Has the World Gotten Louder?

[Paisley]

Is it just me, or are movies, conversations, sporting events, etc. louder now than they were 20 or so years ago? I've been to movies that were nearly at the volume of a rock concert. At the polo match I attended last weekend, there was music playing between the chuckers (periods) that was so loud I could barely carry on a conversation. Even at dances, the crowd is sometimes so noisy that you have to shout just to be heard. And some of my coworkers tend to shout into the phone.

Anyone else wish things were a little quieter?

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

Anyone else wish things were a little quieter?

Yes, mainly loud non-live music at gatherings where the point is to talk to folks

 

[Haversack]

Well, the level of desired noise is a factor in restaurant design. And over the past 20 years or so, the desired noise level has risen. In part it is because restaurantieers want a place to sound like its busy even if it is not. However, there has also been something of a shift in patrons's preferences. The younger restaurant-going demographic, (18-30 years old), now tend to avoid places which are too quiet. It is not just that quiet places are seen as being 'dead' or for old folks, there seems to be an actual dislike or uneasiness of quiet places. Since 18-30 is a desired market demographic, this preference for noise is increasingly catered to.

As to why this is, one can speculate. It will be interesting to see what happens as this population group ages and hearing starts to fade. Will volume levels keep increasing to adjust?

Haversack.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

The Twilight Zone...

Remember that old episode of Twilight Zone: Execution [1960] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734567/ where the old cowboy is released from his noose by some sort of time machine?....he's transported to modern times where the drone and din of technology drives him nearly insane. He eventually begs to be sent back where, of course, he swings from the waiting noose. It was a very poignant take on the quality of modern life.

-dixon cannon

 

[Paisley]

Interesting. A week ago, my best friend and I were at a restaurant and had to almost shout at each other across a small table. The place was busy, but all the surfaces were hard. I wondered why they didn't put in some sound absorbers, as they do in garages.

Invesco Field (the football field here in Denver) was designed to amplify crowd noise. Gee, if it's noisy, it must be more exciting, right?

I agree about the blaring canned music. At the polo match, I wanted to chat with the person I invited. But the music was so loud we could hardly hear each other. Happily, the speaker behind us malfunctioned.

I'm glad I have the options of renting movies and getting take-out instead of opting for the noose.

 

[Samsa]

The younger restaurant-going demographic, (18-30 years old), now tend to avoid places which are too quiet. It is not just that quiet places are seen as being 'dead' or for old folks, there seems to be an actual dislike or uneasiness of quiet places. Since 18-30 is a desired market demographic, this preference for noise is increasingly catered to.

As to why this is, one can speculate. It will be interesting to see what happens as this population group ages and hearing starts to fade. Will volume levels keep increasing to adjust?

Haversack.

I'm actually just the opposite. I would love to find a restaurant (or clothing store, or book store, or music store...) where I don't have to hear bad pop/elevator music playing non-stop.

 

[Katt in Hat]

Remember that old episode of Twilight Zone: Execution [1960] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734567/ where the old cowboy is released from his noose by some sort of time machine?....he's transported to modern times where the drone and din of technology drives him nearly insane. He eventually begs to be sent back where, of course, he swings from the waiting noose. It was a very poignant take on the quality of modern life.

-dixon cannon

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1962)
Also known as : "Ambrose Bierce's An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge", "La Riviere du Hibou", "Incident at Owl Creek"
PreviewDVDAboutCreditsForum
A PREVIEW OF AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE
, and the black-and-white camerawork that moves almost painfully slowly between the noose, the water, the trees. more »


SYNOPSIS
French director Robert Enrico directed this devastating short masterpiece covering the final moments of a man about to be hung for sabotage during the Civil War who is suddenly saved when the rope breaks. He then makes his way through hazardous country, trying to finally reach home. The somber mood is emphasized by the sparse movements of the soldiers, the extreme close-ups of the man about to be hung, and the black-and-white camerawork that moves almost painfully slowly between the noose, the water, the trees. Based on a story by Ambrose Bierce, the film won the short film Palme D'Or at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival and a 1964 Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Live Action, and was featured as a special episode of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/occurrence_at_owl_creek_bridge/

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

There are places where I don't really mind if it is noisy due to people talking, such as some types of bars, but in general I think the general noise level today is way too high.

Many sit-down restaurants are so loud that you can't carry on conversations with other people at the table, which is the main purpose of a sit-down restaurant in the first place.

Movies have gotten much louder even in my short lifetime, to the point where it often hurts my ears.

And live music at clubs and bars is always amplified and turned up to absurd volume levels.

 

[Rosie]

I'm actually just the opposite. I would love to find a restaurant (or clothing store, or book store, or music store...) where I don't have to hear bad pop/elevator music playing non-stop.

I agree with Samsa. What's the point of going to dinner with a friend, date, family, etc. and you can't hear them? In addition to the horrible music in many places, they all seem to have televisions everywhere, showing sports, videos, it's silly.

 

[scotrace]

We're a species designed for sound no louder than an occasional thunderclap.

