Can you play your keyboard too loudly?
Posted: 29 May 2020 14:39
Can you play your keyboard too loudly?
It can be hard to tell how loud sounds are.
In this topic we try to understand how loud is too loud, for any noise.
Noise is measured using the decibel (dB) scale, which reflects the sensitivity of human ears to different levels and frequencies of sound.
Here are some examples:
0dB – the quietest sound a healthy human ear can hear
40dB – a quiet library
60dB – ordinary spoken conversation
85dB – a food blender
88dB – heavy traffic
91dB – a pneumatic drill
97dB – an industrial fire alarm
100dB – a nightclub
110dB – a live gig or concert
130dB – an aeroplane taking off 100m away
140dB is the level at which noise causes pain for most people, although some may experience pain at lower levels.
The danger decibel level is 85dB, which is the threshold level when hearing can become damaged over time.
Sounds under 85dB are safe to listen to and you don’t need to use any hearing protection, or be concerned for your hearing.
But for anyone in a noisy environment, if the sound levels reach 80dB, their employer should assess the risk to their hearing and inform them about action to be taken.
How long anyone is exposed to noise also matters.
The length of time someone can 'safely' be exposed to sound over 85dB without needing to use hearing protection depends on how loud it is.
Sound intensity, which is the energy the sound wave carries, doubles with every increase of 3dB. So even though, for example, the sound of heavy traffic doesn’t sound twice as loud as a food blender, it’s twice as intense.
The safe exposure time for 85dB is up to eight hours a day. Remember that you’re exposed to lots of different sounds that are 85dB or over throughout the day, and this exposure time adds up.
As sound intensity doubles with every increase of 3dB, the safe exposure time halves. So, for example, the safe exposure time for 88dB is four hours.
You’re at risk of hearing damage after just 15 minutes when you’re in an average nightclub, which plays music at 100dB, if you don’t use earplugs to protect your ears.
For sounds of 110–120dB, even a very short exposure time can cause hearing damage.
It can be hard to tell how loud sounds are.
In this topic we try to understand how loud is too loud, for any noise.
Noise is measured using the decibel (dB) scale, which reflects the sensitivity of human ears to different levels and frequencies of sound.
Here are some examples:
0dB – the quietest sound a healthy human ear can hear
40dB – a quiet library
60dB – ordinary spoken conversation
85dB – a food blender
88dB – heavy traffic
91dB – a pneumatic drill
97dB – an industrial fire alarm
100dB – a nightclub
110dB – a live gig or concert
130dB – an aeroplane taking off 100m away
140dB is the level at which noise causes pain for most people, although some may experience pain at lower levels.
The danger decibel level is 85dB, which is the threshold level when hearing can become damaged over time.
Sounds under 85dB are safe to listen to and you don’t need to use any hearing protection, or be concerned for your hearing.
But for anyone in a noisy environment, if the sound levels reach 80dB, their employer should assess the risk to their hearing and inform them about action to be taken.
How long anyone is exposed to noise also matters.
The length of time someone can 'safely' be exposed to sound over 85dB without needing to use hearing protection depends on how loud it is.
Sound intensity, which is the energy the sound wave carries, doubles with every increase of 3dB. So even though, for example, the sound of heavy traffic doesn’t sound twice as loud as a food blender, it’s twice as intense.
The safe exposure time for 85dB is up to eight hours a day. Remember that you’re exposed to lots of different sounds that are 85dB or over throughout the day, and this exposure time adds up.
As sound intensity doubles with every increase of 3dB, the safe exposure time halves. So, for example, the safe exposure time for 88dB is four hours.
You’re at risk of hearing damage after just 15 minutes when you’re in an average nightclub, which plays music at 100dB, if you don’t use earplugs to protect your ears.
For sounds of 110–120dB, even a very short exposure time can cause hearing damage.