Sound Meter APP for tuning...

[Vana2]

Hi,

When tuning I pay attention to the sound of the PCP to help detect excessive air being wasted.

Was thinking that a Sound Meter APP for my Samsung phone would be useful for putting a number to the level rather than just trying to hear the difference.

Anybody have experience with this and has comments/suggestions?

Any APPs that you would recommend to try or to avoid?

Thanks!

 

[Treefrog]

I've had good luck with Decibel X. You'll find it in the link below.

Some of the bikes I work on need better mufflers and I use it to show the owners just how dumb they're being. (I believe that the aftermarket pipe manufacturers are in bed with the hearing-aid makers. Just like how feminism was invented by the cat-food corporations.)

The best smartphone decibel meter apps to measure noise levels

Our top picks for decibel and sound meter smartphone apps for measuring noise levels.

www.healthyhearing.com

Cheers,

J~

 

[ChrisT]

how loud is too loud , when someone drives down street and sets off every car alarm. generally the accepted max is about 85 db beyond that damage can occur. lot of variables involved here.

 

[Vana2]

I've had good luck with Decibel X. You'll find it in the link below.

Some of the bikes I work on need better mufflers and I use it to show the owners just how dumb they're being. (I believe that the aftermarket pipe manufacturers are in bed with the hearing-aid makers. Just like how feminism was invented by the cat-food corporations.)

The best smartphone decibel meter apps to measure noise levels

Our top picks for decibel and sound meter smartphone apps for measuring noise levels.

www.healthyhearing.com

Cheers,

J~

Thanks Treefrog I'll check it out!

 

[MikeVV]

Cheap meters are just THAT...cheap meters.

There's WAY to much outside sound acting on inexpensive meters, and add to that, cheap...meters aren't going to be accurate, OR...very repeatable. Yes, you may get lucky every now and again, with repeatability. But you need to be repeatable over "several" shots, under the SAME ambient sounds / noise.

Sorry, but when I here talk about these cheap meters, it brings back my many hours spent inside ACTUAL acoustic chambers, measuring "actual" sound decibels when testing spacecraft and their parts.
So yeah, to be "accurate AND repeatable" you NEED a closed room, with nothing in it for the sound to bounce off of, at the least. And an actual acoustic chamber to be accurate and...repeatable.

Cheap meters (or phones) are just toys.

Mike

 

[Treefrog]

I don't disagree with Mike all that much. Accuracy in measurement is important and having a primary standard for reference can be critical. In critical applications.

But less than perfect data is still data and this isn't exactly a critical application. It's better to know something than nothing. Hoping that the OP will post up about what he learns with this.

I have two German Shepherds. One doesn't mind airgun noise (or thunder). The other one does. When I dialed my co2 air rifle back to sub-500 fps (for entertainment and economy), the big one was no longer bothered by the sound. That's data I can use. Now if he'd just stay behind the bench like the other one does...

Cheers,

J~

 

[beerthief]

good idea ?, I worked as a hobby in my wood shop , I now wear hearing aids ($7000.00 , 48 place graphic EQ ) and i still do not hear some frequencies very well . Protect your hearing ! EVEN when you think you don't need to , , YES even electric mowers as an example .

 

[Vana2]

Cheap meters are just THAT...cheap meters.

There's WAY to much outside sound acting on inexpensive meters, and add to that, cheap...meters aren't going to be accurate, OR...very repeatable. Yes, you may get lucky every now and again, with repeatability. But you need to be repeatable over "several" shots, under the SAME ambient sounds / noise.

Sorry, but when I here talk about these cheap meters, it brings back my many hours spent inside ACTUAL acoustic chambers, measuring "actual" sound decibels when testing spacecraft and their parts.
So yeah, to be "accurate AND repeatable" you NEED a closed room, with nothing in it for the sound to bounce off of, at the least. And an actual acoustic chamber to be accurate and...repeatable.

Cheap meters (or phones) are just toys.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Agreed, what I'm proposing is far from an ideal setup but as Treefrog mentioned, I don't need laboratory level accuracy.

I'm hoping to detect the threshold between not enough and too much air. It would be nice if the numbers were "true" and it would be great if the results were repeatable. I think (hope) that the sound levels averaged over several shots would be good enough to give me some valid data points within a tuning session.

As far as acoustics go, my shooting bench has no sound reflecting surfaces near by, I'm 200 feet from a rural road and birds account for most of the ambient noise. The phone/app would be placed on the right corner of the bench 18"-24" from the muzzle. (Picture attached)

Thanks for your comments Mike, appreciate the feedback!

Cheers!

 

[Vana2]

good idea ?, I worked as a hobby in my wood shop , I now wear hearing aids ($7000.00 , 48 place graphic EQ ) and i still do not hear some frequencies very well . Protect your hearing ! EVEN when you think you don't need to , , YES even electric mowers as an example .

Yeah, PROTECT YOUR HEARING!!

Shooting .22 rimfires without hearing protection ruined my hearing, been wearing hearing aids for decades because of that.