There are many reasons why we may need to know the level of noise around us. For example, when we have a neighbor who likes to play music too loud, or to find out the level of environmental noise that we can bear in our workplace. For all these cases, the apps to measure decibels. In this post we are going to analyze some of the best.
El decibel (dB) is the measure used to express the power level or intensity level of a sound. The hearing threshold of the human ear is assigned the value of 0 dB. That figure would be equivalent, more or less, to that of absolute silence, although each person has a different sensitivity.
To have an approximate idea of the amount of decibels, that is, the level of noise to which we are exposed in our daily lives, we can give some examples: the sound of the human voice in a normal conversation (without shouting) is about 40 dB, that of a vacuum cleaner running during house cleaning is 70 dB and that of an electric drill 90 dB.
The World Health Organization (WHO) establishes the limit of 55 dB as the maximum tolerable for adequate habitability. In Spain, it is the town councils that determine the noise levels allowed in residential areas, within the limits set by the Noise Law. In general, the following scales apply:
- During the day (from 8 a.m. to 22 p.m.) you cannot exceed 35 dB.
- At night (from 22 pm to 8 am) this limit is reduced to 30 dB.
These hours and levels may be different on holidays and weekends, although it is convenient to know and respect them to avoid economic sanctions of the administration. This is where decibel meters come into play, or even better, apps to measure decibels: to know that we are within legal limits.
Sound Meter (SPL)
With the exception of professional quality sound level meters, the app Sound Meter (SPL) It is one of the best tools that we can use for the measurement of sounds and environmental noise. The acronym SPL stands for Sound Pressure Level, which is really what this app measures with a high degree of fine-tuning.
An additional plus is its beautiful interface, whose visual aspect we can customize with different designs inspired by antique or vintage-style gauges. A very elegant solution, as well as practical.
Decibel X
Excellent sound meter, very accurate and reliable. Decibel X It offers pre-calibrated measurements that can be integrated with other applications and also allows us to create a history and share the results of our measurements through social networks.
With a standard measurement range from 30 dB to 130 dB, the results are displayed using practical graphics in real time. It also has the "Keep device awake" function to make long-term recordings, for example, to know the noise level of an office during a whole working day. Very practical.
Sound Analyzer
A professional audio meter that offers us detailed and reliable information on ambient sound levels. Sound Analyzer It is capable of executing a harmonic analysis of various channels and of offering us a graphical representation of them.
It is not a simple noise meter to use, but a sophisticated tool which requires minimal knowledge of acoustics on the part of the user. Its results offer technical details that may be superfluous for most people, but for professional uses can be very interesting. In any case, we would only recommend this app to experts.
Sound Meter Pro
To close the list, another of the great apps to measure decibels that we have at our disposal. Sound Meter Pro is a free application but capable of offering professional level sound measurements. This is because it has been calibrated using Nor140, the high precision sound level meter.
In addition to measuring environmental noise levels, the app lets us save our measurements with their corresponding locations. It has a simple and elegant interface. To also highlight his vibrometer integrated that makes use of an acceleration sensor to measure a strong vibration. Or even a seismic movement.
By way of conclusion, it is important to know to what extent apps are useful to measure decibels using our mobile phones. As we have seen, it is very practical and simple tools to use that they can offer us fairly reliable readings about the acoustic levels of a home or a workplace. However, its results are not valid within an occupational Hearing Conservation Program unless the measurements are made using a type 2 microphone and with an approved device calibration before and after each measurement.