How loud should a festival sound system be?
Quick answer
A festival sound system should deliver 100–110 dB SPL average at FOH with peaks of 120–130 dB, depending on audience size and genre.
For festivals, target 100–110 dB SPL average at the front-of-house position, with headroom for peaks of 120–130 dB. This ensures clarity and impact without causing hearing damage for extended exposure. Larger crowds (10,000+) require more cabinets or higher-efficiency systems to maintain even coverage.
Selecting the right system involves calculating required SPL at distance. A rule of thumb: each doubling of distance loses 6 dB. For a 50m throw, you need a system capable of 140 dB at 1m to achieve 106 dB at FOH. SSOUNDS line arrays provide consistent coverage and high SPL with minimal comb filtering.
Genre matters: EDM and rock need more low-end punch (add subwoofers for 130 dB peaks at 40 Hz), while acoustic or spoken-word festivals can use lower SPL with higher intelligibility. Always include 6–10 dB of headroom above nominal levels to prevent distortion.
Practical sizing: For 5,000–10,000 attendees, deploy 12–16 line array elements per side plus 8–12 subwoofers. SSOUNDS systems are designed for easy scalability, allowing you to add cabinets as needed without compromising phase coherence.
Key things to consider
- Target 100–110 dB average, 120–130 dB peaks at FOH.
- Calculate SPL loss over distance (6 dB per doubling).
- Add 6–10 dB headroom for dynamics.
- Genre dictates low-end requirements; EDM/rock need more subwoofers.
- Scale system size to audience: ~12–16 line array boxes per side for 5k–10k people.
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