The ultimate community noise monitoring system
Ellwyn G. Brickson · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1988
Community noise measurements of intruding noise sources in Orange County have usually been conducted with hand-held or integrating sound-level metering systems. The ambient noise is measured either before or after the test period. When the intruding noise cannot be turned off or vehicular traffic is a major contributor to the problem, the noise must be controlled to meet a community noise standard. A more sophisticated system must be utilized to achieve compliance during an outdoor concert. One system proposed for Pacific Amphitheatre concerts would use a real time analyzer to transmit bursts of octave band pink noise from the speaker system prior to each concert. The signal would be monitored at three locations in the residental area to determine attenuation and make the correct assessment of such intruding noise. A lap-top computer can then be used to assess the noise dose and to prescribe the amphitheatre music sound level reduction so as not to exceed noise ordinance standards.