DB Meter

[Doug Siddons]

My DB meter is now in the naughty corner after playing up over this weekends festival so was after some advice on a new one.

 

I use it at FOH for general noise levels so it doesn't need to be a very expensive one just more accurate than a phone app and will satisfy the noise police when they come round to check.

 

Looking for recomendations, hand held, a and c weighted, and ideally self calibrating..

[Brian]

I've just been looking at calibrated measurement mics.

 

I found two interesting types...

 

a) one that plug into a smartphone via a 3.5mm jack plug

b) USB ones

 

The appeal of the USB ones is that there is no source of error caused by an pre-amplification.

[sandall]

CPC do one for around £125 but, once it's calibrated, AudioTool & a Dayton plug-in mic gives you whatever weighting you want, plus a nice pretty RTA display to impress the noise police.

 

E2A: Tester do something similar at £65.

 

 

[Simon Lewis]

Phone apps can be as accurate as a "real" meter - with the right software and hardware. An iOS device running Studio Six Digital apps with an external mic is pretty good. I would get the Leq module as it's far more useful than Fast/Slow A/C readings alone...

Android devices vary so much in the way that audio is implemented and the maximum levels that can be handled, that I have yet to find one that is anywhere near the right ball park, let alone accurate.

[Simon Lewis]

Phone apps can be as accurate as a "real" meter - with the right software and hardware. An iOS device running Studio Six Digital apps with an external mic is pretty good. I would get the Leq module as it's far more useful than Fast/Slow A/C readings alone...

Android devices vary so much in the way that audio is implemented and the maximum levels that can be handled, that I have yet to find one that is anywhere near the right ball park, let alone accurate.

 

You can get the hardware that works with Studio Six Digital software from here...

[Doug Siddons]

Thanks for the replies and comments. I definitely didn't want a phone based system for this it wouldn't be convenient, or user friendly, in the environment I use it in, not to mention my apple-O-phobia.

 

My original one was a Tenma, and I wanted an equivalent one which met IEC61672-1 and I judged I wouldn't need data logging so have gone for the Tenma 1073 which ticks all my boxes.