You Know I'm All About That Bass
Jarod Wredt
Sports Editor
Music is a complex thing, and the bass is some people’s favorite part - but some people take it far enough as to compete with it.
Having subwoofers - or subs - for competition or just for fun is not a cheap hobby. Senior Thomas Patras has spent almost $3,000 dollars for his system. Fellow competitor, Senior Austin Loveless, has spent about $6,000, as well as about $23,000 in sponsorship money. Loveless is sponsored by Underground Sound and Bumper 2 Bumper customs and Atomic Audio.
All of the money doesn't go to waste as Loveless travels around the nation to compete.
“I went to a national competition in Sedalia Missouri. I did really good for my first time going,” Loveless said, “I got second in one of the categories I was in and in two of the smaller categories. I got third overall.”
In a competition, a microphone is placed six inches above your dash and a foot from the A-pillar or front section of the car. It starts with test tones, called “burping”. Monitors have screens that show the decibels that are played and after about three to five seconds, the competition begins.
“They have three things [categories]: they have the run, which is a normal bass drop; they have a DB [decibel] meter on how loud it was; they have a session of a three minute song of your choice and they have a session of a three minute song of their choice that everyone does,” Patras said.
All the money and time put in paid off for Loveless when he broke a record outside of a competition.
“I set a record with a single 12” that did a 163 [decibels],” Loveless said.
The previous record was set in the high 162 decibel range.
“I barely beat it but that was just something for fun that I messed around with,” Loveless said.
Whether messing around or being a competitor in something you love, it is a unique hobby.
“The one thing I have always been good at in my life is being loud and obnoxious,” Patras said, “There is a competition for that so yes, I’m going to do it.”
