How to measure noise with the Decibel Meter app 

You’re welcome!

Good question, and I don't think that's an option in this app or in NIOSH. Are you trying to get high-quality recordings of the sounds while you measure their frequency and decibel levels?

@@soundproofist I'm trying to measure thunder impulse noise peaks in DB SPL. Sampling rate matters otherwise it likely won't get the peak. I was told NIOSH app has a sampling rate of over 40K per second.

@@mountains1233 I'm not sure how to find the sampling rate in these apps, but that's very interesting information.

I think it's related to how many sound samples the app takes per second, but I could be wrong about that. I usually keep the setting at 1x, but for example, if you change it to 3x, you'll see more numerical readings flash by onto the screen within the same time period.

The best way (with this app) is to go into the records (it's a button on the front), select the record for that noise from the list (it has a date/time stamp on it), and send that record to yourself as a text document. The document will show you the type of filter you used (such as dB-C), the peak decibel level at that moment, the average level, and the average frequency level at that moment. So if it shows that there was noise at 2am and it was 70 decibels with an average frequency of 64, that would indicate a very loud, low-frequency noise, which would be very prominent in the middle of the night. This app doesn't make an audio or video recording for others to hear, though. So you'd have a document that shows the noise levels, but no proof of where it came from. My recommendation is that if you have a second device -- a second smart phone or a tablet -- I would use the video/audio on that second device to record a visual of the app running and to record the background noise while the app is running. So it's making a recording of the noise and of the decibel reader, while the decibel reader captures the second-to-second data. Put the two together, and you might have sufficient evidence for a noise complaint.

@@soundproofist Currently I am in my gym testing the noise and set an alarm for if it goes over a certain level but it doesn’t make any noise saying “Hey this is too loud” . Is there a way I can determine a safe level ?

@@InfluencHER Good question! I looked through the settings for this app again, and also looked at descriptions of some other noise apps in the App Store, and none of them seem to have a real-time "notifications" feature, which I think is what you want. One device that does that is the Apple Watch, of course. Not every model of the Apple Watch works with the Noise app, but if you have one (or get one), you'll get a notification on your Watch (and a "buzz") if the noise level is 80 decibels or more for a duration of three minutes or more. Your question is a really good one, and I will continue to look for any mobile phone app that might have a notifications feature without having to buy a secondary device. Are you a student in the loud fitness classes, or the instructor? If you're a student in the class that you think is too loud, I also recommend wearing protective ear-filter plugs. Not the foam kind, but the silicone ones that have a small filter inside them that reduce the volume but don't muffle the music. For example, ear protection products from Eargasm, Etymotic, Hearprotek, etc.

@@soundproofist I am a gym owner looking to keep neighbors happy lol

@@InfluencHER Kudos to you, and I will keep looking to see if there's a reasonable solution for this. I think what you need is something that keeps the sound at a manageable level and alerts you when it goes over a particular decibel level -- without turning the gym into a library.

It depends on the situation. I typically use the average if there's only an occasional spike in loudness. For example, if there's a noise that's consistently around 65 dB, but there's an occasional spike to 86 dB, it would be inaccurate to imply that it was a continuous 85 dB noise. Does that help?

@@soundproofist yes thats what I mean. At my church the average is 85 dbs but it peaks to 94 .. should I conclude that its 85?

@@Alexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx87 Yes, it sounds like that's the average, and it's already at the OSHA limit of 85 decibels!

@@soundproofist thankyou God bless

Sorry if this wasn't clear. This is an older video and I might explain things differently now (or edit the video differently). To start capturing noise levels and data, press arrow button on the left. This will also activate the other features. To stop recording, press the Pause button. This will activate some buttons that allow you to save a report from this recording. Press the downward arrow (second from right) to sav the report. and it will ask you what app you want to save your report in. For example, if you have an iPhone, your options might be Apple Health, NIOSH app, or "Both." The arrow on the far right is the classic "share" (or "send") button. It looks like a document icon with an upward arrow coming out of the top. When you tap on that icon. it will ask you if you want an HMTL report or a PDF report. When you choose one of those, it will then present you with an array of choices for where to send it...by text message, to an email address, to a DropBox, AirDrop, or whatever other options you might have on your particular device. Let's say you choose "PDF" and then "email" -- an email message will pop up, with the PDF attached to it, and you just fill in the recipient address and a subject line, as usual. Hope that helps.

Sorry -- right after I wrote I found the Share" button --

Who's Sarah Gilbert?

Actress

Did you miss the two Soundproofist videos about Android decibel apps, specifically my recommended app, SmarterNoise Pro?