The Psychology of Loudness: Impactful Live Sound Mixing
Use human perception to mix more affectively.
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We explore the psychology of loudness within the context of live sound, with some techniques to help you get more clarity and overall impact.
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In live sound, loudness is often treated like an exclusively technical element. Perhaps this is because we quantify it in decibels (dB) and use limiters to ensure compliance with the regulations at each venue. However, the way an audience perceives sound is completely experiential and influenced by emotional factors, rather than an SPL reading.
When the performance of a song is allowed to speak clearly through the PA system, and the dynamics of each contrasting section translate cohesively, the audience becomes immersed and engaged on an emotional level. While perceived loudness plays a role, it is only a part of the bigger sonic picture.
The Psychology of Loudness: Loudness vs. Volume
The way we measure volume is by getting a reading of the SPL (sound pressure level). On the other hand, perceived loudness is a purely subjective interpretation made by our ears. When looking at the human ear, it’s important to note that it doesn’t have equal response across the entire frequency range.
In fact, our ears are more sensitive in the human vocal range, especially from 2-5 kHz. This is why a particularly guitar-laden mix feels far louder than it is, even at conservative SPLs, while a more low-end focussed mix comes across as more powerful and not as abrasive, at higher levels. Our brains immediately prioritize and hone in on elements that are densely packed with frequency content.
Even though these instruments aren’t necessarily dominating the mix, we may perceive them this way. Within the context of live sound, this means that having a well-balanced mix from a frequency perspective is often more effective than simply one with a high-SPL reading. Without this balance, the mix can quickly overwhelm and tire the audience out.
The Psychology of Loudness: The Fletcher-Munson Curve
According to the Fletcher-Munson equal-loudness contours, our hearing adjusts depending on the level of different frequencies. At lower volumes, the midrange becomes more pronounced, and as we increase the playback level, the low-end and treble become more apparent.
Naturally, this has serious implications in live sound environments:
- By soundchecking a band too softly, you can get an overly midrangey mix
- As the SPL increases during the performance, the low-end is suddenly more pronounced
- This can turn the high frequencies into audio mustard
From a psychological point of view, an audience may perceive a mix with too much bass as powerful. However, this can result in a reduction of clarity, which prevents that crucial connection with the emotive harmonic content in the music. On the other extreme, a pronounced upper midrange comes across as tense and grating. Rather than relying on static EQ exclusively, pro engineers anticipate these apparent changes and make dynamic tonal adjustments to compensate.
The Psychology of Loudness: The Emotional Impact
There is an intrinsic link between emotion and loudness, as we tend to connect loud, impactful sounds with excitement and energy. Meanwhile, quieter sounds can come across as more vulnerable or intimate, and live music relies on this base response from the audience with any style of music.
Rather than simply being louder, the contrasting elements in a chorus can make it seem bigger compared to the verse before it. Otherwise, if everything hits you at the same uniform loudness, the impact is actually reduced from an emotional point of view. This is an occurrence we call habituation, which shows why consistently too loud performances can come across as flat, numbing, and lifeless.
The contrast in dynamics makes for a greater impact, as the audience is drawn in by the quieter verses, and allowed to anticipate the chorus through the space of breakdowns and drops. Even if the SPL isn’t technically changing, this variation causes the louder sections to seem far more impactful.
The Psychology of Loudness: Spectral Loudness
Spectral shaping is a powerful tool for shifting perceptual loudness in a live mix. Rather than exclusively relying on metering, we look at the areas of the frequency range that contain the high-energy elements and use this to adjust the apparent loudness, while the actual SPL doesn’t increase.
Techniques include:
- Controlling low frequencies: tighter, articulate low-end elements come across more impactfully than unregulated bass energy.
- Focussed midrange: By sculpting the midrange precisely, it provides space for vocals and lead instruments to breathe without boosting them.
- Clear high frequencies: Adding air and presence can excite and increase detail, but it must be monitored carefully to avoid ear fatigue.
When a mix is balanced across the entire frequency range, it immediately seems louder than a mix at the same SPL with noticeable imbalances or frequency masking.
The Psychology of Loudness: Transients, Dynamics, and Perceived Punch
Our hearing is particularly responsive to transients. This means the initial attack point of sounds such as kicks, snares, percussion, and chugging guitars. Because this part of the signal determines the clarity and impact more than the sustained part, it’s essential to manage transients appropriately.
When we overcompress the signal, the transients get squashed, which immediately makes the mix sound boxy and dull, regardless of what the SPL meter is saying. This is why we need to preserve transients, because they give us a sense of urgency that the audience perceives as loudness.
In the live environment, we want to shape dynamics rather than crush them completely. This means thought goes into compressor settings on each sound source, and bus compression is done with restraint to preserve the impact of the dynamics.
The Psychology of Loudness: Context and Expectation
How the audience perceives loudness is very much dependent on the context of the performance. While a rock band may come across as dramatic and engaging in a club, the same mixing approach can overwhelm a theatre audience.
Also, our expectations of different genres affect our interpretation of loudness:
- Fans of EDM and heavy metal are expecting sustained intense energy and tangible low-end
- Acoustic and jazz concert goers are looking to hear nuances and details
- Speech or rap is all about consistent clarity without the performer needing to raise their voice
When listening, your brain is always comparing what you hear with your expectations. If these are met or exceeded, the apparent loudness seems enthralling. However, when the expectations aren’t met, loudness can feel traumatic. For this reason, your consideration of the audience’s perception is essential, like your familiarity with managing the PA system.
The Psychology of Loudness: Listener Fatigue and Cognitive Load
The cognitive load is increased through excessive loudness in an environment. As a result, our brains are working much harder to try and interpret overly compressed high-SPL sounds, and this causes the audience to disconnect from fatigue. Ever felt tired after listening to a live band? This is why.
These elements can cause listener fatigue:
- Pronounced upper midrange energy
- Consistent maxed-out intensity
- Bad mix separation
- No contrasting dynamics
We can use human perception to our advantage by balancing comfort and excitement during a performance, so the audience never loses the connection throughout.
The Psychology of Loudness: Practical Applications
We can leverage this understanding of loudness perception in live sound mixing by:
- Mixing for the audience perception, not just following metering
- Using EQ to clarify sonic impact rather than boosting levels indiscriminately
- Maintain dynamics to allow the audience to connect emotionally
- Articulate transients for clarity and punch
- Consider the audience’s expectation for the genre and venue you’re working in
- Listener comfort comes first, not SPL
A well-articulated mix will always connect better with the audience compared to one that is just loud.
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