Re: Competition volume
 

Meh. They're only queuers. :rolleyes:

Re: Competition volume
 

If you have a problem with sound levels at North Star, find any key volunteer (like myself!) And we'll see what we can do to get it fixed. Even though I run out to the field and back all the time, the speakers are pointed such that I don't get the full blast in the areas I'm in... The people sitting at the desk behind the field don't know that it's too loud unless they're told!

Re: Competition volume
 

One thing that I should mention is that many of the events are probably louder than they need to be without knowing it due to the speaker and DJ placement. If the person with control over the volume is behind the speakers, he/she may be tuning it to how he/she likes it from his/her position. It could start the day fine, but it may get louder gradually as the crowd gets louder and the DJ turns up the volume to compensate so he/she can still hear it about as well as he/she did in the morning.

Either way, just telling people to put on hearing protection is a less than optimal solution. I tried it in semifinals match 4 at the Colorado regional and was unable to hear my coach or co-driver accurately, especially if I was saying something at the same time (since your own voice feels amplified when you wear earplugs or earmuffs). Communication becomes hampered and that could lead to other safety concerns, especially if drivers pulling robot carts can't hear instructions from field crew members because of the earplugs.

Re: Competition volume
 

I think it's very much dependent on the location. I had no troubles with sound levels at Toronto Central (held at the old Maple Leaf Gardens) and at North Bay (held at one of the basketball courts at Nipissing University). Hockey games are way louder. Though the crowd noise got pretty intense at the finals in North Bay!

Re: Competition volume
 

Actually I thought GTCR was the loudest event I went to this year.

Re: Competition volume
 

GTRC certainly had some sound issues with the bass reverberating through the entire arena, so much so that we had to stop talking for moments at a time while waiting for it to end, and that was just the pits, it was worse in queue.

Re: Competition volume
 

Now that you mention it yes I do remember a LOT of bass at times.

But I don't remember having any problem with conversation in the stands, and you could even go up to the floor level above the stands for a relatively quite place to work or chat.

As an "older fella" (well, I'm 36 :rolleyes: ) I am sensitive to really loud music and sounds, I will not attend many live concerts for this reason, but nothing at GTRC made my ears ring or hurt or caused major discomfort, at least not to the level that other people are describing at some other regionals.

Re: Competition volume
 

I appreciate this thread. If only it were named "Petition to lower sound levels at events." ;)

Sound levels at events are a definite safety concern that we must not ignore as an organization.

At Ventura this year, the sound was perfect. At Long Beach this year, as it has been in years past, the sound was dangerously loud. I had sustained muffled hearing for a considerable duration after, and I didn't spend all that long in the arena. At a few points, I had to leave the arena. The MC mic consistently peaks out on the higher tones on the Long Beach speakers, because he yells into the mic. It needs to be toned down a bit at that particular event. Everyone will still be just as excited. Everyone will still be able to hear it.

Re: Competition volume
 

C.O.R.E. 2062 has offered earplugs to anyone visiting our pit. We have attempted to contact FIRST offering to put up earplug dispensers at championship. Haven't heard back, but in all honesty I'm not sure if the students knew how to exactly contact the correct person.

At the very least, stop by our pit to get earplugs and check the db readings we take throughout the day.

Re: Competition volume
 

The loudest I've experienced were at the Championship. It seems that if you sit at the wrong seats in the stands, the speakers are blasting directly at you. I'm really curious to see how attempt to deal with the extra fields on the dome. I hope they don't just turn up the volumn more because people can hear the other fields.

Re: Competition volume
 

FIRST definitely sees this issue and is looking at what could fix it, but it is really up to the Regional's EM and VC to keep the volume at a reasonable level. PNW recieves many complaints about the sounds, ranging from what is being played to how loud it is. During week 2, the TD and I spent a bit of time finding the optimal loudness of the speakers from the closest and furthest points in the stands. We measured 80-85 dBa, based on the size of the venue, to be the optimal level. We then tested what would happen if we lowered the volume to like 70. In short, don't do it. It kills the atmosphere of the event. Even songs like YMCA could only revive the crowd for so long.

Re: Competition volume
 

I would like to thank the sound crew at Hub City this year for keeping it at a reasonable level. It wasn't hard to discuss strategy in the queue, and talking to volunteers was fully possible as well. In addition, this was the first time I have ever been able to hear the robot over the music through the alliance wall, and that helped us diagnose an issue with our drivetrain during a match. The crowd seemed as though they weren't fazed by the volume being lower than previous years.

Re: Competition volume
 

Bayou had some baddddddd bass, it was way to much.

Re: Competition volume
 

At the Great Lakes Bay Region District this year, several teams from an area of the stands complained about high sound levels due to a speaker that was positioned directly behind them on the second floor walkway. We (the A/V crew at the event) could only turn the volume down slightly, as lowering it further would create issues for spectators in other areas of the gym.

We couldn't relocate the speaker because of limited cable length, and since the speakers were daisy chained, removing it would cut off every speaker past it in the chain too. Eventually we alleviated the issue by rotating the speaker about 90 degrees (pointing it down the 2nd floor walkway rather than out over the edge of it), but it served as a good reminder to us for future events to always have someone checking where and how the guy that drops off the sound equipment places and hooks things up.

Re: Competition volume
 

I'm glad someone finally brought this up, it's ****ing ridiculous and dangerous, I'm seriously pissed off that anyone seems to think that that level of volume is acceptable, let alone for 9 hours a day at an event that is 3 days long. This is completely absurd, I'm definitely taking this up with whoever is managing the sound board at SVR because I can almost guarantee they will (like always) being playing music at a dangerous volume and I'd like to not go deaf before I graduate from college. My ears should be physically in pain when I go down to the queuing area. smh