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Worship Wars: Volume Levels in Church Sound

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If there’s one complaint that pastors and sound techs hear the most, it’s this: “Worship is too loud!”

There’s often a good reason for most of these types of complaints. Unfortunately, the issue is seldom a volume control problem.

Before sound techs and worship pastors can arrive at a positive solution for solving volume levels at church, it is important to cover some basic insights for acceptable and unacceptable volume ranges.

Overview

Volume Levels and Hearing

We measure volume in decibels, A-weighted (dBA). Zero dBA is, in theory, the lowest level of sound a human can hear. 140 dBA is an extreme level that results in pain. The average conversation registers about 60 dBA. The average concert runs anywhere from 90-120 dBA, depending on the venue.

As the volume goes up, so does the risk associated with hearing damage. And this risk increases with how much time the listener spends in a loud environment.

As a rule, someone can safely listen to 85 dBA sound for about eight hours until there is a risk of hearing damage. At 100 dBA, that time limit shrinks to less than two hours.

While it may be OK to listen to sound that is 100-110 dBA for short periods, it is extremely important that the total time exposure to this volume level be taken into careful consideration. The more time spent in a loud environment, the greater the risk of hearing damage.

(Note: The levels expressed here are slow response averages, not peak levels which can exceed the average for short periods of time.)

Music Styles and Acoustics

Many listeners and sound techs believe the volume level should be different depending on the style of music being played for worship. That is simply not the case.

The style or genre of music does not dictate the volume (although it could be the choice of the sound tech or worship leader). It is the listening environment that most often dictates the minimum volume levels required.

A large room with a lot of background noise (e.g. singing congregation members) may require a louder listening level than a small room with minimal noise.

Room acoustics also play a considerable role in the amount of audio energy a room can be subjected to before things become hard to understand. Traditional cathedrals generally require very little volume before reinforced speech becomes unintelligible. Whereas a well-controlled room can easily sustain great amounts of volume before the energy overcomes the controlling acoustic properties of the room.

The only style decision that really dictates volume is that of congregational singing.

Some churches may wish to set the overall volume lower in order to allow the congregation to hear themselves participating in worship. Other churches choose to turn up the volume for a greater sense of musical presence for each listener. This can even be a mixing choice from song to song.

Volume Targets

Many church leaders choose to use volume level targets to deal with arguments about how loud worship should be. For example, “worship should always average 88 dBA.” Well, maybe it should. And maybe it shouldn’t.

I’m not a fan of strict volume targets. But I do agree with implementing safe maximum volume restrictions.

A lot of live contemporary worship registers anywhere from 80-93 dBA. Some churches run quieter, some louder.

The volume targets for one church or venue should not be applied to all other churches or rooms. Acoustics vary, congregation size varies, worship priorities vary, etc. There are too many variables to responsibly state that worship should always average any particular volume level.

Volume targets can also become a crutch instead of a tool.

It’s not uncommon to hear sound techs justifying the volume of their mix simply because it didn’t cross the target volume threshold approved by the leadership team. While this may be a “safe” argument, it is not the best argument.

The right volume is what’s right for the room and the experience the leadership team wants to provide.

It’s All in the Mix

It is important to understand that most listener complaints about volume levels are not about volume at all.

Instead, the predominant cause of volume level complaints is an improperly balanced mix.

Maybe the lead vocal is too shrill. Or the electric guitar tone is overly present. And that snare drum can just be piercing at times.

There can be a lot of reasons for a mix that isn’t balanced.

Do This Before Adjusting Volume Levels

There are two things that will make a big impact on the quality of the mix with respect to volume: Layers and EQ.

Building a mix involves more than simply turning up various instruments or vocals until they can be heard. It is important that each component in the mix is adjusted relative to its proper place in that mix.

Mixing with layers can be very style dependent and team specific. The instruments or vocals that are at the front of the mix can vary greatly, however, it is important that the mix is built with clarity and intelligibility in mind.

A muddy mix with vocals that can’t be understood isn’t good for anyone, no matter how loud it is.

But the number one thing that can impact a mix the most, as well as solve a lot of volume perception issues, is EQ.

That shrill vocal is not fixed with volume. It is fixed with EQ. The over-present guitar tone requires some EQ too. And every drum with a microphone will certainly require some EQ.

Each instrument has its place in the mix. EQ allows that space to be defined and uncluttered.

