Sound level
The big number, its weighting, and what LEQ, L10, L90 and MAX say about the session so far.
The number at the top of the workbench is the sound level right now, in decibels. Above it, two small labels say how it is being measured: the frequency weighting and the time weighting, A · FAST until you change them. The unit beside the number follows the weighting, so it reads dB(A), dB(C) or dB(Z).
Both are set in Settings → Measurement, under Weighting and Time weighting.
A- Follows how loud the ear finds quiet-to-moderate sound, so lows and the very top count for less. The usual choice for noise and comfort.
C- Nearly flat, rolling off only at the extremes. Used for loud sound and for keeping the low end in the number.
Z- Zero weighting: every frequency counts the same.
Slow- Averages over about a second. A steady, readable number.
Fast- Averages over 125 ms. Follows speech and music.
Impulse- Rises in 35 ms and falls over 1.5 s, so short bangs register and stay visible.
Under the number, SoundMess Lab keeps four statistics for the current session:
- LEQ: the equivalent continuous level, the energy average of everything since the session began.
- L10: the level exceeded 10% of the time, roughly the loud moments.
- L90: the level exceeded 90% of the time, a good guess at the background.
- MAX: the highest level so far.
The chip under them, SESSION 00:48, is how long the session has run. Tap it to start over: every statistic and the clock reset together. Use it when you move to a new spot or start a new take.
While Freeze is on, analysis pauses, so the session statistics wait too.
Related
- Real-time analyserThe sound split into fractional-octave bands from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, drawn as bars you read from the bottom up.
- How far to trust itPhone microphones are good in the middle and unreliable at the ends. SoundMess Lab shows you which is which.
- CalibrationTrim the level against a 94 dB reference, or load your measurement mic's own calibration file.
Still stuck? Write to zhi@nonoaudio.com. Support page