A portable soundscape recorder with low-cost embedded devices

• Main Author: Ngiam, Terence Theng Wee
• Other Authors: Chong Yong Kim
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/67928
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Due to increasing noise pollution awareness through soundscape approach, urban planners are finding ways to mitigate or reduce the level of noise in the city. Hence, one of the approaches to capture and investigate noise pollution is via mobile measurements. As such, soundscape recorders are the enablers to record sonic waves and perform post-processing on the recorded data to investigate the level of noise. This report documented the development of a portable and low-cost soundscape recorder. The purpose of this project is to build a recording device that is capable of capturing analog audio signals, and storing it as a digital file. The design of microphone pre-amplifiers as well as the procedures to calibrate the microphone will be documented and illustrated. The results were quantified via data fitting of microphone’s output voltage signal to Sound Pressure Levels in decibels (dB). Improvements made to the overall user experience of the recorder were narrated as well. The recorded audio file will be processed and it facilitated the analysis of the noise level of the recorded soundscape. Furthermore, the quality of the recorded file was examined against a recorded signal taken from a commercially available off-the-shelf recorder. In this report, the problems encountered will be studied and discussed in the course of this project.