typical SPLs of rock drums

jtdeans · Post by **jtdeans** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:16 pm

in reading mic spec after mic spec boasting how "blahblahblah microphone excellent for kick" and then reading that the max spl is 112... etc. What sound pressure levels could one generally expect in a rather large room with a rock drum who plays his set hard (as most drummers do, especially when you're setting the mics up right next to him)

im not asking "what are the exact levels that every kick drum makes"... just general guestimations...

such as

front of kick 1-6 inches roughly...
overheads about 3 feet above the kit can expect roughly xxx with loud drummer in large room

how loud is 132 db? is it likely that i've ever heard something at this volume? after sifting through so much microphone propaganda i feel like i dont know how loud is loud is too loud is

speaking of,
deans

vsr600 · Post by **vsr600** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:05 am

depending on the drummer and the room, I could see a snare drum for example being anywhere from 80dB to 140dB. 132dB is pretty loud and can damage your hearing if you're exposed to it for too long. After about 140dB things start to become shockwaves at "normal" hearing frequencies (gun shots, sonic booms etc...). Talking in a normal voice is around 30dB-40dB....

you know I wouldn't worry tooo much about this (if you do get a SPL meter from Rat-Shack). When you're setting up mics, if you notice the mic is distorting, it's not the pre or anything else, and that particular mic is known for not having a high spl handling capability... move the mic back or swap it out for one that can handle the spl.

Immanuel · Post by **Immanuel** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:35 am

132db is truly a dangerous level, if it is 132dB at your ear. In close micing, the microphone has to deal with much louder signals than the drummer. And 30-40dB is way below normal speaking.

Skipwave · Post by **Skipwave** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:32 am

Wikipedia has a table:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_pressure

http://www.uq.edu.au/_School_Science_Le ... tml#26.6.0

My favorite entry: "117 dB: discotheque at full blast."

vsr600 · Post by **vsr600** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:50 am

Immanuel wrote:132db is truly a dangerous level, if it is 132dB at your ear. In close micing, the microphone has to deal with much louder signals than the drummer. And 30-40dB is way below normal speaking.

yea you're right, though not WAY below normal speaking... I should have said whispering 30dB-40dB...

Dave Nutz · Post by **Dave Nutz** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:03 pm

for comparisons sake,

the Space Shuttle registers as 140db at one mile from the launch pad, and 172db at the pad.

to answer your question,
in my experience, an 'average' kick drum from approx 6"-1' away is between 112-120db-spl

an average snare drum falls into a similar range

**mental average based on radio shack SPL meter**

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typical SPLs of rock drums

typical SPLs of rock drums

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