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Hey nauta, thanks for the reply.
I gotta admit it's been a long time since I used my SPL meter but I do have literally decades of experience onstage and behind desks, both recording and live, and at least at one time (who knows how much it's atrophied after neglect) could quickly identify sound pressure levels within 2-3db. Now it's also possible my hearing in general has taken more hit than I know or recent tests reveal but I'm a child of the 60s and I played LOUD for decades. I've never been a Metal fan so averaging around 100-103 db with peaks around 110db was an everyday event, so I don't relate to 90db as being particularly loud. Personally I am upset by and can't stand even the thought of Rock 'n Roll at 85db. That sounds to me like a Bill Hicks "Corporate Approved Rock" joke to me except the joke is on us.
That said I will have to break out my db meter and do a brain and ear check to see how far off I might be. These clips were recorded in an 10 foot x 12 foot shop and at the beginning of the "Dimed" clip the first chord is totally acoustic, zero amplification, so that might be a clue as to actual SPL. Also my shop has lots of tools and stuff on shelves, on the walls, all over the floor, and just hanging about and none of it was rattling around. The "Clean-ish" clip was a bit quieter but both were "volume normalized" in Audacity in order to give consistency for comparison and to protect peoples ears, especially those using headphones.
Anyway I'll check with a meter and write back and later I'll publish a real studio recording and hopefully a live band shot. BTW and maybe a heads up, while I don't regret in the slightest bit the constant volume levels I perpetrated on myself (it was worth it!) recent professional testing surprised me. I thought for years the first sign of hearing loss was first noticeable in the extreme highs and since I can still hear out to ~16K i figured I had been lucky and avoided all damage BUT the tests revealed some not insignificant loss in high mids so I can hear women speaking clearly but some deep voiced men I have to be line-of-sight to get any articulation as their voices obviously lack energy in the high mids.
Anyway thanks for the reply and the vote of confidence. KEEP PLAYING!
Addendum: Oh yeah do you check out any That Pedal Show or recent Anderton's YouTube clips? I think it is brilliant they keep an SPL meter clearly visible during all demos and tests. It's a great way to get a feel for what actually works.
I gotta admit it's been a long time since I used my SPL meter but I do have literally decades of experience onstage and behind desks, both recording and live, and at least at one time (who knows how much it's atrophied after neglect) could quickly identify sound pressure levels within 2-3db. Now it's also possible my hearing in general has taken more hit than I know or recent tests reveal but I'm a child of the 60s and I played LOUD for decades. I've never been a Metal fan so averaging around 100-103 db with peaks around 110db was an everyday event, so I don't relate to 90db as being particularly loud. Personally I am upset by and can't stand even the thought of Rock 'n Roll at 85db. That sounds to me like a Bill Hicks "Corporate Approved Rock" joke to me except the joke is on us.
That said I will have to break out my db meter and do a brain and ear check to see how far off I might be. These clips were recorded in an 10 foot x 12 foot shop and at the beginning of the "Dimed" clip the first chord is totally acoustic, zero amplification, so that might be a clue as to actual SPL. Also my shop has lots of tools and stuff on shelves, on the walls, all over the floor, and just hanging about and none of it was rattling around. The "Clean-ish" clip was a bit quieter but both were "volume normalized" in Audacity in order to give consistency for comparison and to protect peoples ears, especially those using headphones.
Anyway I'll check with a meter and write back and later I'll publish a real studio recording and hopefully a live band shot. BTW and maybe a heads up, while I don't regret in the slightest bit the constant volume levels I perpetrated on myself (it was worth it!) recent professional testing surprised me. I thought for years the first sign of hearing loss was first noticeable in the extreme highs and since I can still hear out to ~16K i figured I had been lucky and avoided all damage BUT the tests revealed some not insignificant loss in high mids so I can hear women speaking clearly but some deep voiced men I have to be line-of-sight to get any articulation as their voices obviously lack energy in the high mids.
Anyway thanks for the reply and the vote of confidence. KEEP PLAYING!
Addendum: Oh yeah do you check out any That Pedal Show or recent Anderton's YouTube clips? I think it is brilliant they keep an SPL meter clearly visible during all demos and tests. It's a great way to get a feel for what actually works.
