Venues with Sound limiters

[nrgize 0]

Hi, Sorry would've posted earlier, Have been on Holiday for the past week and a half to sunny Blackpool!!

 

Leighton Buzzard Footbal Club

 

Leighton Buzzard United footbal club hall. Sound limiter is set really low. Which means even at Conversation level the limiter is almost peaking, which makes it really hard only using a 2 x 100watt sound system. Usually I use 2000watts so does help me taking less equipment, however still struggle with smaller system!

 

There is only 1 double socket on the wall, and that is the more convenient placed socket to use. However I resuse to plug all my gear into 1 socket. So I plug the lights into that one which is connected to the limiter, then the sound system to the socket that the cookers is plugged into in the kitchen just behind, as this socket isnt connected to the sound limiter.

[Dukesy 0]

List so far

Bancourt Hotel Torquay

Brennan's Bar St John Street Perth Scotland

Burnham Beeches Hotel Slough

Burnham Village Hall Slough

Floyd's Bar Charlton Athletic FC Greenwich South East London

Leigh Labour Club

Leighton Buzzard Footbal Club

Maxilla Hall Maxilla Walk London W10

Oaks Farm Croydon

Shropshire Golf and Country Club Shropshire

The Barbican City London

The Blazing Donkey Sandwich Kent

The Brewery The Porter Tun room London EC1

The Chestnut Tree Lea Bridge Rd Leyton E10

The Ivy House pub Peckham South East London

The white horse hotel Hertingfordbury Nr Hertford

Tithe Barn High Street Hurley Nr Maidenhead Berks SL6 5LX

Valley Hotel Ironbridge

Village Hotel Coryton Cardiff

West Bromwich Moat House Hotel

[M3KTG 0]

BRITANNIA COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL - MANCHESTER

Palatine Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 2WG (no way round this one)

 

 

BRITANNIA HOTEL STOCKPORT

Dialstone Lane, Offerton, Stockport SK2 6AG (next to where you set up are 2 doors that lead into a long coridor part way down is a power socket http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/rolleyes.gif so long as the General Manager dont see the staff dont care so long as you have some thing pluged in the sockets by he stage i.e. lamp /fan)

 

 

The Barn, Egerton House Hotel

Blackburn Rd, Lancashire, Bolton BL7 9PL, England ( this place provides a long extention for the DJ to by pass the limiter BUT its a bugger to get into to and you have to set up on a very high balconey looking down on the crowd)

 

 

 

 

 

[Eskie 0]

QUOTE (Eskie @ Jul 17 2005, 12:17 PM)

The two venues are: The Blazing Donkey in Sandwich, Kent and Oaks Farm in Croydon and funnily enough I do these two gigs on consecutive sundays in september!

Forgot to inform the outcome of these gigs.

The Blazing Donkey was no problem whatsoever and there was no sign of a limiter at all http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/thumbup.gif

Oaks Farm was a far different story and the limiter went off twice just from the crowd singing along, which put a real dampener on the night as I had to ask them to sing along much quieter http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/sad.gif

When these limiters aren't set correctly (as was the case at this venue) all they do is annoy everyone... but with many guests not understanding the situation they probably believe the DJ is to blame as not everyone listens when you explain the situation on the mic.

I would definitely advise anyone to avoid Oaks Farm in Shirley, Croydon unless you enjoy frustration! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/wacko.gif

[Gary 0]

At this time of year, its not uncommon to find that caretakers, or whoever at a venue holds the keys (but not nessecerely the expertise) to change the noise limiter settings have changed the settings during the summer.

 

What happens at a venue near me (not the one that I'm helping to choose a noise limiter for), is that during the summer, the windows and doors get flung open due to the heat at the functions, the music wafts out of the venue more than usual, the neighbours (who also have their windows open) hear the music more than they do during a mid-winter function, and grumble about it to the caketaker/venue manager who then knee-jerks the controls with an anti-clockwise florish - possibly thinking that they'll try to remember to change it back, once the summer heat fades and the windows/doors wont be mis-used.

 

The difficulty here is that with some venues which might experience high/fast staff turnover, such "temporary" changes often dont get changed back - purely by accident. As the neighbours arent going to helpfully remind the venue that they can turn it up again come Autumn, it can be a case that a tactful question of "did the limiter get turned down during the summer?" needs to be asked.

