HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal - Bennett Brooks - Ultra Festival Sound Survey Tests Miami Commission Testimony Notes (2)SubREHAity
public
rec
on Clerk
ENGINEERING
=' Brooks Acoustics Corporation
I RESEARCH
49 N. Federal Hwy Pompano Beach, FL 33062 754.229.1450
BAC Project Letter
To: Mr. Itai Benosh 26 September 2018
Board Member and Treasurer PJ2018-1252-1-02
50 Biscayne Condominium Association, Inc.
50 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL 33132
From: Bennett Brooks, PE, FASA, INCE
Subject: Ultra Music Festival Sound Survey Tests — Miami Commission testimony notes
This testimony is a summary of the sound test report for the 2018 Ultra Festival that was submitted
into the record.
1. Apparently, the goal of the Ultra Festival is to deliver gut shaking, intense sound levels to their
audience, and they succeeded.
2. The effect of this gut shaking sound on the community is to disrupt the rhythm of life:
- People with small children at home
- People who work at home
- , People who must get sleep in the daytime or the evening
"Normal residents" who come home from work after a long day, or on a weekend
- People who want to have the "quiet enjoyment' of their home during the day and into
the night
3. By all acoustical parameters, the Ultra Festival seriously degrades the quality of life for the
downtown residents.
4. In my over 30 years of experience in environmental noise testing and measurement,
particularly for entertainment venues, this was by far the most intense music source of all, by
orders of magnitude.
The low frequency sound from Ultra, or what is called "thumping bass", is up to 50 decibels
(dB) above the otherwise existing ambient background sound primarily due to vehicular traffic.
We measured up to 119 dB for bass at 50 Biscayne. This extremely high sound level was
consistent on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Ultra festival.
The overall sound level from Ultra is up to 40 A -weighted decibels (dBA), or human hearing
level, above the ambient background level.
We measured in the range of upper 90's to 104 dBA at 50 Biscayne. This extremely high
sound level was consistent on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Ultra festival.
BAC PJ2018-1249-1-02 —50 Biscayne — Ultra Festival — Miami Commission testimony Page 2
5. To give this experience a concrete analogy — this is like having boom box cars parked and
running and blasting music in your living room and in your bedroom, with a power saw
operating there simultaneously, all day and into the night.
6. In terms of community acceptance, standard soundscape science principles state that any
sound source, even at a low level, must be consistent for people within the context of their living
situation, and the meaning that it may have to their lives. Clearly, the Ultra Festival is completely
out of place and inconsistent within the Miami residential community.
7. In terms of the physical effects of intruding Ultra sound levels on the people that are exposed,
we can describe these in terms of going from lower to higher sound levels.
At even the lower levels from Ultra, this highly disturbing noise can cause serious annoyance,
and we certainly have that effect from Ultra. This is based on standard music venue design
criteria for community annoyance. Ultra is far above the "widespread annoyance and
complaints" noise level.
8. Next up in sound level are physiological effects. Numerous health studies show that the
effects of these consistently high levels of noise include: stress, sleep deprivation,
hypertension, cardio -vascular disease and ischemic heart disease. Again, noise from Ultra is
way over the limit for negative health effects.
9. Next up in level are the noise levels from Ultra at the residences that can cause hearing
damage. Due to the accumulated noise exposure, the measured Ultra sound levels at the
residences can cause hearing damage in just a little over an hour of exposure. This is based
on data from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for
Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH). So clearly,
anyone outside their residence for an hour period spread over the three day Ultra Festival is
subject to hearing damage.
10. Finally, the measured Ultra sound levels are shown to be well above the criteria levels for
sound induced vibrations in building structures. These are based on criteria developed by
NASA for damage to dwellings due to the noise from rocket launches. So, at least minor
building damage can occur due to the Ultra Festival noise. The measured sound test data
are consistent with observations made at 50 Biscayne of the building shaking during the Ultra
festival, including the noise induced vibration of windows and blinds, and other building
features such as light fixtures.
To summarize the Ultra Festival sound test results, we can say the following:
Based on the objective evidence, the Ultra festival is truly an acoustical bombardment, and a
sonic assault on the Miami residential community.
l'would be pleased to answer your questions.
Thank you for your attention.
Brooks Acoustics Corporation 49 N. Federal Hwy Pompano Beach, FL 33062
BAC PJ2018-1249-1-02 —50 Biscayne — Ultra Festival — Miami Commission testimony Page 3
Very truly yours,
BROOKS ACOUSTICS CORPORATION
1�d/js
Bennett M. Brooks, PE, FASA, INCE
President
0
w
c
E
P
Ln
Brooks Acoustics Corporation 49 N. Federal HM Pompano Beach, FL 33062
Ei
w
�°
b
0