real payday when mixing live bands. We have noticed a trend in many countries around the world. The authorities are sitting up and paying attention to the effect the bass frequencies have on neighborhood noise. So, you need a sound level meter that not only keeps you within limits, but allows you to regulate the bass frequencies too.

The XL2 Sound Level Meter does just the job. To constantly monitor at the loudest audience position while the sound level meter is situated at the Front of House, the XL2 allows a correction value to be recorded for LAeq and, with the XL2 and firmware V3.33 or higher, now also for LCeq.

This new feature, recently added to the XL2 functions, provides you with the ability to monitor the C-weighted equivalent level, LCeq, in the loudest position in the room as an offset to the Front of House measurement position. C-weighted values emphasis the low frequencies more than A-weighted values.

In some countries, the authorities have gone so far as to prescribe limits in the bass frequencies:

  • UK 
    In the UK, the concern is with two particular frequencies. i.e. 63 Hz and 125 Hz. Councils prescribe, for example, that the music noise Level must not exceed 80 dB in either the 63 Hz and 125 Hz octave band frequencies (check with your local authority for limits that apply in your area). These frequencies are recorded by the XL2 and monitored at the Front of House.

  • France and Belgium
    In France and Belgium, legal guidelines cover the restriction of bass frequencies by specifying a limit for LCeq at the loudest point within the auditorium. In Belgium, the LCeq60‘ must be less than 115 dB, while in France the LCeq15‘ must be less than 118 dB. The XL2 records these levels and indicates to the Front of House when limits are exceeded.

The XL2 is set up within a matter of minutes and records audio for the whole event in case you later need to provide proof of the sound levels.

Furthermore, at the Front of House, the levels can be presented on a computer screen using the Projector PRO Software. The software indicates the available level reserve before legal limits are reached, giving the FOH technician a useful indication of headroom.

The Projector PRO V1.13 software is a free download for all registered XL2 users. The extra-large display and the level time graph require the “Remote Measurement Option" to be activated on the sound level meter.

Categories: Live Sound

Tags: