Why Volume Might Not Be The Real Issue At Your Church

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“It’s Too Loud!”

Why Volume Might Not Be The Real Issue At Your Church

Adam Price, Certified Audio Engineer


IT’S SUNDAY MORNING. The worship team has just finished their final run-through. The band is well-rehearsed, the lyrics can be clearly understood, and you’ve double-checked your decibel meter: peaks are sitting at a safe and comfortable 83dB with an average of 77dB in the loudest chorus. But later, after the service, someone stops you in the foyer: “Hey… not trying to be negative, but the music was just way too loud today.” You check your numbers again. They were lower than last week—when no one said a word.

So what changed?

This is a moment nearly every church sound tech has experienced, and it highlights a common misunderstanding about volume in modern church contexts. Maybe complaints are rolling in, and each week you lower the volume that your meter is reading - maybe you lower that master fader on your soundboard just a bit more. By all metrics, your services are getting quieter, but the complaints are not diminishing. In fact, maybe you’ve noticed that the complaints have increased! 

Many conversations about volume in church settings are fueled by one common misunderstanding: the only way to fix our sound is to turn it down. The truth, however, is that many “volume” complaints have little to do with actual volume. 

Instead, they often point to issues in mix quality, tonal balance, and listener perception. Let’s unpack what’s really going on—and how both tech teams and congregants can respond more constructively.


HOW LOUD IS TOO LOUD?

Every church with a sound system has asked this question at some point. It seems like a good question—but it’s often the wrong one.

In my travels as a live sound engineer, I’ve worked in hundreds of churches across the world and heard the same story from countless sound techs: no matter how hard they try, someone in the congregation always thinks it’s “too loud”. But there’s a common theme I’ve noticed in these stories—it’s usually not about volume. Again and again, I’ve heard of churches that had no complaints while their pipe organ thundered away at 95 to 100 decibels - well into levels that can cause hearing damage. Yet, as soon as they added a sound system and a band playing worship music at a much lower 80 dB—the complaints started rolling in. The pattern is clear: what people find uncomfortable isn’t just loudness—it’s perceived loudness.

Live worship music being “too loud” is rarely about a specific decibel number. It’s usually shorthand for something more complex: muddiness, shrillness, bad EQ, imbalance, ear fatigue. In other words, we’re usually dealing with a mix problem—not a volume problem. The average person tends not to consider the subtleties of audio engineering, or the physics behind how a person’s ear interprets sound. If their TV is too loud, they turn it down. If their car stereo is too loud, they reach for the volume knob. Most people only understand the concept of “louder” or “quieter” - and so cannot properly communicate what they are experiencing when they share that the worship music is “too loud” loud for them.

Volume is a measurable number - measured in decibels (dB) or Sound Pressure Level (SPL). In the services at my church, we rarely exceed an average of 78dB SPL even during energetic worship choruses—measurably quieter than an average restaurant environment. So why do some people still leave the sanctuary frustrated, distracted, or even physically uncomfortable while blaming the sound?

The issue isn’t always volume. More often, the problem is the quality of the mix.

If we keep trying to fix perception problems with adjustments to the master volume control, we’ll never solve the real issue - and may only be making things worse.

VOLUME ISN’T THE WHOLE STORY

Let’s be clear: volume does matter. Sustained SPLs above 85dB can cause hearing damage over time, and serving our congregation includes caring for their ears. But many volume complaints are received at services with volume well below this threshold.

Here’s the key: A sonically poor mix at low volume still feels “loud”. Perceived loudness to the average listener is not only about decibels—it's about clarity, balance, and frequency content. A poorly balanced, poorly equalized mix at 70dB can easily be more physically uncomfortable to the ears of an average listener than a high-quality, well balanced mix at 90dB. In fact, if we’re mandating our volunteer sound technicians not to exceed a certain number on a dB meter, they may be struggling to create a sonically pleasing sound because of that limitation. If the focus is on a number more than the experience of the listener, you may succeed in achieving a lower measurable volume in your church services, but receive even more complaints about “volume”.

CONSEQUENCES OF SIMPLY “TURNING IT DOWN”

Turning it down should still be a good place to start though, right? Not necessarily. 

