Hi everyone. Does anybody knows how to set a sound level meter to record the sound constantly within the time interval for instance every 10 minutes so that it can just be installed at the area to record. Thank you in advance
I don't use sound level meters, but am familiar with a variety of other devices that log environmental variables automatically and think it is going to depend on the model and the accompanying data logger that you are using. Many of the setup step are brand/even model specific and it will be hard for anyone to advise without a bit more information about the system you are using.
As Colin has pointed out; this will depend heavily upon which sound meter you are using. In my experience many smaller handheld units will likely not offer the functionality you require.
One alternative would be to use a post-analysis of a standard audio recording in the environment you're interested in. It would require you to calibrate the microphone with a reference sound of some pressure level, so that you are able to determine what magnitude of signal is produced in response to a given sound pressure.
You could then use software such as Aurora for Audacity, REW, or even a Matlab toolkit (depending upon which parameters of the sound you are interested in) to make acoustical analyses of the sound captured.
http://www.roomeqwizard.com
http://pcfarina.eng.unipr.it/Public/Aurora-for-Audacity/
Your question is unclear - do you want to automatically record the SPL level in an environment at 10-minute intervals, no matter what sound is occurring? As in, collect a record of decibel levels over 10-minute windows? Or do you want to record environmental audio based on some kind of SPL trigger (as in, as soon as this particular level of sound occurs, start recording, stop when that volume drops back down below the threshold)?
Hi anna. Thank you for your feedback. Yes, I would like to know how to set a sound level meter to automatically record any sound at 10 minutes interval. Would appreciate your feedback on this. Thank you in advance.
Hiya! I'm still not sure if you want to record sound (as in, the rain and the trees and people talking, etc.) or the SPL levels (as in, 60dB, 70dB, 40dB, etc.). Without more information all I can tell you is that there are many remote recording devices designed for environmental use which can be set to record on a schedule and hold months of data. Here is one, for example: http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/products/song-meter-sm4
If you'd like more detailed information you'll have to provide more context for what you're trying to do.
When Alex came to give us a short seminar on his work, he mentioned recording CO2 fluxes automatically over a period of time.
If I'm not wrong, he's team is using a Raspberry Pi to do it (based on conversations with Min)
I'm sure the gas sensor can just be changed to a microphone and the code modified to record audio every 10 minutes. The files would can be saved as .mp3 or any other preferred format on a usb.
But ofcause, this seems to be something not sold pre-assembled in the current market (not that i know off) and require alot of DIY at both the hardware and programming levels. (i.e. building the weatherproof casing and coding)
Greetings,
as mentioned in the comments above,
if you want to record the ambient sound levels remotely you first need to make sure whether the device you are using is capable in doing so. There are many drawbacks in using a handheld sound level meter as a permanent “station”. Even battery life could be a problem. I believe that you have already checked the specifications of your sound level meter and you have already read the manual. Apart from how to calibrate your device and set the frequency weightings (A or C) and response time (Fast or Slow) you should be able to find out whether you could schedule datalogging sampling rates.
If not, what I would suggest, is the creation of a “smart” sound level sampling protocol that you could follow (by conducting the measurements yourself) in the area under consideration.
Here is a new question in case anybody knows the answer.
I need to record sound levels (in decibels), NOT the sounds themselves, for long intervals of time (one week at least). I found machines that do this with a given frequency, e.g. one reading every minute, but I want to record the integral of sounds during each min or during each 10-min interval. Does anybody know if there is a machine that can do this?