 

 

[FDDJ 0]

Another one for you:

 

Cain Manor, Churt Road, Headley Down, Hampshire

 

This is an "exclusive use" venue which normally has a resdient DJ but clients are allowed to bring there own DJ (hence the reason I was there), although you will not be allowed to use the system that is installed at the venue.

 

Cain Manor is very pleasant itself with nice grounds but the sound limiter installed (because it actually sits on land owned by a farm which you have to drive through to get to the manor), is set very low and will turn off the power with loud shouting or singing of the guests.

 

Shame. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/sad.gif

Edited October 30, 2005 by StevJam

[Ash 0]

The Guild Hall, Sandwich, Kent

 

Nice place everyone enjoys themselves except from two things, 1) the bar is in the other room, this makes all the boozers stay out in the other bar all night so they dnt come in and enoy thereselves. 2) sound detector grrr these things are soooo annoying, i have tried putting a box over the microphone on them but it only allows you to pump up the volume a bit more http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/fear.gif

[Steve_Mitchell 0]

Talbot hotel, southport

mount pleasant, southport

conservative club, bath st, southport

[johny k 0]

cresta court altrincham , manchester and to top it all off there connected to the fire doors went off on me twice last week never again .

[wizard 0]

Next generation Club ( Hangar) Hatfield. Trident suite

Has a sound limiter installed, but when I played their last weekend it hadn't been set.....Happy days. The Council are due to set it at some point tho'

 

Nice venue (high ceiling) bar at other end of room .......perfect. unload about 5ft from where setup.....perfect.

 

Edited 15/1/06: sound limiter has now been set....but you are more likely to be asked to turn it down by the manager than setting off sound limiter so it's not too bad.

Edited January 15, 2006 by wizard

[DJ Geco 0]

Beechin Hall Walderslade.

 

94dB my *s*!

 

Grumpy janitor aswell, hollow wooden floor so it is very bassey, limiter traffic lights are behind you so you have to spend the whole night facing a wall, emergency exits are connected to limiter so if you open the doors the electrcis cut out!

 

Nice hall, easy carry in, just a pain in the ass sound limiter and bad accoustics!

[Jearley 0]

Ramada Inn East Horley (near Guildford)

 

dreadful system in both performing areas

 

you have to be seen to use there system, but nod and a wink

 

sussed out that you use your own say using speakers as monitors.

 

there system with amps and speakers cuts off as soon as you speak or play higher than background.

 

it caused a lot of confusion for me , how they can pay for all that equipment

that just doesnt work !!!! how can they book a party , wedding, etc. hoping that

the DJ will suss out the system without them officially telling you, so they cant get the blame if the inspector comes a knocking.

 

dreadful and unprofessional.

 

but the customers were nice .

 

bit of a walk from unloading through the front door for the thatchers bar area

or through the back door for one of the venue rooms

 

so borrow the porters trolley which is very good this is normal practice.

 

So go along plug into there system , they will ask you are you plugged into our system you say yes.... then turn it off and use your own.

 

stupid ..... http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/wallbash.gif

[analyst 0]

Glamorgan Suite, The Memo in Barry (council owned premises)

 

Limiter is set high up on the wall opposite end of room from the stage.

 

The caretaker was really good though when I came to set up. As soon as I saw the limiter I thought of a good wheeze to get around it.

 

I told him I didn't mind the amp being run off the limiter sockets, but I "insisted" on a clean supply for the computer because I wasn't prepared to have that crashing. He first let me use a locked washroom adjoining the stage, but as it happened the sockets were dead for some unknown reason.

 

So he spent the next ¾ hour rigging his own cable (he insisted) from the food service bay about ½ way down the hall, taped up over doorways and all. As it terminated under the console I could have plugged anything I wanted into it http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif

 

As it happened the limiter was never even a problem all night. I reckon it was set quite high. It makes me wonder what some d|ckheads do with their sound outputs because I never got near the limit and everyone was happy with the sound levels.

 

In fact, the hostess particularly complimented me on my sound levels, saying "It was nicely loud enough on the dance floor but OK beyond, for the people chatting." Apparently, at the last do she went to there, the DJ kept crashing out on the limiter all night with it taking up to 15 mins to get reset. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/omg.gif

 

The downside here was the grumpy jobsworth porters at the end of the night. I de-rigged as fast as I could but they were moaning and trying to manhandle my kit out saying they don't get paid overtime and next time the client would need to pay for another hour because it was after 1:00am. Sheesh it was five past bloody one!

 

I don't get paid overtime either, but I always keep a smile on my face even at that time of night.

