This is a common question Fun DMC gets when we’re talking with brides about performing at their wedding reception.  The idea of a live band conjures up the idea of stacks of speakers, giant guitar amps, and loud crashing drums, and that’s not usually not the atmosphere that everyone wants during their special day. The last thing you want to do is to drive your guests away or hurt someone’s ears with volume.

Fun DMC is pretty conscientious about this issue, so much so that we built our sound system with the idea of volume control at the top of the list, not just for attendees at our events, but for ourselves as well.  When you play an instrument within a few feet of those giant speakers or loud drums, musicians are doing long-term damage to their hearing.  Every aging rocker has the same story at the end of their career – “I wish I had protected my ears.”  With the technology of audio equipment available these days, we wanted to be able to maintain our hearing when we’re older, not to mention not have to have that loud ringing sound echoing through our head after every performance.

Stage Volume

This is why we made the decision early-on to utilize in-ear monitor units for our live performances.  In-ear monitors are a Godsend for controlling stage volume and being able to have complete control over what each band member is hearing, but at a comfortable volume level.  It also eliminates the need for large, loud floor monitors on-stage, fighting over the volume of amps and drums, and competing for volume against the speakers that face the audience.  Half the speakers = half the volume.  It also means that our sound operator can keep the overall volume more controlled and at a comfortable listening level for the guests.  This also affords us to keep our amplifiers at a lower volume, since we can put them as loud as we want inside our earbuds.

While this was a costly investment up front, we feel that having this level of safety for our hearing and overall control of our volume was crucial for our group and important for people hearing us perform.

Perception

Despite this equipment set up, it’s still hard to mentally separate the idea that a live wedding band could actually be a reasonable volume.  This past January, when we performed in our booth at the Elegant Bridal Expo (using digital drums, so there were no live instruments), the event organizers received numerous complaints overall our volume.  This was in a large conference center with numerous DJs at all points of the room.  Knowing that this could be a concern, we had gone around to a number of spots in the room with a decibel reader, so we could show that we were actually quieter than any of the DJs in the room!  Once we showed that to the organizers, we had no problem.  This was not indicative of how loud the DJs were – they were playing music at a very, very reasonable level – certainly quieter than would be expected at a wedding reception – it just goes to show that sometimes the mind plays tricks when trying to separate what you’re expecting to hear versus what you’re actually hearing.

By the way, if you are a bride to be, make sure you get to the Elegant Bridal Expo.  It’s the best-run wedding show we’ve ever been a part of and is run by some incredible people.

Reality

That isn’t to say that we don’t take care to make sure we’re “quieter than a DJ”.  When we play an reception, we set the volume at the same level you would expect to hear at a reception. We also take things into consideration like:

• room size
• room makeup (some higher ceilings carry volume differently than lower ones)
• placement of band (near guests or not)
• overall feel of event

Ultimately, we make sure we are loud enough to capture the energy that people want to feel when they dance, but controlled enough to be able to carry a conversation in another part of the room.  We’re proud to say that we’ve never been asked to turn down the volume at a wedding, but we also continually adjust volumes per the needs of the songs and our sound operator is constantly checking different spots in the room to make sure that the “spread” of sound is equally distributed.

Help Us Help You

Finally, here are a few tips to help make sure that volume is never an issue at your reception.

1. Make sure you approve the placement of the band before the day of the reception.  If the band is familiar with the venue, then they might have an idea about the logistics and acoustics of the room and can plan in advance.  Be sure to talk with them before they arrive and begin setting up to see if they have any concerns.  Try to stay away from areas with lower ceilings than the rest of the room as that can make the sound project awkardly.
2. Place the band near the dance floor and, if possible, do not place any guests directly against their set up.  It will always be louder in that area.  Elderly guests are especially sensitive to loud noise.  Help make everyone’s time more enjoyable and seat people away from the designated music area.
3. Place the band in an area where they have plenty of room for their system.  Fun DMC has been able to squeeze into some TINY spaces (the previously mentioned wedding show booth for example was an 8×10 foot area), but we do our best for controlling sound when we have a little more room to work with.  This is also something that should be discussed in advance.

Keep in mind, you hired a wedding band to improve the entertainment for your event, not hurt it with a wall of loud noise.  We are passionate about what we do and want to make your reception a memorable night, so if you have any concerns about volume and sound requirements for your wedding band, please contact us.  We’d love to set your mind at ease and leave you to enjoying your reception!