No wonder deafness is a huge problem today. Our little ears are not set up to handle a constant, loud din.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think it's all part of the unfortunate notion that everything we do has to be a "multimedia experience" -- that all our senses must be stimulated to their maximum capacity at all times. And I really can't stand it.

When I was a little girl, a bunch of us neighborhood kids used to get up groups to go down to ball games at Fenway Park -- and in those days, you'd hear an electric organ playing show tunes between innings. It was loud enough to hear it, but not so loud you couldn't talk to the person next to you. The organ enhanced the experience without overwhelming it.

Now, thirty years later, they blare LOUD ROCK MUSIC between innings, thundering stuff that makes your fillings ache, and you have to yell to be heard over the din. And when 35,000 other people are doing the same thing, it gets *painful.* And for me, that really distracts from the enjoyment of the occasion.

Our culture has lost the ability to be subtle in anything -- everything, whether it's music at a ballpark or a political debate on TV or a love song on the radio, has to bludgeon you over the head, beat you senseless, and leave you gasping for air. The whole world has gotten to be like an endless trip to Chucky Cheese -- everything going on at once and none of it meaning anything. Somebody must like it, but I sure don't.

 

[pablocham]

Recorded music has gotten louder and, on average, has lost dynamic range:
http://www.barrydiamentaudio.com/loudness.htm

 

[mysterygal]

I agree also that the world has gotten 'too loud'...with the t.v., radio and what not...there's very little room left to even hear yourself think!
Me and the mister will not eat at a restraunt that is too loud...with three kids, we want to escape noise! also, wether it's just me and the husband or eating out with friends, what makes it truly enjoyable is the conversation...it's just too frustrating trying to converse if you're having to resort to shouting matches back and forth across the table during a meal

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

The whole thing sounds like a conspiracy!

Some sort of strident, cacophonious conspiracy designed to drive us all mad from stress?
Or maybe it's a well orchestrated and insidious marketing strategy? Maybe the high noise levels are designed to make us all consume at a faster rate. Restaurants for instance dislike leisurely patrons that dine and dawdle. They want to get people out in order to make room for more customers.
People I think have been encouraged to "speak up, make some noise, etc." for some time now by popular magazines and TV. I have actually noticed an increase in the individual noise level of a lot of people. It's as if they feel they must be heard, even if it's something private that they are yelling at each other about. I have noticed that these loud individuals tend to ramble on about absolutely nothing of any significance whatsoever.
Or maybe they are all going deaf from all that ambient noise? [huh]

 

[mysterygal]

actually, since I"ve personally worked at a restraunt...they really do dislike leisurely customers. The usual trick is to have the restraunt a little bit colder than what would be comfort level and the type of colors they choose tend to make people not want to stick around.
the conspiracy theory: it's all these drug manufacturers selling anti-depressants and ant-anxiety medications wanting to get all us Americans hooked on meds to calm down

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

actually, since I"ve personally worked at a restraunt...they really do dislike leisurely customers. The usual trick is to have the restraunt a little bit colder than what would be comfort level and the type of colors they choose tend to make people not want to stick around.
the conspiracy theory: it's all these drug manufacturers selling anti-depressants and ant-anxiety medications wanting to get all us Americans hooked on meds to calm down

Yes! The drug aspect also must be part of it. I thought of it but lost the thought in my fervent zeal to expose this evil plot!


(Besides, I didn't want to look like a crackpot!) lol

 

[mysterygal]

lol lost your zeal? oh no!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

lol lost your zeal? oh no!

Is there a pill I can take for that???

 

[Lady Day]

I dont just think its loudness (and it is) but its also inconsiderateness. Cell Phones with loud rings and loud callers are the biggest thorn in my ear. The piercing screech of those tones, and people not excusing themselves to a quieter place to take their call, so it becomes a part of the loudness of buss travel, construction work, and people talking 5 inches from me.


Concerts are most definately louder, to the point where the music quality distorts and you cant enjoy the artistry of the tone unless you have in ear plugs (which Ive done a few times).

Right now, as I type this, there is construction work going on outside my window, IIm hearing people down on the street yelling (Im 5 floors up) traffic, and the ever constant chime of fire engines everyday.

What is quiet anymore?

LD

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I dont just think its loudness (and it is) but its also inconsiderateness. Cell Phones with loud rings and loud callers are the biggest thorn in my ear. The piercing screech of those tones, and people not excusing themselves to a quieter place to take their call, so it becomes a part of the loudness of buss travel, construction work, and people talking 5 inches from me.


Concerts are most definately louder, to the point where the music quality distorts and you cant enjoy the artistry of the tone unless you have in ear plugs (which Ive done a few times).

Right now, as I type this, there is construction work going on outside my window, IIm hearing people down on the street yelling (Im 5 floors up) traffic, and the ever constant chime of fire engines everyday.

What is quiet anymore?

LD

Yep, concerts are an assault on the senses.
There is serious sawing and banging coming from the apartment next to mine as I'm typing this.
Quiet is out in the country somewhere.