How Loud is Too Loud? With David Grissom and Matt Schofield

Today I am joined by tow of my good friends and MONSTER guitarists David Grissom and Matt Schofield. We cover a number of topics but mainly amp volume!
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#davidgrissom #mattschofield #amps

[@ChrisDN]

I still remember a gig I played where the sound guy told us, "You need to turn your amps down as low as they'll go and let the PA do the work". Like it was the most obvious thing in the world. So we did it and showed him what that would be like and he just didn't understand why our guitars were now clean and the PA "wasn't working".

[@kevon217]

“ride the tone”, great description

[@earlfarrior2100]

Great show and great info. Thanks to all.

[@j.staley7425]

Enjoyed this very much. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experiences.

[@fivewattworld]

Love this!

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks man!!

[@JoseG-2023]

Great discussion!

[@rcolang1]

excellent, thank you!

[@jimmyjams1974]

Great conversation!

[@dldavidmusic]

Sure do appreciate this discussion. It really helps to get an understanding of how loud the amp and cabinet are to get the killer tones. I thought David’s comment about how it feels under your hands is spot on. Responsiveness. Ironically, I got my tinnitus when I started using in-ears and got a blast from a late addition to the mix. It’s an immediate tragedy. Thanks for putting this one together Jeff!

[@robhead22]

Awesome! And with a trio of my heroes!!

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thank you!!

[@robhead22]

Great discussion! I miss playing in bands! Thank you!

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks for watching!

[@RogerThat902]

I'll be honest, I loved loud music as a kid and younger person, but these days nothing kills me wanting to see a show out like experiencing something that's "too loud" I do think that level depends on the artist and playing style, but there is nothing worse than sitting in a show that is painful. That's why I think we are going to see things get quieter and quieter.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Agreed as we said no one likes to be pummeled with volume. There is an appropriate volume for each gig and venue. Usually. It’s set by the drummer. But if you are playing the music styles we do, a certain volume is required for it to be played properly.

[@leohernandezcolonful]

Earplugs for the listener is an option.

[@johnpeterson5354]

Same here . . . . once it's too loud, it sucks . . .

[@44dognut]

depends on the show, if its a punk rock gig you want the volume to tear your face off

[@J.C...]

@@JeffMcErlain the only recent show I've been to was when Kenny Wayne opened up his tour here in his hometown last February 2022. We were at The Historic Strand Theater and Kenny's volume level was perfect. Me? I could've taken another notch on the volume lol but otherwise it was GREAT! His Dumbles were SINGING! It was absolutely IN-FREAKIN-CREDIBLE!

[@Wermode]

My faves all in one place. Unbelievable players and great people. Love the shirt, Matt-my first ZZ Top album back in the day! Go to a gig with players with different levels of gear quality. Bad equipment loud is painful. Good equipment and good players loud sounds great and somehow doesn’t hurt like the shrill stuff. And like David says, without loud, there can’t be wide dynamics. Thanks, Jeff.

[@davidLPST]

Awesome Jeff,

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks!!

[@MrDavemiley]

i have met few Sound guys that really knew what they were doing ! If the band and the music is not cluttered , nothing wrong with a nice strong sound on the loud side. I've seen David Grissom at the Saxon Pub twice .Not a really large venue and he was never too loud !

[@henryrodriguez2054]

The loudest sound you can hear is 'SILENCE'. I worked in computer rooms at large data centers. Back in the day when everything was in one room, tape drives, printers, and blazers (giant air conditioners) 8-12hrs a day. Once in the middle of the day, there was a power out. Everything went down and the SILENCE was defining. You could feel the weight of it. Plus my wife was always complaining that I talked too loud. I didn't notice it and neither did anyone that worked in that environment. You had to raise your voice just to be heard in the middle of all that equipment humming. It still haunts me to this day. I worked in data centers for 38yrs. And at 71yrs of age, I still speak loudly. In my youth, I played Guitar and Bass in rock bands. We were never too loud as far as we were concerned. LOL!

