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25th January 2016, 10:45 AM #1.
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Noise monitoring using smart phone Apps
Recently I found a comprehensive study on "Evaluation of smartphone sound measurement applications" in the journal of the Acoustic Society of America.
see Evaluation of smartphone sound measurement applicationsa)
Here is the Abstract
This study reports on the accuracy of smartphone soundmeasurement applications (apps) and whether they can be appropriately employed for occupational noise measurements. A representative sample of smartphones and tablets on various platforms were acquired, more than 130 iOS apps were evaluated but only 10 apps met our selection criteria. Only 4 out of 62 Android apps were tested. The results showed two apps with mean differences of 0.07 dB (unweighted) and −0.52 dB (A-weighted) from the reference values. Two other apps had mean differences within ±2 dB. The study suggests that certain apps may be appropriate for use in occupational noise measurements.
The one I have been using is SoundMeter by Faber Acoustical - it cost a whopping $7 but given its accuracy is worth considering over free, less accurate apps
From the Article
The evidence suggests that for A-weighted data, SoundMeter is the app best suited for occupational and general purpose noise measurements. In addition to having the smallest mean difference for the A-weighted data, SoundMeter had the narrowest distribution of differences
This study showed that certain sound measurement apps for Apple smartphones and tablets may be considered accurate and reliable to be used to assess occupational noise exposures. Android and Windows developers do not offer apps that meet the functionality needed for occupational noise assessments. Recent developments in the use of crowdsourcing and participatory noise monitoring techniques of environmental noise suggest that these techniques may also be appropriate for use in the occupational environment to improve awareness of workplace noise and help advance the hearing health of workers.
This article was published in 2014 so there may be some new Apps out there that have not been tested.
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25th January 2016 10:45 AM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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25th January 2016, 01:33 PM #2
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25th January 2016, 02:18 PM #3.
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Sorry I got the price confused with another App.
I checked my records and see the version I first purchased was V4.0 in 2013 and I paid $20.99 for it.
Reviews at that rime also rated SoundMeter as one of the most accurate.
There must have been a dozen or so updates since then.
I reckon it's still worth $30 if your'e buying it for business / employment related purposes.
One of the negative things about it is it seems to chew the battery quite heavily compared to other SPL Apps I have used.
I have compared a number of free iPhone SPL apps with Soundmeter and all have been within 4dB of Soundmeter for frequencies between about 500 and 4000 Hz.
Some of the free apps differ as much as 10dB outside these frequencies.
While hardly a rigorous test I have the raw data somewhere - I should plot it up.
Where ALL (even SoundMeter) mobile phone SPL apps have problems is at very ow frequencies which the mic struggles to pickup.
If you want to get serious about noise measurement there is a ~$100 calibrated mic you can purchase for the iPhone that will provide an even wider level of frequency performance.
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