Noise On Friday May Reduce Sound from Amphitheater in Alpharetta

It might get pretty noisy over at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Friday. The amphitheater is installing new sound monitoring equipment, which area residents will be glad to hear.

According to a release by Alpharetta Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard, the city was notified that on Friday afternoon, residents may hear tonal sounds and music that will be used to test new equipment.

"Given that the tests are being performed during the day we do not anticipate any issues; however, amphitheater staff has requested our assistance in making residents aware of what is taking place," Drinkard said.

Verizon Wireless Amphitheater is installing the equipment for 2011 performance season, which kicks off Saturday with a concert by Band of Horses and The Jayhawks. This equipment will allow amphitheater management to constantly monitor sound levels within the venue and better address sound spillover issues.

While significant strides have been made since the first season to control sound spillover and minimize disturbance to residents, amphitheater management continues to work on this issue, Drinkard said in the announcement.

Installation will be finalized Friday. Amphitheater management will use the opportunity to perform tests using different speaker configurations, positions and trim heights to identify the configuration that best minimizes spillover while ensuring sound quality within the venue. During the tests it is possible that residents in the surrounding area may hear the tonal sounds and music used.