[@gregcameron5079]

We live over a mile from our local High School and the marching band practices outside and we hear it loud and clear. So, live music is loud. I can pretty much play at any volume I want here at home, even with windows open. Rock music is supposed to be loud, but it should not be so loud that your killing peoples ears. So I agree that the tonality of the sound is what really matters.

[@wakinginfinity]

Great chat!

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks! It was fun.

[@johnjames1813]

Great discussion!! Played in hard rock 3pc band in late 70s.100watt superlead full stack for 2 years. After that, got more quiet. 50 watt superlead with a 4x12. Still play. I'm 64. Sometimes I I have a hard time hearing..partly age, mostly from loud amps.

[@scottbee501]

I like loud when it’s used to get that certain tone. It’s the constant piercing ice pick that’s tough to handle. But the tastefully loud with “brown” treble I love. I did see Eric Johnson in an old theatre in Bloomington, Illinois and he was beautifully loud.

[@tracyfarmer2287]

So great ! The cool cats !

[@JeffMcErlain]

Ha!!

[@cjselim]

3 greats!

[@willdenham]

'Loud enough to take matters into my own hands.' Now there's an answer.

[@WickBeavers]

Thanks be, I will never have to worry about this problem. I played a church basement, an elementary school gym, back in ‘65, we had 3 guitars, a Princeton and one guy’s dad’s movie projector that had a little speaker in it… phew! Nobody even mentioned the volumes cuz the guy beating his little Ludwig snare made all the noise. Still, it’s interesting to hear this chat, thanks.

[@glennmartin4232]

Great topic, I gigged a lot in the late seventies and early eighties when playing loud was almost a demand. I always used 100 watt Marshall’s turned way up. So did the other guitarist. Pub gigs had a lot of natural soak and somehow it would get absorbed. My ears have paid the price but that era was some of the best band music ever played and as a rock guitarist the mist fun you could ever have. The other thing was the PA speakers and monitors were not as . efficient as FOH technology today. That made a huge difference with stage volume

[@AZFunk]

Great chat! I have a drummer with the deadly cymbal issue, it's just crushing...but yeah....my pet peeve is that sound guy that puts drums and bass in the monitor mix (much less how loud you know they're putting that in the mains), then tells the guitar to turn down. I've developed a polite but firm No vibe on this, with an explanation that if they insist on keeping me low on stage and in the mix, I am certain I can overpower them from the stage, ruining everyone's night, so how about we work together to ensure the audience gets a musical show, and not just a drum & bass circle.

[@macshock632]

Super interesting and important topic. Lot’s of great insight. I’ve never played on a big stage just small clubs. I am a hobby intermediate player. I would love to hear more about this. Pa volume vs stage volume. What is necessary to keep up with un drummer. What is loud in db terms on stage. What is the point of player using several 100w amp on stage if 1 alone blows you away. Why then hiding them in the basement. Why not just having less. Lot’s of questions at least for me.

[@stratman808]

They need to play this to sound tech students on the syllabus at uni, and get them on the same page for old school bands.

[@Phloored]

I also use a db meter on my phone. I find 75 to 82 or 3 is fine for listening. I tested louder but it's not necessary to hear all the details and dynamics i love so much.

[@erajad]

33:55 Allman Brothers, eh? I've heard Jack Pearson tell the story of how he had to leave that gig because his ears just couldn't take it. That's _gotta_ be "too loud"! Fascinating the phases through which the conversation moved - from initial assertions that "I can play louder!", to considering all the spaces and ways in which sound can be surprisingly oppressive (or NOT, in the case of The Who!). Was great to listen in. While I'm at it, a couple of loud stories of my own: As a teenager in the 70s, my brother took me to an Eric Clapton concert in Toronto (the 461 Ocean Blvd tour). We were sat in "Row J" (so 10 rows back from the stage) in a ~14,000 seater arena. I remember in particular the extended outro to "Let It Grow" - it felt like the music was physically washing over me. My ears rang for three days after that one. I've never had quite that experience again, but at a nephew's wedding just pre-COVID, the band at the reception (good covers band) was LOUD. A pretty big function room, and from a good 100' away, my SPL meter on my phone was ticking at 110db. Couldn't stay in that room very long without pain! Definitely not "good loud"! Anyway, thanks for the chat - appreciated it.

