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How to Measure DB Levels of Wind Noise

Measuring decibel levels requires a special tool known as a SPL or Sound Pressure Level meter. These instruments have a built in microphone that listens to a sound source and displays how many decibels are being produced. Although they are often used to set up home theater and live concert sound systems, you can measure any sound with an SPL meter including wind noise. When set correctly and pointed in the direction of the wind noise, the SPL meter will display how loud the wind noise actually is.

Things You'll Need

  • SPL meter
  • Tripod
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Instructions

    • 1

      Attach the SPL meter to a tripod by screwing the tripod attachment on the bottom of the meter onto the threaded top of the tripod stand. This will help eliminate inaccurate readings due to noise caused by handling the meter.

    • 2

      Set the tripod in the area that you are trying to measure the wind noise level of.

    • 3

      Set the range of the meter to the approximate level of the sound. Because the sound of wind noise can be fairly soft, set the range to its lowest setting or 60 decibels. This will tell the meter to use a high sensitivity when listening to sounds. This also turns the unit on, to turn the unit off, set the range to "off."

    • 4

      Set the weight that you would like the meter to listen to sounds with. To measure a windy area instead of a direct sound source like a speaker, set the weighting to "A."

    • 5

      Set the response time of the meter to "fast" so it will constantly display the current decibel level of the wind noise. This way you can see the average decibel level of the wind noise instead of a peak reading.

    • 6

      Read the levels being displayed on the meter to determine the decibel level of the wind noise.

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