Austin Noise

Neighbors of The Nutty Brown Cafe: Can You Hear the Music?

Joshua Leasure — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:34:26 +0000

Austin Noise is working with The Nutty Brown Cafe to find ways of reducing the amount of sound that reaches some of its neighbors. If you live near the cafe, you can help by telling us how much music, if any, you can hear.

Decibel Flavors Part 1 – L Values

Joshua Leasure — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:45:19 +0000

"Decibel," by itself, is not a unit of loudness. The type of decibels needs to defined. This is the first of a two articles explaining what "decibels" means. It covers Leq, Lmax, Lmin, and statistical Ln values.

Latest Change to Noise Ordinance is Not Equitable

Joshua Leasure — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:31:09 +0000

The latest change to the noise ordinance restricts sound coming from watercraft to being inaudible at 100 feet. This requirement is nearly impossible to satisfy. It is also written for the benefit of a specific set of homeowners. This ordinance is inequitable, serves a specific special interest, and transfers an undue burden

The Nutty Brown Cafe: Noise Measurements and Comparison to Acoustical Criteria

Joshua Leasure — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:06:48 +0000

During a performance at the Nutty Brown Cafe, sound levels were measured at a nearby residence. Measurements were compared to several appropriate criteria. According to these comparisons, sound levels from the Nutty Brown exceeded standards for annoyance and sleep disturbance by wide margins.

New Railroad Quiet Zones Possibly Coming Next Summer

Joshua Leasure — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:48:40 +0000

Quiet zones are an excellent compromise between safety and community livability. The cost of installing sufficient safety equipment is typically small, in city budget terms. Communities that are organized enough to submit applications and who have the money to make the necessary improvements see substantial increases in the quality of lives of people

The Comprehensive City Plan Should Have a Noise Element

Joshua Leasure — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:28:19 +0000

The new Austin Comprehensive City Plan, now under development, currently lacks a noise element. As a leader in environmental issues, Austin should include a noise element in its comprehensive plan.

Comprehensive Plan Open House, October 12

Joshua Leasure — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:46:54 +0000

The open house for the in-development Austin Comprehensive Plan is this Columbus day, October 12th. Between 3:00 to 8:00 at the Austin Convention Center, Ballroom B. This will be an opportunity for the public to start to get involved in the development of the new plan. After this, there will be a series of workshops and

Certifying Outdoor Live Music Venues

Joshua Leasure — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:12:14 +0000

Requiring outdoor music venues to submit an acoustical analysis as part of the permitting process will solve community noise issues before they occur. It will also allow each venue to operate according to its specific situation. A permitted venue can be held to special sound level limits designed around live music, rather than generic

Comprehensive Plan Draft Participation Plan available

Joshua Leasure — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:22:40 +0000

The process of developing the City Plan is still in early stages. The plan itself isn't yet being crafted, but the methodology that will be used to do so will be. I intend to pay close attention to the process because I believe very strongly that the new City Plan should have a

Shady Grove Teaches Us The Importance of Distance When Measuring Sound

Joshua Leasure — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:00:05 +0000

By observing the area around Shady Grove, we learn the importance of distance from a sound source and why the noise ordinance needs to be receiver based.