[M3KTG 0]

Just spoke to a Venue i will be playing at in July and was told that i have to watch my levels with it beeing in a res area, aaalso she said the people are that good at complaining that they have till November to get a limiter fitted and she said they aint rushing to do it untill the end of November.

 

The Venue is the Lawson House in Runcorn

[ChrisPointon 0]

I am thinking of making some sort of website or Database listing venues, not only for DJ's but for clients too. Who better to advise them than a DJ who has worked their before, and you may even get a booking out of it, if your 'review' comes up in a search for the venue on google!. Anyway thats for the future http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif

 

Added to the Venues with Soundlimiters, Kelsall Community Centre and an evil little sod it is too. Anything above background level and you are screwed, even the Ambient noise of the kids singing along was enough to trip it http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/188.gif. All of the sockets are controlled from the unit, even the 13A sockets for the fixed Electric Heaters, so sadly no way around it.

 

My advice - AVOID the venue until it is either set up correctly or removed.

[spinner 0]

Huntingdon Leisure Centre. Lively conversation trips it - and it's upstairs!

 

Once was enough ( and that was a few years ago ). Have never accepted a booking there since.

[prezzy#1 0]

Shepherdswell village hall.

It's a very nice venue in itself but I found the limiter nigh on impossible to work with. Just the noise from the guests was enough to trip the power at least 5 times. As my music is all on computer I was not impressed to say the least. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/188.gif

[spinner 0]

Morteyne Manor, Marston Morteyne, Bedfordshire. It's set at 96db and it's in a marquee!

[Steve_Mitchell 0]

Tithebarn, meols hall Southport.

 

Prince of Wales (BAllroom) Southport.

[Kane 0]

Newton longville village hall, Milton keynes

[RobbieD 0]

Two more for the list:

Bury Court Barn, Bentley, Surrey:

Having played here on a couple of occasions, I've only just found that they have a sound limiter! It is mounted on a oak pillar at the opposite end of the main barn - discos normally set up in the entrance hall below the mezzanine floor.

 

The bar graph display also faces away, so can not even be seen unless you walk up to the other end of the hall to look up at it.

 

However at normal wedding reception volumes, I found that I was only lighting the bottom two green lights on the display. At the end I mentioned that it was set to a sensible level and that I doubt it ever gets tripped, but apparently it does sometimes!

 

York House, Twickenham, Surrey:

The main room, The Clarendon Hall, has a bar-graph type sound limiter fitted high on the wall opposite the stage. At normal wedding reception volumes, I found the lowest red light occasionally flickered, so you will need to keep an eye on it, but there is not much chance of guests singing setting it off.

 

I was also playing with a band, who managed to get the top red lights lit constantly for most of their set. When I later mentioned it to the manager that I was surprised it hadn't tripped, he told me that the limiter is disconnected at present due to a fault, but is going to be fixed. He told me it is set at 97dB. My (dBA) readings at the console, behind the speakers, suggest that it is set a little lower, but it is a very reverberant hall, so a little volume goes along way.

[spinner 0]

Lady Anne's Hotel, Stamford. ( that's Lincs. - not Hill or Brook ).

 

Seems to be set at a reasonable level. Didn't trip once although the manager asked me to cut the volume later in the evening.

[Dale King 0]

Two more for you:

 

The Radbrook Hotel, Shrewsbury.

 

Set so high the staff (including the management) thought it was to do with the fire alarm system. I ran my LUCAS 1000 at FULL power during set up and only got to the second green light.

 

The Village Hotel, Walsall.

 

Again, set fine. I did a charity function there last weekend for about 120 people. Was plenty loud enough without worrying about it. (Rock DJ bassline did flick it to red for a while).

[Eskie 0]

Syon House, Syon Park, brentford.

I last did this venue a few years ago and don't remember them having a limiter then. I'm doing it on saturday so will find out what level it's set at. Have just bought a new UPS for protection!

[FDDJ 0]

Another for you..

 

The Tithe Barn

Old Ditcham Farm

Ditcham Nr. Petersfield

Hampshire

GU31 5RQ

 

Tel: 01730 825 562

 

>>Website<<

 

Nice venue with Sentry limiters installed at both ends of the barn. Seem to be set at a reasonable level so keep off the bass and you will be fine. Never accept a Drum & Bass night there... http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/laugh.gif

 

Peter the Manager could come across as a little "aggressive" but really he is not, they just have very tight licensing regs and he wants to make sure he keeps his licence.

 

At the price they charge for hire i'm not surprised...