Reddit reviews RISEPRO Decibel Meter, Digital Sound Level Meter 30 – 130 dB Audio Noise Measure Device Backlight MAX/MIN, Data Hold Auto Power Off Dual Ranges HT-80A

I'm 35 - pro mastering engineer, and a tinnitus sufferer. I know this might seem impossible, but in time you will adjust and it will go away. A couple things I wish I had told myself at 21.

1. Buy ear plugs and put them in your car, jacket pocket, pants, back pack. I like the Hearos Extreme ones. Wear them whenever you're in ANY sort of loud environment.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Hearos-Xtreme-Protection-Plugs-14-Pair/dp/B00M0P6FX4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1519348869&sr=8-6&keywords=hearos+extreme+protection
   
   
2. Buy these, or something like them, and wear them (instead of the earplugs) if you're doing anything around the house that might be loud. Mowing the lawn, building something, even vaccuming.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AFOJ3HG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
3. This is HUGE. Buy an SPL meter (I'll link to a cheap one below) set it up at your listening position and adjust your listening level so that it doesn't go above 85dba during the loudest passages of mastered tracks. Don't use youtube, spotify, or any other loudness normalized playback medium to do this. Buy a song off itunes (that isn't labeled 'mastered for itunes') or better yet - play back a CD.
   
   Mark that volume level on on your level control and NEVER go above it. 85 dba SPL is safe for 8 hours a day - anything more than that, or longer and you could potentially cause permanent damage. If your ears feel stuffed or tired it's because you're listening too long, too loud, or both.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EZZ8B5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   I understand that you may be recording or mixing material that is lower than mastered material and will sound quiet at the 85db setting you'll have marked off. In that case, make a second mark on your volume control that corresponds to 85db at mix level, or better yet - keep the SPL meter in front of you. This serves a dual purpose, as it doesn't only protect your ears, but it helps you hear constantly. Your sensitivity to different frequencies chances (quite a bit) with listening level. So establishing a (safe) standard will allow you to mix faster, better, and much more confidently.
   
   Typed that pretty fast while working, so sorry for any typos.
   
   Good luck!
   
   edit: for some reason all my points are coming up as #1 ... odd.
   

All you really need is cheap SPL Meter

Amazon Link

I posted a similar question a few days ago and got good recommendations a lot of which were more advanced than what I was looking to get to start learning the basics. One simple spl meter that was recommended was RISEPRO Decibel Meter, Digital Sound Level Meter 30 – 130 dB Audio Noise Measure Device Dual Ranges HT-80A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EZZ8B5Q It arrived over the weekend and it actually helped with blending my desktop speakers with a new sub more than I thought it would. I'm sure someday I'll eventually upgrade to something that integrates with software but for now I'm learning fine with this. I got it for $22.

Hello! You should not worry about your volume levels within reasonable hours. I play in bands and studios and have not often had any problems. I'm also a professional audio engineer. Try to be very reasonable with your neighbor until it is obvious they are manipulating you and not able to be pleased. I very seriously doubt you could ever reasonably get ticketed. Consider getting a cheap DB meter to if you need hard data to back up where your music is. Hearing music outside of your house is really no big deal. It's still your land. If it's disturbingly loud outside where your property is, then you may have a problem. Measure decibels from your property line.

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Sound damping may help some. The biggest benefit of sound dampening your basement is that your music will sound better. Look at rugs/some wall treatment or curtains. And then do some cheap corner bass traps. Bass traps being the most important because of the length of the sound waves. Bass is much harder to dampen because it requires a deeper dampening device to be done well.

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https://www.amazon.com/RISEPRO-Decibel-Meter-Digital-Sound/dp/B01EZZ8B5Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=decibel+meter&qid=1574642863&sr=8-4

sure, loudness of any kind is measured in decibels. you can buy a decibel meter, and look up the noise ordinance for your community or city, then measure the decibels in your yard or house to see if your neighbors are violating the law. you might be able to sue them if that's the case (using recordings from your decibel meter as evidence), especially if the police can't seem to fix the problem, but i'm no lawyer.

you can also use the decibel meter to measure the loudness of your own siren. if they're not breaking the law with their music (just being inconsiderate and annoying) and you have the headroom to add a siren on top of whatever they're playing without breaking the law, then use the decibel meter to see if the siren and music are both lawful together. if so, you will at least have your CYA in order should the police show up.

you might annoy your other neighbors though, and i do like the idea of enlisting their help in fighting the noise menace next door. and getting into a war with the next door neighbor could be dangerous, if you don't know what kind of people you're living next to. just something to keep in mind.

>I don't know what that means.
>I know what the disease is.

Well then maybe you should specify what you are talking about, so you don't use pronouns, so someone outside your head can tell what you're talking about.

>I know what the disease is. Dogs don't get diagnosed with alzheimer's you walnut.

Don't call me a walnut when you are the one who has the understanding problem. Just because a dog can't be diagnosed with alzheimer's doesn't mean. It is immune to the disease. There's only 1% difference between your dna and the dogs dna. You have all the same organs, the brain works the same way. If a dog is coming close to dying of old age it will probably also develop alzheimer's. All living things on the planet with similar anatomy will too. Also it actually might be possible that a vet might be able to diagnose a dog with alzheimer's after all.

https://www.thespruce.com/dementia-in-dogs-1117412

Welp looks like it's dementia.

>Literally no one else in the country has a law about the volume of a dog bark.

1. you don't know that. Laws can change county to county, so unless you've been to every single county, you can't actually make that claim.
   
   
2. just because everyone is doing something doesn't make it right. For example everyone in america is killing themselves with carbs. Well it must be right cuz everyone is doing it.
   
   And everyone in the 70s used asbestos for everything. Welp everyone is doing it, must make it good and correct! good job!. Walnut.
   
   >Can you imagine the inspector for that job?
   
   
3. find the address that recieved the complaint.
   
   
4. put feet up against fence
   
   
5. take three steps back
   
   
6. take out the noise measuring tool.
   
   
7. press button on tool.
   
   
8. see what the peak decibel is.
   
   
9. issue a fix it ticket, or walk away and do nothing based on the reading.
   
   Holey moley! where are we going to find the einstains to do this job?! It's way too difficult! we haven't got the capable individuals that can keep up with these rigorous instructions! We better give up, it's impossible I say! it's just too damn hard!
   
   >The cost to regulate that would be enormous.
   
   Yeah, it would just be too expensive to have three employees per state saving people's lives by fining people that are creating noise. Oh wait, the fines can pay their salaries. Ignore that, this is too damn difficult, it's impossible I say!.
   
   >random dogs with a microphone
   
   I think you need to explore life more, and then you'd know about things like this
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EZZ8B5Q/
   
   being in existence that are used in general purpose. Too bad you don't get out more often huh. But these things are great for measuring everything. You can use this too prove that the neighbors are too loud, or people use them at construction places to check if ear protection is needed.
   
   >If you get scared enough by a dog bark to crash, you're jumpy.
   
   Yes, let's make factual statements about things that we don't know about for things that we weren't there for. Great idea! And like the other five great idea makers before, If there is a 100 db noise, from four feet away, and there is zero warning for the noise, any human will flinch. The repercussions of that flinch is entirely circumstantial. I'd like to invite you to have a megaphone strapped to your back that would be wired to go off randomly, and we can see how unjumpy you really are.