SOOP suggestions?

[Sam]

Sound Out Of Place is starting to cause some proper frustration out in our lovely dusty desert town.
The issue reached a critical point this year, and led to the kind of confrontation nobody wants to engage in.

We all head out there for a week of wonder and whimsy, to let our hair and our guard down, to reconnect with our playful selves.
The problem is we're all on different schedules.

So how do we handle it?

Some ideas we've had are:
1) Clearly demarcating the Loud and Quiet and Buffer zones, so that it is easy for everyone to understand what kind of neighbourhood they're setting up in and what behaviour they can expect from their neighbours.
Party Central, or the Library.
2) Moving the Quiet zone off the binnekring and perhaps creating a smaller Quiet Zone kring further back towards deep 6ish
3) Stopping all music at a particular time (midnight?)
4) Setting a maximum decibel level . . . and equipping the rangers with decibel meters
5) Only allowing registered theme camps to have a big fat opskop . . . and perhaps only allowing 4 to do so (so the Loud Zone is concentrated down at the tips of the horns)

Can we explore these a little more fully?
Any other suggestions?

[Ard]

We need to adjust the site layout next year, to deal with increased numbers. We can take this opportunity to improve the SOOP situation as well. I would prefer to have a single circle, however we can use the terrain (e.g. the ridge and dip behind the Clan) to help control SOOP.

We need to clearly demarcate loud and quiet, and set standards on what we mean by these terms. A quiet zone around 6-ish would be good. A maximum sound system power limit (one for each zone) is probably also advisable, but is potentially difficult to monitor. This is where the decibel meters come in. A number of other regionals use them to manage sound. They should only be used if there is a complaint, or a clear violation. Using them may be tricky in an environment with multiple sources of sound.

I don't like having a time cut-off for music in the loud zone. It may make sense in the quiet zone.

[mikesuss]

I'm essentially agreeing with most of what has already been said, but here's my 2c:

First, keep the rules as simple as possible!

Option 1:

Have two zones: Party and Chilled. Party is West of the 9 - 3 axis (San Clan side) and Chilled is East of it (Centre Camp side).

Chilled Zone rules: Have a speaker cone size and / or max decibel limit. Impose an absolute limit between certain hours (e.g. midnight to 8 am - no public music at all)

Party Zone rule: All speakers to face West / toward the Clan. No other limits.

A second option could be as follows: 3 Zones: Party, Downtempo and Chilled. Party as above. Downtempo is between 9 - 3 and the base of the circle at 6. Chilled is East of that.

Party Zone rule: as above

Downtempo Zone rules: Bpm 130 and below. Bassbin size limit of 12 or 15" (or decibel limit). All speakers to face towards Clan. No beats between midnight and 8 am.

Chilled Zone rules: No repetitive beats at all. Bassbin / decibel limit by day & no public music at all between midnight and 8 am.


These are just ideas - maybe already too complicated and maybe the times don't make complete sense, but I think this fairly represents what might lead to a good end result.

What do the rest of you think??

[Travis]

I agree, as far as the idea of loud and quiet zones goes. How they're realised, that's another story.

Rules or absolute limits are at odds with the idea of freedom of expression. Granted, one person's mellow beat is another's insomnia, and it is only right that a quiet portion of the community deserve their sleep, but no music at all? That requires or at least implies some control mechanism, which in turn raises the question of whether it's necessary for a SOOP Patrol. That's tricky territory, given the known capacity for overexcitable and/or intoxicated people to act irrationally.

[Shawn (KZN Burners)]

Hiya check my post in Trance in Tankwa town with regards to the above.

See ya on the playa

[haaskalbaas]

I agree difficult and maybe not necessary to impose rules. I think speakers facing West is a great idea, also people that need the sleep (ie me) must go behind a ridge on the East side. Should work?

[Richard H. Palmer]

I agree with most of what Mike said.

Here's my rant from the "Trance and it's place in Tankwa Town" http://forum.afrikaburn.com/threads/...in-Tankwa-Town

Originally Posted by Ard
What exactly do y'all define as trance? One man's trance is another man's minimalist techno

Jon, as you said, one of our core principles is radical inclusion. This idea of segregation for trance makes me uneasy.

I hate Psytrance.
I love Minimal Tech Trance.
I love suggestions.
I hate rules.

