Pick and Tick

Classroom noise meter

Sound is measured in your browser. Nothing is recorded or sent.

Press Start listening. Your browser will ask to use the microphone.

60

How to use the classroom noise meter

  1. Press Start listening, then allow the microphone when your browser asks.
  2. Drag the alarm line to the level the room should stay under.
  3. If the room stays over the line for a second or two, the board glows red and beeps.
  4. Press Full screen, or F, so the class can see the face from their seats.

Questions

Is the sound recorded?

No. Your browser hands the page a few milliseconds of sound at a time, the page turns them into one loudness number, and the sound is gone. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere, and the microphone turns off when you press Stop listening or close the tab.

Why does my browser ask for the microphone?

The meter needs the microphone to hear the room. The browser asks only when you press Start listening, never when the page opens. If you said no by mistake, allow the microphone for this site in your browser's settings and press Start listening again.

What do the numbers mean?

The meter runs from 0 (silent) to 100 (as loud as your microphone can hear). It isn't a calibrated decibel meter, because every microphone hears differently. Set the alarm line by watching the bar during a normal working buzz, then put the line a little above it.

A single clap set it off. Can I stop that?

A short noise doesn't set off the alarm; the room has to stay over the line for about a second and a half. If it still goes off too easily, move the line up or choose Low sensitivity.

What keyboard shortcuts are there?

Space starts and stops listening, + and − move the alarm line, M turns the beep on or off, and F goes full screen.

Does it work on phones and tablets?

Yes, in any current browser with a microphone. Keep this tab open and on screen; the meter only updates while the page is showing.