[@ryans9029]

105-110fb is proper rock music.

[@emdblues]

@@ryans9029 yes, when you're close to the amps/stage, not from 15m away

[@ryans9029]

@@emdblues wrong.

[@TheSpydersBand]

I had the privilege of learning in person from each one of these guys. Jeff back in the ‘90s at the National Guitar Summer Workshop in my first attempt at learning guitar. David and Matt this past February at Guitar Workshop Plus with the added benefit of now knowing more than two positions of Am pentatonic. And I have to be the only lead p,Ayer in a band whose bandmates are constantly telling hime to play LOUDER.

[@JeffMcErlain]

The NGW! Wow!

[@TheSpydersBand]

@@JeffMcErlain Dave S., Matt “BMOC” Smith, Harry J., Mark D., Murali, Dennis, Looouuu, and many more. Guest artists from Ronnie Earl and Kenny “Sounds Good!” Neal to Frank Gambale and Adrian Legg. Ages from 10 to 90, from Tennessee insurance trainer to NYC heart surgeon to Arizona prison guard all sitting at the same dinner table talking about guitar and music all day and night for a week.

[@zacharyoliver1325]

Funny...I saw Eric Johnson back in the 90s in an outdoor setting in Hawaii. His Marshalls were loud, but clear. They sounded great. What was interesting was when Eric switched to his clean amps. I think they were Twins. OMG. Every time he switched to a clean part, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. It sounded great because he's so clean, precise. I could imagine, though, that in the hands of someone less refined, those Twins would've spelled the end for any small, wild animals in the immediate vicinity.

[@rschelyoung8705]

Just got home from a gig on an outdoor stage. I turned up nicely but maybe too much.. no time for elaborate Mon mixes and we were off - couldn't hear enough of anyone else to be subtle in my playing. As we only play bars we're not used to asking for things in the monitors. Lesson learned

[@cgoebbert]

I hosted a Brian Setzer clinic at Guitar Center Hollywood in 1997 and he had 3 Bassman heads & 2x12’s cranked way up and between the amps and his brilliant playing on the Gretsch and my ears were toast after about 20 min. Had my ears ringing for days. That and the Smashing Pumpkins at the forum at the height of their fame and had to leave about an hour in, it was so painful. Oh! And The Who at the forum doing Quadraphenia and fucking hell they were loud!

[@Bamabluesboy]

Schofield says is at 12:50. Ride the tone with BIG notes and it makes you play not so many of them.

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

Getting the EQ to sit where it's most balanced in your ears requires that the amp be aimed at you. Perhaps a second (or event third amp) could deliver a similar experience to an audience. How can the artist hear what the audience hears so as they are each connected to the other? I have sent my guitar trough the PA (shared by the horns and vocalist) to gain some wider spread and tolerable balance (with having access to any sort of "sound guy"). For me, I need to hear the overall effort to feel connected with a performers - even when I know "my sound" is compromised. My biggest grip with a dedicated venue is the false reliance on not having to do a soundcheck. That sort of laziness never fails to dissappoint someone in the room.

[@brandinogibson1273]

Really interesting. I play in a local cover band. Been together a year, first real band. And played a couple festivals and got the, keep your stage volume down, I'll control what the audience here's. Trouble has been, once we got going all I could hear was vocals through monitors and drums. At one point a couple weeks ago a had to go stand in front of my amp. That said, watching videos friends recorded on phones, sound was pretty good.

[@sundance222]

Man using a loadbox for a full up Plexi, into power amps to chill the volume, then use Clearsonic shields. To get my sound, a Plexi JMP has to be up full. The loadbox/Van Halen/Bradshaw is how I tame the beast. Especially in ear monitors

[@denmar355]

Anything over 95db for extended periods will cause damage. Flirting with over 100db for long will pretty much guarantee you’re hurting your hearing for later in life. I’m 62 and have debilitating tinnitus, and upper frequency hearing loss as well. I loved loud music as a teen. Then served in the USMC. I wish I have taken better care of my hearing now.