I believe Town Planing is key.
Quiet area behind "Bass Camp/Main Camp/Centre Camp",,, what ever the fuck it's called. 'Deep Six' someone called this area. All sound rigs to face 12 o'clock. Apart from the moving ones of course, which are to face inwards/towards the centre of the 'Brown ring" sorry Biner kring. Size of rigs are to be declared prior to the event and positioned appropriately. (Facing 12 o'clock and not behind another camp. etc)


and most of all, I hate "honkey-tonk-tear-jerking sing-a-longs." Singing about "My horse died, my girlfriend left me and my farm burned down."
Listening to music with lyrics is a lot like watching soap operas for me. I have an eventful enough life as it is, I don't need to hear all about your dramas too, thank you very much. I'd rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick.

and secondly...... if we start making rules about sound at an event like this, we could end up with the Fourth Reich before you can say "Turn that shit down"
If you are a light sleeper, camp far away for fuck sakes. You've come to an event of "Art, Naked, Alcohol, Lights, Cameras, Music, Fire, Action" and now you want what? Quiet? Book your self in to the Blikkiesfontain retirement lodge if you want quiet. Or maybe just change your perception.
A "Burning Man" visitor said they found Afrika Burn to be exceptionally quiet. Go figure?

Make no mistake, I love the quiet of the desert. I have spent many a night in both the Karoo, and the Namib blissfully drenching myself in the defining silence. An exceptional experience, most defiantly comparable to a week at Afrika Burn,.. but please. You are at an event were one of the core principals is "Radical Self Expression" and you want, nay demand quiet. Sorry. You came in through the wrong gate. You are at the the wrong event. Please feel free to return once you have received your 'Attitude adjustment"

[metastofasis]

okay, here goes. last year we had a trance truck that "lost" their keys and said that they could not turn the music down. what a crock. i agree that music should be turned down after a certain time, but also that if folk want quiet, get off the binnekring and find a place at the back. there is no need to blast the entire tankwatown with your choice of music, whatever it may be. play what you want at a reasonable volume and at a reasonable time. the wee small hours should in my opinion be quiet time. just show respect to your fellow burners. radical self expression could be viewed as seriously loud music, but also as sticking a broomstick through the sound system making it, so it should possibly read radical respect.
we are (hopefully) in the "quiet" zone, we play music, but turn it down on the pumpkin side of midnite. let's see how this burn goes. it already shows promise with the ticket restriction, as it is not supposed to be a trance party, but a community.

[Senor Neek]

I agree with most of what Mike said.

Here's my rant from the "Trance and it's place in Tankwa Town" http://forum.afrikaburn.com/threads/...in-Tankwa-Town



I hate Psytrance.
I love Minimal Tech Trance.
I love suggestions.
I hate rules.

I believe Town Planing is key.
Quiet area behind "Bass Camp/Main Camp/Centre Camp",,, what ever the fuck it's called. 'Deep Six' someone called this area. All sound rigs to face 12 o'clock. Apart from the moving ones of course, which are to face inwards/towards the centre of the 'Brown ring" sorry Biner kring. Size of rigs are to be declared prior to the event and positioned appropriately. (Facing 12 o'clock and not behind another camp. etc)


and most of all, I hate "honkey-tonk-tear-jerking sing-a-longs." Singing about "My horse died, my girlfriend left me and my farm burned down."
Listening to music with lyrics is a lot like watching soap operas for me. I have an eventful enough life as it is, I don't need to hear all about your dramas too, thank you very much. I'd rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick.

and secondly...... if we start making rules about sound at an event like this, we could end up with the Fourth Reich before you can say "Turn that shit down"
If you are a light sleeper, camp far away for fuck sakes. You've come to an event of "Art, Naked, Alcohol, Lights, Cameras, Music, Fire, Action" and now you want what? Quiet? Book your self in to the Blikkiesfontain retirement lodge if you want quiet. Or maybe just change your perception.
A "Burning Man" visitor said they found Afrika Burn to be exceptionally quiet. Go figure?

Make no mistake, I love the quiet of the desert. I have spent many a night in both the Karoo, and the Namib blissfully drenching myself in the defining silence. An exceptional experience, most defiantly comparable to a week at Afrika Burn,.. but please. You are at an event were one of the core principals is "Radical Self Expression" and you want, nay demand quiet. Sorry. You came in through the wrong gate. You are at the the wrong event. Please feel free to return once you have received your 'Attitude adjustment"

What about Armin - what's your view?

[Richard H. Palmer]

Who?


http://www.arminvanbuuren.com/