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Date:
september 2009
Author:
Peecker Sound
Research dept
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There's something deeply mistaken in the current methods used by the authorities in their attempts to limit the disturbance caused by the sound issuing from discos, whether indoors or outdoors. We'll try to explain our position clearly. First, however, we would like to say that we at Peecker Sound are in alliance with those who believe that everyone has a basic right to entertainment, but there is the equally inviolable duty to respect the peace and quiet of others. The underlying problem is that many dance and entertainment venues are so enmeshed in the urban fabric that the level of noise pollution produced outside the venue is excessive according to both the regulations and - we must say - common sense. On the other hand, in order for young people to dance and enjoy the music, they need to feel the physical sensation of the sound.
The wrong solution
The regulatory authorities tend to see the solution to the problem in purely numerical terms. In this view, if the level at the boundary of a discotheque is 75 dB as opposed to the maximum 65 dB allowed, it would be sufficient to lower the level on the dance floor by 10 dB and everything will automatically fall into place. While the listening level was 100 dB before, it would now be sufficient to dance with a level of 90 dB in order to respect the peace and quiet of your neighbour. But this solution is absurd, irrational and wrong for those - like us - who love music, dancing and the pleasurable sensations of sound reproduction at high dynamics. It would be like saying that in order to reduce the noise level of aeroplanes, it would be sufficient to raise the altitude or eliminate aviation.
In reality, young people who are used to enjoying 100 dB or more, after a while get tired of a level more suitable for their parents or grandparents and, instead of going to the disco, will choose to have drinks at the pub or find other types of entertainment, like the cinema or a party with friends.
The right solution
The objective is to maintain a sound level on the dance floor such that the paying customers can appreciate the music and dancing, while drastically reducing (in this case by approximately 10 dB) the level on the outside.
So how can we accomplish this, especially when dealing with outdoor dance floors?
The solution is easy! You simply use the only system in the world that allows you to concentrate the sound waves in a well-defined area: the new Peecker Sound Double Array Series speakers, models AS6, AS60, AS120 and AS180. To understand the impact of this technological innovation, just consider the operation of a single loudspeaker: at the high frequencies it has quite directional sound radiation, whereas it has an increasingly wide lobe of emission as the frequency gets lower. Arranging loudspeakers in a line progressively reduces the angle of radiation, and a double line of loudspeakers (double array) has a double effect - vertical and horizontal - of narrowing the sound beam. The amazing results achieved by the Double Array speakers have been certified by institutes specialised in acoustic measurements, such as the Engineering Department of the University of Parma, Studio ESA in Florence and the Centro Elettroacustico di Progettazione Ambientale (C.E.P.A.).
The most evident effect is shown in Figures 1 and 2, where you can see the sound pressure levels outside the dance floor with a system of four traditional cabinet speakers mounted in ceiling configuration and with one AS120 CROSSFIRE model speaker.
At 30 metres distance from the centre of the dance floor, an attenuation of 20 dB is achieved with the traditional system, but with the CROSSFIRE it is a full 30 dB! This new and revolutionary method of sound reinforcement reduces the sound outside the dance floor by 10 dB (10 dB of reduction = 1/10 of the sound level). For example, if the sound system employs a series of speakers arranged in ceiling configuration at a level of 95 dB on an outdoor dance floor, there will be an LEQ of 75 dB at the boundaries of the club, at 30-40 metres. In many cases, these 75 dB are judged to be excessive for the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood, so some authorities require lowering the level on the dance floor to 85 dB in order to have 65 dB at the boundary, thus allowing the neighbours to sleep in peace...
But in this way, the club-goers too will fall asleep on the dance floor, with sound levels that are too far below the absolute minimum required to create the "physical" sensations of the sound.
So Peecker Sound proposes a different solution: using the AS120 CROSSFIRE definitely reduces the level at the boundaries of the club by at least 10 dB, taking it to 65 dB without altering the sound on the dance floor. This is the only truly effective method for considerably attenuating the sound outside entertainment venues. |
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