Did you know that you can easily measure the noise levels coming from the Falls Festival over New Years?
There is an App (Application) available from the App Store on your iPhone smart phone that costs less than $5 and it is very accurate (Androids fail here).
Just type in ‘decibel meter’ and scroll down about 12 other meters until you come to ‘SPLnFFT Noise Meter’. This meter came out tops in a scientific study published in a peer-reviewed journal (Kardous & Shaw, 2014. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America). They tested numerous App meters against expensive sound monitoring equipment.
As novices we will be within about 5 Decibels, but the meter is accurate within 2dB.
After downloading, practise by writing down sound levels before Falls start, and then take comparative levels during the event (write them down). Then ring the Festival Hotline (66804049) with your complaint and tell, and show, the sound experts that come out what you have done. The Hotline records every complaint and their response. (Also email your notes to us at [email protected] thanks.)
By the way, the flyer that the Falls developers delivered to every household says that the approved hours of operation are up to 2am on three of the nights. Not entirely accurate. They have consent only up to midnight each night for the main stages. After that, only the smaller bars/cafes and dance floor can go until 2am.
R. Whitling, Conservation of North Ocean Shores (CONOS)
