Noise Nuisance Recorder - Noisy Neighbors

Assessing Neighbor Noise

The Noise Nuisance Recorder is taken to the residence with the problem, carried inside a simple shoulder bag to avoid attracting the attention of the neighbors. It is very quick to set up before being left to measure sound levels continuously.

When the complainant hears the problem noise (dog barking, shouting, music, etc.) they press the button on the outside of the box to start the audio recording. The button lights up to show that the noise is being recorded. A "pre-trigger" ensures that the noise up to 10 seconds before the button is pressed is included in the recording.

After a suitable period of time, usually a few days to a week, the measurement process can be stopped and the equipment returned to the office for analysis. After downloading the measurements you are presented with a Time History graph showing the sound levels throughout the measurement period, a marker clearly indicating the exact time an audio sample has been recorded. Listening to the audio confirms the source of the noise and is essential for evidence purposes.

Why a Noise Nuisance Recorder?

Living with noisy neighbors Over-reaction or genuine complaint?

When a resident complains of excessive noise from a neighbor there is often more happening behind the scenes, such as a neighborly fall out over a number of other issues. In these situations the complainant could be over sensitive to noise that would not normally bother them, or could be falsely exaggerating the noise levels involved. For the authority involved (environmental health, housing association, police, etc.) it can be difficult to separate the genuine complaints from the false ones. The purpose of the Noise Nuisance Recorder is to give the resident the opportunity to show that the noise levels in question are genuinely excessive or of an abusive or anti-social nature. This is extremely important as excessive neighbor noise is very difficult to live with, causing a loss of sleep, increased stress levels and the resultant damage to health.

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Noise Nuisance Recorder Datasheet (PDF, 739k) CEL630 Sound Level Meter Datasheet (PDF, 310k) CEL120 Acoustic Calibrator Datasheet (PDF, 423k)