This conversation is not new. The Fletcher-Munson curves were first developed in the 1930s to determine how human ears perceive loudness. Through controlled experiments using test tones and listener feedback, they mapped how the human ear perceives loudness across various frequencies and volume levels. Their research revealed that our ears don’t have a flat response; we naturally favor midrange frequencies—especially in the 2–5kHz range, where speech intelligibility resides—and we under-perceive lows and highs unless sound pressure levels are increased.

These findings laid the groundwork for modern audio standards, including how equalization, loudness compensation, and even headphone and speaker design are approached. Though newer studies have refined their work, the core insight remains: how loud something is perceived has as much to do with frequency as it does with decibels. The Fletcher-Munson curves—also known as Equal Loudness Contours—illustrate how our ears are most sensitive to midrange frequencies, and much less sensitive to lows and highs when listening at lower volumes.

It is important to know that the average human ear perceives the most balanced and full-spectrum sound at around 85dB SPL. At this level, the lows, mids, and highs are heard more evenly without requiring heavy EQ compensation. But as you move below (or above) that threshold, particularly into the 70–75dB range, lows and highs begin to fall off sharply in perceived loudness. So when a mix is simply turned down without re-EQing, the sound often becomes thin, muddy, or flat—emphasizing harsh mids while losing both “body” and “life”.

In other words, lowering the volume can make things sound worse if the mix isn't adjusted to account for the way human hearing works at those levels. That’s why mixing at low volume requires a different EQ strategy than mixing at 85dB, and why simply “turning it down” is not a cure-all. This is compounded if a loud mix was poorly balanced to start.

Playing into the frequency conversation, another important—and often misunderstood—factor behind volume complaints is ear fatigue. This is a form of sensory overload that occurs when the auditory system becomes stressed or overstimulated over time. Contrary to popular belief, ear fatigue isn’t caused solely by high volume. It can also result from a poor mix: too much energy in harsh frequency bands (especially 2.5–5kHz), prolonged exposure to cluttered or compressed audio, or lack of dynamic variation.

From a scientific perspective, ear fatigue involves both physical and neurological components. Physically, it may include subtle tension in the middle ear muscles or overexertion of the cochlea’s hair cells. Neurologically, it stems from overstimulation of the auditory cortex as it tries to decode a complex or unbalanced soundscape. Practically speaking, a mix filled with competing instruments, muddy EQ, or excessive midrange can make listeners feel tense, anxious, or even nauseated—even at safe SPL levels.

Think of it this way: even a relatively quiet mix that’s overloaded with cymbals, distorted guitars, and over-compressed vocals can wear out your listeners far faster than a well-balanced, dynamic, and musical mix at a higher volume. A well-mixed sound not only protects hearing—it supports sustained engagement in worship. That’s why clarity and balance are not luxuries—they’re essentials.

A well-balanced mix with clear dynamics and frequency separation does more than just sound good—it helps listeners engage longer without feeling worn out.


HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE A BETTER MIX? 

COMMON TECHNICAL MIX ISSUES THAT TRIGGER “LOUDNESS” COMPLAINTS

If you’re a sound tech, what should you be looking for first when someone says it’s too loud—even when the meter says otherwise? Even at moderate dB levels, the following technical issues can cause listeners to perceive a mix as harsh, exhausting, or too loud:

EQ & Frequency Imbalance

  • Too much energy in the 2.5–5kHz range: This is the most sensitive zone for the human ear. Overboost here—especially from cymbals, electric guitars, or sibilant vocals—causes fatigue.

  • Lack of low and high frequency clarity: A thin or boxy mix often results from too little presence in the bass and high-end.

Vocal Placement

  • Buried vocals: When lyrics are hard to distinguish, listeners strain to understand the words, and often blame the “volume”.

  • Overpowering vocals: Too much vocal presence can overwhelm the mix, creating imbalance and ear fatigue.

Dynamics & Compression

  • Lack of dynamic range: A flat, always-loud mix exhausts listeners over time.

  • Overcompression: Heavy compression squashes natural dynamics, forcing everything to the front of the mix and tiring the ear.