One other tool that can assist with temporary volume peaks is the compressor. This can be very helpful on channels like the pastor’s mic, bass guitar, and drums.

EQ first, balance the mix, then use compression to help control the dynamics.

Winning the Volume War

Battles about volume shouldn’t be fought with earplugs and decibel meters. They should be thoughtfully engaged with effective mix layering, sensible EQ, and modest dynamic range control.

Target volume levels are not inherently bad, but they can be a terrible excuse for suffering through a bad mix.

Create a great sounding mix, then think about how loud it should be.

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James Wasem
James Wasemhttp://greatchurchsound.com
James Wasem is the author of "Great Church Sound - a Guide for the Volunteer." James has been designing, installing, and operating sound systems for 20+ years and he has a passion for helping church sound team volunteers deliver great sound. Connect with James at his informative site, Great Church Sound.

15 COMMENTS

  1. We come together to worship, and to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, but if we can’t hear ourselves, and others, and blend our voices in harmony, is that worship, or is it a rock concert? We don’t go to rock concerts to worship, and we don’t go to church for a rock concert. In our efforts to bring the world into the church, we have lost the meaning of worship.

  2. Unfortunately our church plays music at the 95db range. I am about 90% hearing loss and when I take my hearing aids out, it still hurts my ears. The church leaders will not lower the volume no matter how much damage it is doing. Too bad we have gone to this church for 45+ years and it is too late to find another church.

  3. I HATE loud booming speaker systems in church. Absolutely despise them. And the fact the sound is hiked up to mask the sound of worshipers singing is just more proof of how ungodly they are and lack a real Christian basis.

    I have heard people like being able to cry loudly during service. Hun you need an intervention, emotional support from siblings in Christ…not louder music to drown out your screaming.

  4. i was recently at a church conference,the music was so loud that myself and others had to step out of the auditorium,many were worshipping ,sad to say i couldn’t.the sound man seems to think he’sdoing his job.how do you exist?

  5. My experience as a sound tech is that when personal amps are too loud, the monitors have to be too loud, resulting in the house too loud to cover the stage noise with the intended good mix and good EQ. Start by listening to the room with no house sound and get the amount of amp and monitor coming into the house as low as possible. Sound techs at many venues seem to think painfully loud is normal/appropriate/desired by the audience and inquiring about decibels is very unwelcome.

  6. My rule of thumb is that if the worship band can’t hear the congregation singing back at them then the volume is too high.

    I agree with the comment that not enough people understand the function of EQ to clean up a mix.

    • 100% agree. There is no excuse for drowning out the sound of worshippers singing. One church I attended was so bad about volume that even the preachers voice the booming during his sermon. You couldn’t escape the base in the bathroom. The vibration was obnoxious.

      And forget being heard during “call up to prayer”. Pre-covid you had to scream your prayer into the ear of the people praying over others. And more time than not they couldn’t hear me so just shrugged apologetically and prayer a generic prayer. Even asking for them to at least lower the volume while they mercilessly played music during open prayer was ignored.

      I stopped attending the worship service all together when I had a baby.

    • When our church had NAR type music introduced about one and a half years ago, the volume went up. The “fruit” of this was: small children crying because their ears hurt; some members leaving after asking for the volume to be turned down but it wasn’t; when the music started people could be seen “jumping” as if startled; the passive-aggressive behavior of joking about how we should get used to it because there is shouting in the Bible and in heaven, etc., began…

      This change was especially hard on older people with heart conditions and hearing problems. Offering ear plugs is not neccessarily effective and it is also tantamount to denying a need to just turn the volume down.

      The practice has been analyzed in detail elsewhere, as well, and generally includes why volume is so important in performance in order to make people “lean in” and direct attention to the music and the performers, but we don’t perform for Jesus: we worship Him, and not in ways that harm people.

  7. I also did a sermon on this topic and sent it to a few pastors. At one church I could not hear my heartbeat because the drum was the only thing I could feel. The sermon was fantastic and they were doing a great work, but I could not return. I was able to tolerate one church while my wife had to have earplugs which did not work. I found out later I needed hearing aids which was why I was able to tolerate it. God is not deaf and there is no reason why His worshippers have to be. If you are causing people ear damage it is not God telling you to use that volume. He heals, not debilitates or goes against His design.

    https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/how-loud-is-too-loud-dr-ronald-shultz-sermon-on-worship-178896?ref=SermonSerps

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