[@JeffMcErlain]

I’m sorry to hear that. I have tinnitus too, not caused by me but a drummer who was drunk on the gig and kept bashing. I am an avid earplug wearer, even on low volume gigs. I’ve gotten used to the sound, so when we say loud, we are not talking ear splitting. It just seems lately many spaces want it too low in volume as to the point it changes the performance of the music. A jazz trio can be really loud too. But tinnitus is a bear, mine is not debilitating, but it is constant. I feel for you and it is terrible. My friends in the military have the same issue.

[@frankadams4586]

For me, there’s “comfortably” loud and painfully loud. At 59, if it’s loud and doesn’t hurt, I am staying. If it hurts, I’m out. This perspective is formed after over 40 years playing electric guitar in bands.

[@leohernandezcolonful]

Thanks for the video! The issue I have with many venues today is volume. Always gigged with 50 watt amps and up when I was a kid but now it is forbidden. I hate it. I use the dynamics of my gear to make my music and smaller wattage amps just don’t respond the same. Even with overdrive pedals, I can’t get what I get from my amps being pushed. I had a guy tell me I was too loud and the. I heard back the audio from audience perspective and sound board and all you can hear was kick, bass and vocals. Guitars were somewhat there. Pretty ridiculous.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Glad you enjoyed it. I think David nailed it when he said the sound guy became the boss.

[@terrimac7993]

Isn't this a problem with the sound man mixing and not your stage volume.

[@immanuelkuhrt8508]

Pete Townsend has compared his tinnitus to having a vacuum cleaner next to his ears.

[@AndiPicker]

Actually got asked to turn up by the sound guy at my last gig, unfortunately just before we started playing, AFTER the soundcheck. Couldn't hear a damned thing other than my cab and the snare - that was fun.

[@hanoverfist07]

If you’re playing in a club/bar situation if the waitresses can’t hear what people want to drink the bar owners not going to be happy and if your not flexible enough to tone it down. You won’t get hired again.

[@no59do56]

Saw Johnny Winter. front table in front of stage..🤯

[@toddmoore2324]

This subject has been on my mind of late. I love music at fairly loud levels, but I've been to some club shows and even one major concert (Hank Williams Jr's Rowdy Friends Tour) where the volume level was actually uncomfortable for me. Guitar has to be loud to get through the mix most times, but too much of it can ruin things sonically for me.

[@admarhermans1]

🎯

[@ericgruber_guitarded]

Robin Trower is loud but his top end is not piercing at all. Absolutely amazing tone and feel live.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Well yeah. Trower! 😂🤘

[@BITESIZEJONES]

Agreed

[@ericgruber_guitarded]

@@JeffMcErlain and the same goes for Landau too. Loud but top end isn’t piercing. I really agree loud is good but the top end is what makes you blink and bite down 😂

[@toddmoore2324]

Indeed.

[@gregmize01]

I gig with a Mesa 25w 1-12 and only have issues NOT hearing it at outdoor shows.

[@willdenham]

It's funny he mentions Eddie. Ed talked in interviews about in the early days, how almost every bar they played on the strip would yell at him to turn down the plexi, which he absolutely refused to do.

[@tomminet]

Whenever I see these guys, I always want to sit up close to see the playing, but that means that I've now had tinnitus for years and have to wear various high tech ear plugs. Have to learn to sit further back, lol

[@macshock632]

I saw Matt in Basel at a small gig. He had his TwoRock. Tone was delicious. Volume was perfect. I would guess around 95db were I was sitting.

[@ryans9029]

95db? 🤣 Live music at 95db? 🥱

[@macshock632]

@@ryans9029 were I was sitting:-)

[@justinguitarcia]

Id be so interesting to play a gig with a 100watter. Ive been gigging for 15 years but thats still something ive never experienced. I still play pretty loud though, usually a redplate tweedyverb or a victoria bassman (outdoors), pretty beefy stuff but never a 4x12. Would love to try it one day, that and eventually a two rock (one day!). Great convo, thanks Jeff!

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks Justin! At this point 100 watters seem to only be realistic at outdoor gigs!

