Sound pressure level
The measured acoustic pressure of a sound, expressed in decibels, used to describe how loud something actually is in the air.
Sound pressure level is a physical measurement, unlike the perceived loudness that the ear reports, and the two diverge sharply at high levels because hearing compresses what it receives. This is why a guitar amplifier can measure only a few decibels louder than another yet sound far more powerful, and why long exposure to levels around a hundred decibels causes permanent hearing damage. Because the scale is logarithmic, every increase of ten decibels represents roughly ten times the acoustic energy.
Example: A guitar amplifier producing about a hundred decibels at a metre is at a level that can damage hearing after a short exposure.
See also
Related
- PageMonitor
- PageProjection
- PagePA
- PageAmp mic placement
- PageAudio interface
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- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley