Despite the clinking cutlery and up-tempo Latin rock music, nobody strains to
hear the waitress when she points out the chipotle, habanero, and chile de arbol
salsas that she plunks down with our chips.
This apparent sonic miracle is crafted by computer. An algorithm embedded in a
system of networked microphones and speakers carefully controls the din. Called
Constellation, the setup is the brainchild of San Francisco Bay Area firm Meyer
Sound. The company, run by John and Helen Meyer, has built audio systems for
concert halls, sports venues, and Broadway theaters for 40 years.
The couple first turned their ears to restaurant noise one night in 2010, when they
met some good friends at an upscale tavern famed for its seasonal Mediterranean
fare. The meal was superb. The racket of a packed house and an open kitchen was
unbearable. Their table talk all but ceased.
While most people would just raise their voices for the evening and move on,
John was inspired. He’d found their next challenge.
“We were trying to figure out exactly what interferes with conversation at the
table,” John says. “What is the real problem? Why are people shouting?”
Ear-weary customers everywhere are asking the same questions. In the past
decade, noise has risen to the top of annoyances in Zagat’s annual Dining Trends
surveys, beating out poor service, bad food, and high prices. Restaurant critics
in America’s major cities tote decibel meters to their meals. Apps like iHearU and
SoundPrint help people vet their choices and share the results. Social media and
mounting research about related health risks amplify complaints.
Diners might think the worst impact of a high-volume meal is a ruined night out,
but University of Michigan public health researcher Rick Neitzel says eateries are
part of a larger problem. Our cumulative sound exposure can increase our risk of
hearing loss, heart attack, and stroke. “Your ears don’t care where the noise comes
from,” he says. “They only care how much you get.”
It’s hard to pin down exactly how much extra volume is assaulting our ear-
drums when we eat out because most of the evidence is anecdotal. But consider
a 1993 study of about a dozen dining establishments, which found that sound
levels peaked at 68 decibels (a little louder than normal chitchat). CompareOaxacan-inspired restaurant in Berkeley, Cali-
fornia, has all the ingredients for the kind of
ear-splitting ambience that’s become familiar
e ingr
in modern eateries: packed bar, open kitchen,
high ceilings, and concrete walls. But when I
join a dinner there one spring evening, it’s easy
g iling
to jump into the margarita-fueled conversa-
tion and order up plates of grilled corn, carne
asada tacos, and rotisserie chicken with mole.
that with a much larger 2018 survey of New
York City restaurants, in which one-quarter
hit at least 81 decibels (more like a garbage
disposal), the average level was 77, and just
10 percent were 70 decibels or below. The
report deemed those “quiet.”
Saving dinner conversation isn’t as simple
as turning down the in-house music. So some
restaurateurs have started hiring consultants
to diagnose their sonic ailments and pre-
scribe a variety of architectural tweaks and
sound- absorbing decor. A properly tuned en-
vironment ensures privacy for each table, and
lets people chat and order in normal speak-
ing voices—all without damping the buzz that
keeps the atmosphere energetic.
John told Helen that, with the right tweaks,
he could adapt Constellation—which Meyer
had originally designed for concert venues—
to offer a range of vibes for everything from
a mellow Sunday brunch to a lively Saturday
night. He and Helen began recording dinners
at restaurants (with the owners’ OK) to find
out what acoustic canvas they were starting
with. In the center of the table, they’d plop a
nest of six microphones crammed into what
looked like a mesh flying saucer. The contrap-
tion captured the auditory mix from every
angle so the team could later play it back and
study it. Ultimately, they’d reverse- engineer
the noise into something completely new.74 WINTER 2019 • POPSCI.COMa (^) b
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