[@tonedowne]

4x12 are the real deal. The head doesn’t need to be 100w to feel the benefit. Last time I played a 4x12 was with a 20w head and it was properly loud. The difference going from a 2x12 to a 4x12 feels exponential. I think 50w with a 4x12 is the sweet spot.

[@Tonetwisters]

I am a player of 60 years. I have come to the conclusion (with some roaring ears working me over 24/7) that a 40 watt amp is plenty for guitar, maybe 60 for bass.

[@JeffMcErlain]

I’d agree depending on how much clean headroom the amp has.

[@paulwesley6256]

I agree. Played many clubs and bars with 40 watt Fender Blues Deluxe with Telecaster. Largest event we played was for 1,000 people on full stage set up - we just mic’d the amps and drums and the sound guy mixed it all. Worked fine!

[@Youtubemademeaddahandle]

For me, 80dB at my ears is great. Ideally, 80dB at everyone's ears. Music must balance. I want to hear it all without any one instrument (or vocals) dominating.

[@garrysimmons111]

I'm just a weekend warrior in a rock band that plays shitty little local bars. I'm 62. Stage volume is the enemy of a good mix for the audience. The quiet stage approach (no amps, IEMs) works for us. Yes, it's very different than the old days (80s, 90s) but the audience gets a good mix at a sane volume and the club owner/staff are happy that they don't have to shout at people. Of course, once you move to larger clubs and theatres there is a lot more room for stage volume not to kill the audience.

[@8sigreg]

I have a great boutique 12 watt tube amp that, at full volume into its 10” speaker, is just right about four feet in front of it. I can get feedback on demand and turn down the guitar volume and clean it up. And still the sound man started complaining. I refuse to play there because of him. My biggest amp is a 1x12” combo with 35 watts, and I know how to set it up for bigger rooms, so it’s not painful, but it’s definitely comfortably loud enough to make the guitar sound good. The band has to sound cohesive and I don’t want to hurt my ears or anyone else’s, but the guitar needs some acoustic-coupling with the amp to sound right.

[@chrisquinn9104]

Volume aside, when I play more that one amp at once it can be problematic, because “which amp am I playing?” It can feel like my attention is divided. Clearly people get great results, but when I see Joe B and 5+ amps, I don’t get it. That said, blending a Hiwatt and a Marshall type gainy amp is pretty killer

[@TAM-gz5tc]

2 50 watt combos are the best all around rig

[@no59do56]

Read a article about tom petty and the heartbreakers. Yrs went by before they realized a smaller amp could work and sound good..

[@willdenham]

I always knew how the gig was going to go and how much we'd be shorted when the bar manager would stick his head into, say the seperate room with a stage in it, and yell at us to turn it down. As though they didn't notice from our demo and the equipment we brought in that we were a rock band.

[@PaulBaughman2142]

All I ever do is play at jam sessions or sit in with other bands. I'm overly conscious of blasting too loud and getting the band busted out of their gig. Consequently, I can never hear myself enough to play well.

[@MrPeeBeeDeeBee]

Live gig/concert dynamics have largely disappeared because PAs go down to 25hz now and FOH guys push 30 to 80hz at the same db levels as everything else? Why? IMHO because they can.... Back in the day it was loud but not every frequency was loud. Gating and compression doesn't help dynamics either.

[@jldkrank]

15 watt tube head, can point or isolate my 1x12 cab in any direction or plexi or baffle it if need be. I have yet to find a venue where this wasn't an acceptable compromise.

[@JeffMcErlain]

It’s different for everyone. 15 watts doesn’t have enough clean headroom for the kind music the we all play.

[@jldkrank]

@@JeffMcErlain fair enough! even at its most dirty, my matchless spitfire is still "clean" depending on what you think clean is. I've still not been in a venue where it wasn't enough, granted I don't play huge venues.

[@no59do56]

Seen Chris Duarte small club 3x..

[@robert_starling]

I saw Dick Dale in Bakersfield, CA and had front stage seats. Even with earplugs it was ridiculous and uncomfortable.

