Addito
Acoustic Measurement Researcher & Noise Safety Educator | Founder, SoundDBMeter.com
My name is Addito. I built SoundDBMeter.com because I kept running into the same problem: people wanted to understand the noise in their environment — how loud is my workplace, is my home office too noisy, does my baby’s room meet safe sleep guidelines — but the tools available were either professional-grade instruments costing hundreds of dollars or smartphone apps that displayed a number with no context for what that number actually meant for their health.
The gap I wanted to close was not just measurement. It was understanding. A reading of 85 dB is not useful if you do not know that 85 dB is the threshold at which NIOSH identifies increased hearing risk with prolonged exposure, or that OSHA and NIOSH use different exchange rates for calculating safe exposure time and arrive at different limits for the same noise level. Context is what turns a number into actionable information.
That is what this site is built to provide.
What I Research and Write About
My work on SoundDBMeter.com covers four areas:
Acoustic measurement and decibel science. I research how sound pressure level is measured, how the decibel scale works logarithmically, how different weighting scales (dBA, dBC, dBZ) apply in different measurement contexts, and how browser-based tools using the Web Audio API compare to certified Class 1 and Class 2 sound level meters. Every tool on this site is paired with honest documentation of what it can and cannot measure. The Online Decibel Meter Accuracy page exists specifically because I believe users deserve to know the real limitations of a browser-based measurement tool before relying on one.
Occupational noise safety standards. The NIOSH and OSHA noise exposure standards are not identical — they use different exchange rates (3 dB vs 5 dB), different reference levels, and arrive at materially different permitted exposure times for the same noise level. I research these standards as published by the relevant institutions, document where they agree and where they diverge, and present both frameworks clearly on pages like NIOSH vs OSHA Noise Limits and the Noise Exposure Calculator. I do not simplify by choosing one standard over the other — I explain both and let users apply the framework relevant to their situation.
Hearing safety and noise exposure in everyday environments. Occupational noise standards address the workplace. But people also encounter hearing-risk noise levels in everyday environments — live music, power tools, traffic, nightlife, sports events. I research the hearing damage evidence base and translate it into practical guidance: what levels carry risk, at what durations, under which exposure patterns. See the Hearing Damage dB Chart and Safe Noise Levels Chart for how this research is presented.
Environmental and situational noise level documentation. Noise levels in specific environments — classrooms, apartments, baby rooms, offices, podcast recording rooms — are not widely documented in a way that connects measurement standards to practical guidance. I research typical and recommended dB levels for these environments, cross-reference them against relevant guidelines (WHO, CDC, EPA where applicable), and publish them on the situational noise pages on this site.
My Standards for Accuracy
SoundDBMeter.com covers noise safety content that people may act on — decisions about hearing protection, compliance assessments, workplace monitoring, nursery environments. That means accuracy standards matter more here than on most informational websites.
Every page on this site meets the following standards before publication:
- Claims about OSHA, NIOSH, WHO, CDC, or other institutional standards are taken from the primary published source — not from summaries of summaries
- The distinction between browser-based estimation and certified measurement is stated clearly on every relevant page — I never imply the tools on this site are substitutes for certified Class 1 or Class 2 instruments
- Technical claims about acoustics, frequency weighting, RMS measurement, and sound pressure level are grounded in established acoustic science
- Where standards differ between institutions, or where evidence is limited, the content says so rather than presenting one interpretation as universal fact
- Sources used in the preparation of content are listed on the References page
If you find an error on this site — a safety figure that contradicts a primary source, a technical claim that does not hold up, a regulatory limit that has been updated — please report it via the Contact page. All corrections are reviewed personally and applied promptly.
The Tools on This Site
SoundDBMeter.com’s eight tools are built around the practical questions people have about sound measurement, noise safety, and acoustic analysis:
- Online Decibel Meter — real-time sound level measurement with NIOSH and OSHA safety algorithms, session peak and average tracking, and calibration offset control
- Noise Exposure Calculator — calculate permissible exposure time based on dB level and your chosen safety standard
- Background Noise Test — check the ambient noise level of any room or environment
- Frequency Analyzer — real-time audio spectrum analysis showing frequency distribution
- Tone Generator — generate pure tones at specified frequencies for audio testing and calibration
- Microphone Test — verify microphone function before using measurement tools
- SPL Converter — convert between sound pressure level values and pascals
- Volume Level Comparator — compare two or more sound levels in dB and understand the difference in energy terms
All tools run in your browser. No audio is recorded, stored, or transmitted.
Get in Touch
Questions, corrections, and feedback are welcome.
Contact: sounddbmeter.com/contact How the tools work: sounddbmeter.com/testing-methodology Editorial standards: sounddbmeter.com/editorial-policy Cited references: sounddbmeter.com/references
Addito is the founder and sole author of SoundDBMeter.com. All tools, educational articles, noise safety guides, and supporting content on this site are written and maintained by Addito.
Last updated: June 2026.