This paper considers existing regulations, practices, and preferences regarding the measurement, monitoring, and management of sound levels at live music events. It brings together a brief overview of current regulations with the outcomes of a recent international survey of live sound engineers and evaluation of three datasets of sound measurement at live music events. The paper reveals the benefit of a 15-min time frame for the definition of equivalent continuous sound level limits in comparison to longer or shorter time frames. The paper also reveals support from the live sound engineering community for the application of sound level limits and development of a global certification system for live sound engineers.

Authors: Mulder, Johannes; Hill, Adam J.; Burton, Jon; Kok, Marcel; Lawrence, Michael
Affiliations: College of Arts and Social Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby, Derby, UK; College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby, Derby, UK; dBcontrol, Zwaag, Netherlands; Rational Acoustics, Woodstock, CT, USA(See document for exact affiliation information.)
JAES Volume 70 Issue 1/2 pp. 62-72; January 2022
Publication Date: January 23, 2022

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