[@no59do56]

Duke Robillard 😊👍

[@virtuososo]

Loudest concert I've been to? Probably Tesla at the New Daisy Theatre in Memphis. Frank Hannon had a full Marshall stack, and that was too much for the room size - so the PA was brought up to match, I assume. Luckily, I had my ER-15 molded musician plugs with me. Otherwise, I think I would have had to leave to save my ears. It was OSHA-emergency loud!

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

Hearing protection is required before it gets uncomfortable

[@buddylobos5277]

SRV and Geoffrey Arnold Beck together Northrup Auditorium U of MN seats 3 K. Friends complained about Stevie being way, way louder the Jeff. They were mid-seated. Me 3rd row. Thought it was great. Yeah Stevie was much louder. Sweet spot on my Origin 20 is me backed off a bit, like Matt says. (Still have my DSL 100 for emergencies.) 1997, G-3 filming same venue, Eric Johnson, Steve Via and Joe Satch. Via was loudest but, listenable. Up front then. Bought Via's LP "Fire Garden". That was almost un-listenable. At final mix Every studio fader must have been at 12! Somebody must have said "No , Just turn them all up". (ps. We love Robben!) Great one John, tell JEFF thanks.. Much appreciated.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Who’s John? 😂

[@buddylobos5277]

@@JeffMcErlain Too many names this early. Sorry Jeff.

[@JeffMcErlain]

@@buddylobos5277 ha! Just having fun with you. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@buddylobos5277]

@@JeffMcErlain Yeah I know. That why I spelled out Becks name. Well back to 'Billy Sugar Blues' video.

[@Zepster77]

No matter how expensive your ear plugs are, if you are getting hit with sound waves loud enough they will penetrate anyone’s headspace resulting in inner ear damage. So says I, the Untrained Nose…. 🌠❤‍🔥🌠 Stay safe good people

[@nickf2170]

Much like drugs....people think, oh I can handle it, only other people will have a problem with that. Sound above 80 db for extended periods of time WILL damage your hearing, not maybe, WILL.

[@marvelharris9540]

lots of truth spoken here.. Let's hope this trend of no amps on stage and in ears dies soon

[@barkeater9606]

If the amp isn’t pushing enough air to move your pants, it’s not load enough! 😏

[@mykneeshurt8393]

"if it's too loud, you're too old" :) 😀

[@Bamabluesboy]

David has a Boss Metal Zone hooked up to his microphone.

[@davegilmer_Storyville4Life]

Yeah but he’s got a gold KLON in the chain so he’s good!🤣

[@youKnowWho3311]

I'm sure Dick Dale would wring out a twin. I only ever used 1 twin on about 4. early 2000's.

[@robhead22]

!!

[@nathanpickett202]

Guthrie Govan is gigging with an FM9.

[@jasonlee8497]

When you have to scream in someone’s ear, and they still ask…what!?

[@Ibanezguy2007]

I work as a professional guitarist, gigging every week in the UK - and you wouldn't believe some of the limits venues have in place. I regularly have to wrestle with 80 db sound limiters (a good one is 95db) that literally cut the whole power if you go over it. It's insane. And sound guys over here, if they even hear a whisper of guitar coming from on stage they tell you to turn it down. Silent stages everywhere. One London venue I do, they have an electric drum kit and no speakers on stage (all in ears) and I took them out half way through and I could literally hear my electric guitar strings acoustically more than what was coming out front. It's a joke! And guitarists are complicit in this by using these stupid modellers because everyone is too scared to be heard.

[@rschelyoung8705]

Was going to say it, then Matt did: robben ford loudest onstage tone I've ever experienced - real punch in the gut visceral volume

[@JeffMcErlain]

Ha! Yes I’ve never played louder then when I play with Robben.

[@587583922]

I pretty much always wear earplugs when I listen to live music. Turning down isn’t the answer…it doesn’t feel right for anybody. It just doesn’t work. Bonamassa at the Ryman was one of the concerts that didn’t need the plugs. It was fine.

[@JeffMcErlain]

I making a video basically talking about this. Music gets loud and turning down doesn’t work. So, earplugs. Thanks for making this point.

