SmarterNoise Pro vs DSD Mastering Viewer

SmarterNoise Pro is the most advanced edition of the SmarterNoise recording sound level meters. SmarterNoise Pro edition is developed especially with more advanced measurements in mind, and includes many requested features such as a frequency spectrum display, export of measurement data, A-, C- or no weighting for sound level measurement, and full screen audio mode. SmarterNoise Pro edition does not contain any advertising, and performs accurately and fast. Features: • Sound level measurement in video mode • Sound level measurement in audio mode • Sound meter snapshot camera • Record video and audio files (paid function) • Recording timer • Sound level activated audio recording • Frequency spectrum display (paid function) • Peak frequency detection • A-, C- or no frequency weighting • Export of measurement data in CSV format • Full HD (paid function), HD and VGA video resolution • Three video quality settings • Archive for saved files • Sharing of saved files • Calibration • Save location of measurement (optional) • Time and date • Continuous Leq, LAeq, LCeq value • 10 second sound level average (Leq, LAeq, LCeq) • 60 second sound level average (Leq, LAeq, LCeq) • Maximum and minimum decibel level About decibels and sound level measurement The unit for measuring sound is called a decibel. Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, a sound with an intensity that is twice that of a reference sound corresponds to an increase of about 3 decibels. The reference point of 0 decibel is set at the intensity of the least perceptible sound, the threshold of hearing. On such a scale a 10-decibel sound is 10 times the intensity of the reference sound. Highlighting this is important as already a few decibels higher or lower makes a noticeable difference in how noise is perceived. The preferred method to describe sound levels that vary over time, resulting in a single decibel value measuring the total sound energy over the period, is called Leq. It is however common practice to measure sound levels using A-weighting, which attenuates lower and higher frequencies that the average person cannot hear. In this case the value is called LAeq. A- and C-weighting The A-weighting is a standard, commonly used filter that attempts to alter the measured sound pressure levels to more closely match the perception of the human ear. A-weighting makes the sound level meter less sensitive to very high (over 8000 Hz) and low frequencies (below 1000 Hz). C-weighting also attenuates low and high frequencies, but the attenuation of low frequencies is much less severe compared to A-weighting. Calibrate: Calibrate the application using the calibration tool found in the settings menu. Phones and their components vary in quality and setup so you need to calibrate the app in order for the results to be relatively comparable. One suggestion is that you close the window and door to your bedroom or bathroom, turn off appliances, and once its very quiet calibrate the app so the reading is about 30 decibel.

DSD Mastering Viewer reads a DSD or high-resolution PCM file and works out, from the spectrum alone, what production chain it most likely came from. A file labelled DSD256 may be a genuine high-rate master, or a DSD64 SACD transfer in a larger container carrying an older modulator's noise as content. A 192 kHz download may be a real 192 kHz capture, or a CD upsampled into an empty band. The container never says which. The ultrasonic region does. WHAT IT MEASURES • The wideband spectrum out to 176 kHz, well past the limit of hearing • How the level above the audio band is shaped, and where it starts to rise • Left/right coherence — whether ultrasonic energy is independent between channels, which is what decides whether it can read as width and air • A band table from 15 kHz upward, in dB relative to the music WHAT IT TELLS YOU A plain-language verdict naming the most likely chain, with a confidence qualifier and the evidence behind it — DSD64 heritage, a freshly remodulated PCM or DXD master, a native high-rate capture, an analogue or heavily processed transfer, an upsample from a lower rate, or a lossy-encoded source. A recording-chain grade out of ten scores what the chain delivered: real bandwidth, an honest container, and a clean region above the music. CONVERSION Convert between DSD and PCM in either direction — DSD64 through DSD2048, PCM from 44.1 to 384 kHz in 16-bit, 24-bit or 32-bit float — with an optional linear-phase filter that removes inherited ultrasonic noise while leaving everything audible untouched. The chart draws the predicted result before you commit to it. HONEST BY DESIGN A file that cannot carry 50 kHz is never reported as having nothing there; it is reported as unobserved. Confidence is capped when there is less evidence to go on. The verdict always hedges, because a spectrum constrains a file's history without proving it. And the grade is explicitly a judgement of the production chain, not of how the record sounds — no spectrum can tell you that. Reads DSF, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC and CAF. Nothing is uploaded; there is no networking code in the app at all. FREE FOR THREE DAYS Everything is open for three days. After that the Viewer and the Converter are separate one-time purchases — no subscription, nothing renews, and either one covers all your Macs, iPhones and iPads.