Is overall SPL generally an issue?
Not usually for the audiences in a theater, although we do consider where we put loudspeakers so that the audience is not being needlessly deafened or offended. We do have to consider and control SPL in orchestra pits. These levels can get pretty loud. Obviously with musicians playing week in and week out, noise “dosage levels” can become a huge issue for them and the “noise at work” legislation guidelines for dealing with these problems are the same as they would be in an office or factory. Based on what people are accustomed to these days do you find any differences in the balance of the mix or levels as opposed to when you first started? And has the audience’s tolerances changed any in terms of intelligibility or levels? Yes, I think so; everyone these days has a sound system of some kind with a remote control, which is set the way they like it. Modern acting styles have altered. Actors used to sing in a more operatic style, but now singing performances are more natural in scale. Th