[@ebeep]

It’s about the lowest volume in your dynamic range being audible.

[@J.C...]

Yea. I'm not to the point that I can really play all that loud, yet. Wayyyy too much string noise and any movement I make is amplified 100x so I've got stuff to work on, still. I can turn it up somewhat loud and I only play at home so it's not like I need to turn it up. I still do crank it up every now and then just for fun 😁 Back to the Future, anyone?? 🤣 I've wanted to be Marty McFly since the first time I watched BTTF 👌

[@no59do56]

Magic Slim rip. Seen BB KING. LOUD...😊

[@no59do56]

Lil ed and the blues imperials. All good loud

[@bongo357]

I though it was just me Im not sure if I even like playing out anymore lol

[@telecasterdisasteronestrin1909]

LOL I have jammed with Motorhead and Blue Oyster Cult and that is the absolute loudest shit ever--- dumb not to use hearing protection.. just did not even know better....

[@7171jay]

Sad to see that the only discussion of actual decibels/ SPL levels was David mentioning this about his home studio or practice and not about volume on stage. Loud really means nothing if you don't actually quantify it. Also using a db app on your phone is terribly inaccurate at louder volumes as the microphone on a phone has a limiter on it so there is no way to get an accurate reading at higher volumes. You need a real dedicated db meter.

[@InGratitudeIam]

I love loud music. 85 dB for more than 30 minutes will cause hearing loss. 3 dB is double the sound pressure level. So, 88 dB is twice as loud as 85 dB. Music can sound great at loud volumes because it enhances certain frequencies in the body. What's your hearing worth?

[@JeffMcErlain]

Sure. We discussed earplugs etc. It's about the right kind of loud in the right situation. We are all careful with our hearing but a lot of it is an occupational hazard. My violinist friend has to wear plugs too, especially with an orchestra. It's about being smart about it and still enjoying the music.

[@InGratitudeIam]

@@JeffMcErlain Earplugs help. The real problem is with the neck. Sound travels up the neck (mainly the arteries) into the inner ear and, if loud enough, will cause permanent hearing loss. Higher frequencies are easily defeated. It's the low frequencies that will travel through everything. BTW, I really enjoy your work and the work of your guests. Awesome stuff!

[@iraweinstein1]

3 db differences are twice the energy but not perceived to be twice as loud until about 10 db difference and that’s part of the problem….people are experiencing a lot of permanent hearing damage well before they perceive it as a loudness difference.

[@NoCoverCharge]

Huh can’t hear you … so now I like it loud so I can hear it better

[@rschelyoung8705]

One of the loudest things I've encountered was screaming at a Justin Bieber concert I took my daughter to years ago. Thousands of screaming teens - like a Eurofighter doing an airshow fly past but worse

[@NoCoverCharge]

Im an old punk rocker I like the music to not only to be loud but so loud it physically knocks you in the chest and moves you backwards … Johnny Ramone probably wouldn’t have been a good person for this panel .. but interesting video

[@starchild6347]

Please check out Liam Boehm online. He has help for tinnitus sufferers. You guys using in ear buds, sitting in front of blue-light screens, maybe diet issues that you are unaware of, alcohol, caffeine…. These are all MAJOR contributing factors to T. Working on reducing all these items listed will at least reduce the T level. Rock on friends. Sx🎸

[@JeffMcErlain]

Thanks! I’ll look into it. I certainly know my diet can make it worse, or stress, etc. Always open to new input into it.

[@shaft9000]

If it's too loud, you've either: - gotten too old or - not drunk enough

[@shaft9000]

But seriously, half of the volume problem begins with a drummer smashing cymbals like Animal.

[@tadmorrison]

If players like you won't take the lead in this modern world of 'not ear splittingly loud', we are lost.

[@marvinstorm9153]

I liked the days of no mics to backline. No monitors . Nothing. It worked.

[@Santaheckler]

Kinda like having a virtual audience imo…it’s ok and better than nothing but not the same as playing to live and loud audience. Other analogies are possible 😉👍

[@no59do56]

Sue Foley.

[@no59do56]

Buddy Guy...Derek Trucks