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This could affect me quite badly as a DJ:

It has been brought to attention that the government wish to consider it a legal requirement in the new tax year to introduce laws insisting anyone applying or re-applying for an entertainment license must have a noise control device fitted to the venue. This will be the final NAIL for ALL entertainment in the UK as the level at which these devices CUT you off is dreadfully low and damaging."

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We used these limiters for years in Television Studios, Personally I thought they were a good idea as in such confined spaces some of the music that groups played could be very loud indeed, a good measure that it may be damaging your hearing is when you feel your chest pounding in time with the music.
That said, the limiters could become a problem as most times the groups would bring along their own sound engineers and mixer and these guys being used to the groups playing in huge arenas had no idea of safe sound levels in enclosed spaces or simply didnt want to reduce the levels as it made the groups music sound flat and bland indtead of punchy

The limiter for those that dont know consisted of a listening device (microphone or audio input from breakout boxes) which was connected to a box of tricks with preset input levels that would trigger a response in three stages, All the bands electrical equipment was plugged into this limiters socket outlets and the levels shown on an indicator stack like a traffic light

Green meant levels were ok, Amber meant the levels were becoming unsafe for any prolonged time and after a time limit it would cause the bands equipment to be disconnected from the supply, Red meant dangerous levels causing immediate disconnection from the supply.

One classic example was on an early BBC "Later" show when the Stone Roses were appearing, their sound engineer allowed the sound to exceed safe levels on many occasions during rehearsals and was warned to reduce his pots accordingly to which he eventually adhered, unfortunately during the live show he whacked up the pots again and immediately took out the limiter the bands instruments went dead causing the lead singer Ian Brown to launch into an unfair and very abusive language tirade On Air against the BBC staff present when the fault was with his own sound guy who hadnt listened to advice! The clip has been shown heavily bleeped since (outtakes)due to the comedic scene of one of my colleagues desperately trying to crawl on the floor thinking he was out of shot in order to press the reset button on the limiter.

Anyway due to problems of "automatic control interfering" with productions ability to record these group events eventually someone somewhere made a decision that the BBC sound supervisor on each show would have manual decision as to what was safe?!?! and the limiters were taken out of service. I can tell from personal experience that many of these supervisors either couldnt care or were too frightened (due to the fear installed by management there) to say anything and allowed many a shows levels to be too high (chest pounding etc).

This may or may not have put staff and audience hearing at risk? who knows? No proof, no guy from health and safety walking round with a sound meter anymore, productions got what they wanted without due care to others! Outrageous!

As for DJ's they have control of levels and one would hope that they adhere to safety advice? perhaps not hence the compulsory controls?

Ninebob whilst I sympathise with your predicament there is a responsibility for care to your clientel and you say that it is the venues that will install such equipment and presumably the cost? so apart from the "sound" changing is there any problem you forsee?
 
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