Noise Source Identification in Noise Exceedances

Did you hear that? Was it a dog or a plane?

Have you been tasked with identifying the source of an unwanted noise or monitoring for noise exceedance? To identify a noise’s source, you will want to listen to the noise itself. This means installing some kind of sound monitor and audio recorder. There are some tricks that can make the job more cost efficient and practical.

• Record audio clips of noise events only. When monitoring for noise exceedance, many people are tempted to record audio 24/7. This produces unnecessary data, which can be difficult to manage. With too much data, it is costly and cumbersome to store, communicate, and analyze the information you really need. Instead, use the features of your noise monitoring system to record noise only when there is an “event,” or when the noise exceeds a certain fixed or dynamic threshold for a minimum period of time.


• Rely on alerts from your monitoring system. SoundAdvisor™ Series Model 831C with ELA and SR options will send an email or text alert that includes an audio clip of the event whenever the noise gets too loud for too long. This allows you to determine the source of the noise and take action to mitigate the situation in real time.

By recording audio clips from noise events only, you save on data communication costs and can manage and analyze data much more easily.  Larson Davis’ SoundAdvisor Series of handheld, portable, or permanent monitoring systems can help you comply with noise regulations on your next project.