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Andy Collins Events Limited
33 Cunningham Road
Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1PR
www.andycollinsdj.com
Sound Limiters
What impact will they have on my event
…
So,
you’ve
found
the
dream
venue
for
your
wedding
or
event,
everything looks perfect….. BUT they have a sound limiter.
The
reality
is
that
the
more
beautiful
the
venue
or
it’s
location
the
chances
are
that
they
will
have a sound limiter or restrictions in place to limit the sound.
Contrary
to
popular
belief,
sound
limiters
are
not
bad.
They
are
there
for
a
reason
and
most
venues
have
them
as
it
is
required
as
part
of
their
licence.
They
may
well
be
in
a
area
of
natural beauty therefore protecting wildlife or nearby residents.
Set
up
correctly
sound
limiters
do
an
excellent
job
at
what
they
have
been
designed
to
do,
however,
there
are
more
limiters
that
have
been
poorly
installed
and
maintained
than
correctly installed ones.
So
how
can
you
tell
a
correctly
installed
limiter
to
a
poor
one.
Sadly,
you
can’t,
well
at
least
on
first
glance.
You’ll
need
to
do
a
little
detective
work
first,
and
I
assure
you
-
a
beautiful
venue means nothing if the atmosphere is flat.
First
of
all
the
venue
should
inform
you
that
they
have
a
sound
limiter
present
and
the
level
that
it
is
set
to.
However
don’t
take
it
for
granted
that
they
will
tell
you.
Especially
if
it
has
been
poorly
installed
or
set
too
low.
So
remember
to
ask
your
venue
if
they
have
a
sound
limiter installed.
If
they
do
have
a
sound
limiter
installed,
don’t
panic.
As
I
say,
it’s
not
all
bad.
However
you
must
do
some
research
before
setting
your
heart
on
the
venue.
Look
around
at
reviews.
There
are
lots
of
independent
review
sites
around,
so
look
at
those.
Secondly,
social
media
is
now
your
friend.
Look
around
for
reviews
or
join
a
few
wedding
groups
and
ask
specifically
about
your
chosen
venue
in
a
post.
Couples
who
have
experience
with
that
venue will share their views and experiences with you.
It
is
common
for
sound
limiters
to
be
set
anywhere
between
80
-
120db.
Ideally
a
limiter
set
at around 90db upwards is ideal to create a dancing atmosphere.
Anything
less
than
90db
will
not
be
catastrophic
but
you
will
have
to
live
with
the
fact
that
it
is
set
so
low
that
creating
any
kind
of
of
atmosphere
will
be
very
difficult.
Your
guests
will
be
continently
asking
to
“turn
it
up”
and
announcements
using
the
microphone
may
and
usually ends up in causing problems with power outages.
Even singing , applause and raised voices will cause problems with the music being cut off.
Cutting
off
the
power
to
the
sockets
is
the
job
of
the
sound
limiter.
Usually
the
performer
will
have
a
few
seconds
to
turn
down
the
music
before
the
limiter
cuts
off
the
power
to
the
sockets.
However
even
turning
down
the
music
can
still
result
in
the
power
being
disconnected
if
your
guests
are
cheering,
singing,
whitelisting
or
applauding.
The
sound
limiter
takes
into
account
all
noises
and
not
just
from
your
entertainment.
Something
else
to think about before booking a venue with a limiter.
Music
will
be
interrupted
anything
from
a
few
seconds
to
a
few
minutes.
Some
limiters
restore
power
automatically
after
a
few
seconds,
whilst
others
have
to
be
manually
reset
by
pushing
a
switch
or
hard
reset
by
the
venue
staff.
This
can
obviously
affect
the
flow
of
the
dance
floor
and
somewhat
limit
the
songs
the
DJ
can
play
especially
if
it’s
a
well
known
feel
good sing along track.
I
have
published
a
helpful
graph
which
shows
the
decibel
levels
for
different
everyday
scenario give you a deeper understanding of db levels.
This
is
not
exhaustive,
and
there
are
lots
of
factors
to
take
into
account.
For
instance
a
sound
limiter
set
at
80db
can
be
better
than
one
that
has
been
poorly
installed
and
set
at
120db. So it is imperative that some research is made before making any rash decisions.
One
thing
is
for
sure,
your
wedding
will
be
the
equivalent
to
a
noisy
restaurant
before
adding
any
kind
of
music,
so
bear
that
in
mind
-
then
add
the
music
on
top.
That’ll
depend
on you either hiring a DJ or live band.
A
DJ
is
arguably
in
a
better
position
to
maintain
the
music
volume
over
a
live
band
with
many
instruments
and
PA’s,
though
not
impossible.
Some
soloists
/
duos
and
some
bands
use backing tracks which makes things easier to manage over a full band with drums etc.
Limiters
set
at
around
100db
and
above
is
a
safe
zone
which
is
set
at
a
realistic
level
which
shouldn’t cause any or very few issues.
If you wish to discuss any options or just need some advise. Just contact me
Sound Limiters - How they can impact your event
Important information if your venue has a sound limiter installed
andy@andycollinsdj.com
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