The company dBControl is active in the field of sound level measurements at large scale events. This means dance events, pop concerts and 3 day festivals. In practice we're working at events with more than 5000 visitors

Naming a few events at which dBControl was present: Lowlands, Mysteryland, dance party's at the Amsterdam Rai congres centre and the Jaarbeurs congress centre in Utrecht. Other events are sound guarding near a tv studio with live music and measurements around average sport stadiums in the Netherlands. Besides sound level measurements and an official report dBControl is also capable of making a scientific calculation beforehand about the sound radiation of an event. And there's also the specialised advice about loudspeaker stacking to prevent unwanted noise...

Due to many years of experience dBControl has developed a wireless system which displays the measured sound level of the neighbours place at a central computer display at the festival terrain. If the spot is 100 meters away (the stage) or if the microphone is 600 meters away, everything is up and running for as many days as you like.

The forces between the various parties involved in an event are described as: - the local government, which gives the permit, - the organiser or promoter who is the licensee and wants to come back next year, - the sound engineers of the PA rental company, - the sound engineer of the act or DJ with specific demands about the sound level. dBControl forms the chain between these various and different parties during an event. Most of the time dBControl is working by order of the promoter and is reporting directly to this principal. dBControl is in continuous contact with the parties. Eventually dBControl can be ordered as sound guard. This means that a specialised employee of dBControl is responsible for the sound level at the PA systems.

The underlying conditions for the sound level measurements are the demands of the local governments in the Netherlands, which state more often that level measurements need to be done continuously during an event. This is written explicitly in the licensing act

The municipality gives the license permit which states the measurement points and the granted sound levels. Most of the time this is at the neighbours place but sometimes it could be at the source (stage). By means of an antenna the levels are transmitted to a central computer and displayed on a large screen. Every measurement parameter is logged, also wind and temperature conditions. Measurements can run for many days full automatic. A written report is made on a daily base.

On the 12th of january 2001 there was the NOORDERSLAG Seminar in Groningen, Netherlands. M.Sc. Marcel A. Kok has presented a lecture on behalf of dBControl. The title was "Sound level measurements at large scale events". The presentation can be downloaded as a PowerPoint file here.

More information at:
Accounts, events and projects: Kabel info@dBControl.nl
Technics, Acoustics and R&D: Marcel info@dBControl.nl
030-2670711 - fax 030-2670712