For movie or music aficionados it can be difficult living in a condo or apartment. There’s a fine balance between the volume you prefer versus pissing off your neighbors (or even facing hefty fines). On the flip side it’s never fun trying to sleep or enjoy your home when your neighbors are listening to heavy metal or stomping around in high heels. So how do you know if it’s you or your neighbor that’s the noisy one?
In the county where I live the maximum allowable noise levels in residential areas are 65 dBA during the daytime and 55 dBA at nighttime. That’s seriously quiet for those of you who enjoy a bit of volume in your movies or music.
A quick and easy way to test how much noise you’re making is to use a sound meter to measure the sound levels. Sound meters are readily available from your local Radio Shack or Home Depot. If you have an iPhone (and other smartphones too) you can download inexpensive (and some free) apps - here are a few:
- SPL Sound Meter ($.99)
- Decibel Meter ($1.99)
- Decibal Meter Pro ($.99)
- Decibel ($.99)
- Digital Sound Meter ($.99)
Once you know how loud you actually are, you can be the good neighbor and help do your part to keep the noise down peace.
Here are some great tips and strategies on how to keep noise in/out:
Apartment Therapy's Sofa Shopping Guide
Nikki’s Sweet and Cheery Print Studio
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Stanley Console by ...
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Better to be the noisy neighbor... musicians have it easy in that respect :p
might try this out, although you mentioned a free app but yet none of the ones you listed are free.
the thing for me though, it's not about loudness and noise it is all about the bass. I don't know if i hear a slightly lower frequency then others (i hear a high pitched frequency quite well) but bass drives me nuts. As soon as my neighbor's husband leaves with the kids i swear she goes into her bedroom and turns on some crappy music and the bass is horrible. It is all I hear. The same crappy bass line over and over. Not too much i can do about it either if the music isn't that loud.
@jmorey... same with me - but at 4 in the morning. i'm pretty sure the people below me were playing call of duty or something. i thought it was a war move - but then it went on for days! so maybe a video game is the culprit wiht your neighbor as well
@bemymonkey - I lived with my brother drummer, a recording studio, and lots of lots of guitar players for decades so I definitely know what it's like for musicians!!
@jmorey - My apologies, I know there are some free ones and I've used them before, I just couldn't find any while on this slow internet connection in Mexico. :)
@stinab - A divorced woman playing Call of Duty would be a first! Usually the woman leaves the man for nights and nights of video game playing. ;)
Perhaps bring some drinks and knock and introduce yourself and talk to them nicely about the noise?