Hey all, a quick question about sound level meters.
I'm going to be constructing a studio in my garage and I'm looking to invest in a sound level meter for the purpose of measuring noise etc..
I'm no expert and the first place I went to go find one was online and have come across quite a selection and a wide range of prices.
Can anyone advise me what kind I would need for my purposes?
Thanks ahead,
Saki
Sound level meters
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saki
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guitardad72
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Radio Shack Digital-Display Sound-Level Meter
is what I just got. I looked on eBay, there are less expensive new and used like ones... but while waiting for my Chinese take out order, killing 10 mins at Radio Shack, I bought this one for $50 on impulse.
Main thing is “A & C weight”.
“A weight” considers 500 Hz and up, meant for voice (more or less STC values). A weight is what police will use responding to noise complaints and what contractors would use building partitions in multi unit residential buildings.
“C weight” measures below 500 Hz. This is what most DIY studio builders would use as LF TL (low frequency transmission loss) is what we’re more concerned about.
There is a thread on here some where recommending Radio Shack Db meter. I could only guess an eBay discount no-name model with the same specs should operate similar. If I hadn’t eaten Chinese that night I would have the “????name” eBay model.
More info on STC, LF TL and more will be gained by spending a few days reading through this & like web sites.
Marc
is what I just got. I looked on eBay, there are less expensive new and used like ones... but while waiting for my Chinese take out order, killing 10 mins at Radio Shack, I bought this one for $50 on impulse.
Main thing is “A & C weight”.
“A weight” considers 500 Hz and up, meant for voice (more or less STC values). A weight is what police will use responding to noise complaints and what contractors would use building partitions in multi unit residential buildings.
“C weight” measures below 500 Hz. This is what most DIY studio builders would use as LF TL (low frequency transmission loss) is what we’re more concerned about.
There is a thread on here some where recommending Radio Shack Db meter. I could only guess an eBay discount no-name model with the same specs should operate similar. If I hadn’t eaten Chinese that night I would have the “????name” eBay model.
More info on STC, LF TL and more will be gained by spending a few days reading through this & like web sites.
Marc
As of Jun 2011, have not finished studio. But working as The One Man Band Marc Dobson which hopefully will continue up my career to a point where I can afford to finish my build.
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saki
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knightfly
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SLM's are like stereo gear, if you wanna see a difference you just move the decimal point one notch to the right... the RS units are fine for most tests if you learn how to work around their limitations - most of which is sensitivity.
One I recently bought is the Extech
http://www.contractor-books.com/EX/407750.htm
Got the software and cable too, does enough for taking noise surveys and nearly 20 dB more sensitive than the RS meters. If you're just building a studio and not designing them or consulting, prob'ly not worth the extra. I can show you how to use the RS meter to find out how much MORE isolation you need in most cases... Steve
This is still a "cheap" meter, BTW - you can pay over $10k USD for SLM's that can actually measure NC-15 or better environments...
One I recently bought is the Extech
http://www.contractor-books.com/EX/407750.htm
Got the software and cable too, does enough for taking noise surveys and nearly 20 dB more sensitive than the RS meters. If you're just building a studio and not designing them or consulting, prob'ly not worth the extra. I can show you how to use the RS meter to find out how much MORE isolation you need in most cases... Steve
This is still a "cheap" meter, BTW - you can pay over $10k USD for SLM's that can actually measure NC-15 or better environments...
Soooo, when a Musician dies, do they hear the white noise at the end of the tunnel??!? Hmmmm...