Room & Stage Volume

  • Uncontrolled stage noise: Loud amps, monitor wedges, or acoustic instruments not properly managed can spill into the room, disrupting what’s coming from the PA system.


SOUND TECHNICIANS: YOUR JOB IS MORE THAN HITTING A TARGET DECIBEL LEVEL


Church sound techs are not volume regulators—they’re mix engineers. A church sound tech’s job shouldn’t be to hit a number—it should be to deliver a balanced, intelligible, and worshipful mix. That takes more than just technical know-how. It requires:

  • Critical listening from multiple spots in the room—not just one location.

  • Proper gain staging to avoid noise and distortion.

  • Effective EQ to carve space for every instrument.

  • Clear vocal prioritization, without letting the vocals dominate unnaturally.

  • Appropriate use of compressors to manage dynamic range.

  • Low-frequency management, especially in acoustically challenging spaces.

Above all, techs need to understand that “too loud” is often code for “poorly mixed.” This is where ear training comes in. Many church sound volunteers are there out of a heart to serve—but haven’t had much opportunity to develop a discerning ear. That’s not a failure; it’s a training opportunity.

Training is key. Consider bringing in a pro for a workshop or training day. Encourage feedback from worship leaders sitting in the congregation. Set up a time to critically listen to a well-mixed recording and analyze it as a team.


TO THE CONGREGATION: WHAT YOU’RE HEARING MIGHT NOT BE WHAT YOU THINK


Clearly and effectively communicating your experience to church leadership is crucial. If you’ve ever walked away from a service thinking, “That was just too loud,” here are a few questions to consider:

  • Could you understand the lyrics?

  • Could you hear each individual instrument, or did it sound jumbled?

  • Were certain sounds piercing or grating?

  • Did it feel like the sound was pressing in on you—or was it helping you enter in?

Your discomfort is valid—but it might not be caused by what you think. Poor frequency balance, mix clutter, or vocal placement issues often feel like excessive volume to the untrained ear. The good news is that these things can be fixed with productive feedback & clear communication to your church leaders.

By being more specific in our feedback, we can help our tech teams improve the actual listening experience, not just lower the fader.


LET’S AIM FOR BETTER, NOT JUST QUIETER

Over the years, I’ve come to believe that the great “volume debate” in churches isn’t really about decibels. It’s about discomfort—sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, sometimes spiritual. It’s about the collision of expectations, church history, and the deeply communal experience of worshiping our Lord.

When someone says, “It’s too loud,” they might be talking about a frequency range that’s poking through uncomfortably, or a hearing sensitivity issue. Or they might be saying, “This doesn’t feel like the church I grew up in,” or “I feel disconnected from God in this soundscape.” The tools we use—like sound pressure meters, EQ curves, and mix references—are just that: tools. They can help us steward sound with integrity and wisdom, but they can’t replace empathy.

As a sound engineer who’s served in churches across continents, I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum: churches where everything is run like a concert hall with zero relational sensitivity, and churches where the sound crew is so afraid of complaints that the worship mix feels lifeless and strained. In both cases, something is lost. But in those rare spaces where teams communicate, where trust is built, and where music and technology are stewarded well in service to Christ—we get a glimpse of Ephesians 4:16 in action: “From him [Jesus] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (NIV)

So, to fellow audio engineers: don’t get discouraged when the complaints come. Don’t give up on your congregation, and don’t lose heart. Adopt a posture of humility. Ask questions. Use your knowledge to serve people, not just sound. And remember that your mix isn’t just a technical task—it’s part of the offering we’re laying before the Lord each Sunday.

And to congregants: if something doesn’t sit right with you—if it feels too loud, too bright, too unfamiliar—speak with humility and curiosity. Ask what the sound team is aiming for. Share your experience, not just your volume preference. You might find that there’s more thought and care going into the mix than you imagined.

Ultimately, worship isn’t about the perfect mix. It’s about Jesus. And when we pursue love and mutual understanding in our service to one another—even in something as volatile as church sound—we live out the call of Scripture: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:2–3 (NIV)


Serving together,

Adam Price