We have a noisy factory near where I live 🙁

Just recently it has started making a resonating low frequency drone.

I have got an app that show the propblem peak at around 155hz.

I looking for a bit of software that can take a FLAC file, analyze it and produce a graph showing the peak.

Db on the vertical and Hz on horizontal.

Any thoughts ?

RT

python.
R
matlab

probably even excel.

Thanks.
But ?.

Can Excel interpret an audio file, or get something out of it ?

Google “audio spectrum analyzer software”. I can’t recommend one.

You need to Fast Fourier Transform the information to show it in the frequency domain. The options jam bo suggested will work, but may not be user-friendly if you’re not familiar with the theory behind. Something like Audacity may have a function (or an extension) that will do it.

If you are willing/able to do some simple scripting, Octave (free attempt at Matlab) will do this for you.
It can read FLAC files, then just run it’s FFT function and you will get what you want but that may be a little more involved than you are looking for.
Similarly, Python would work, something like this:

Performing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on a Sound File

Audacity will do this, and is free

Home

yes, just load the file in Audacity, click ‘analyse’, then click ‘plot spectrum’.

Your going to need to get environmental health in to get anywhere. The evidence you gather is only to get their attention, it doesn’t matter really what your recording  say as I doubt you are using a flat response calibrated microphone so I don’t think you need to do more than show there is a problem. We occasionally use flat response microphones if we are EQing a room but you’d never use one for anything else hence whatever you are using is not likely to record accurately what is happening and you could even be making the problem seem less severe.

A few years ago we had to spend a day setting up a show in the engineerium in Hove in a room with a beam engine running constantly. It was absolutely grim being exposed to frequencies you couldn’t even hear but they wouldn’t turn it off as the museum was actually open as we were setting up. I hope you get it sorted, that was a long time ago now but I’ve never forgotten how bad it made us feel.

@avdave2
Thanks for the info.

The plant are only in the realm of Db readings and are over looking the identified 150hz-160hz that has been identified from recordings at the village (1mile) aways and site boundary.

Both plots have be overlaid and two spikes 150hz-160hz marry up exactly.

The prime suspect is BLADE PASSING FREQUENCY caused by pressure pulsations in the fan casings at the plant.

Question to all, what Frequency Meter would suit for tracking down this sound on site.

Last night was agony, even the ear defenders and ear plugs failed.

at site boundary.

Put the volume up, forget the road and high frequency general plant.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZzL6eQhem-VP7Kj6K_5e3OGIy671C8zq

Night before last: Volume up…38secs in.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KXElm-KztBoYuHa9miUYNvfr0CzhCJxS

You get the Resonating Tonal Drone all night… all day 24.

Makes you want to top yourself sometimes 🙁

Might get one of these…

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/radio-frequency-development-kits/1743291?cm_mmc=UK-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-CSS_UK_EN_Semiconductors-_-Semiconductor_Development_Kits%7CRadio_Frequency_Development_Kits-_-PRODUCT_GROUP&matchtype=&pla-566139804874&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzMPd0ICL5wIVA7TtCh1k2AK6EAQYAyABEgKucPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

or this…

https://www.telonic.co.uk/Aaronia-SPECTRAN-HF-4040-V3-Spectrum-Analyser-p/aa-spectran-hf-4040-v3.htm?wi1=ggs&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1K2C0YWL5wIVy7TtCh1-wA-iEAYYAyABEgL35PD_BwE

Last night was agony, even the ear defenders and ear plugs failed

They really won’t do anything at those frequencies, it resonates through your whole body, truly horrible experience. Hope you do get it sorted. Get everyone around to complain and maybe everyone also needs to be seeing the doctor about how it’s causing mental health problems. Basically be a total pain in the arse!

A spectrum analyser software on your phone if all you want to do is walk around and find it. There are lots of free ones

If you want to get more fancy pants then buy a directional mic and put into into your lappy and run audacity on the lappy

@leffeboy

I have done that. Just wondering if proper unit would carry more merit.

The app that has worked like a charm so far is:

Sound Analyzer 1.6.6 by NOAPP (Free Version) on Android.
Results…

Would noise cancelling headphones work for blocking out / reducing consistent background noise? Don’t know if they operate at those frequencies?

Understand that this isn’t the solution but it might give you a respite for a bit.

I have done that. Just wondering if proper unit would carry more merit

Depends on what you are doing.  If you want to find where the source is it is perfectly adequate.  If you want to prove the noise is over a certain legal limit then yes you will need a calibrated unit but I wouldn’t because in any case someone else would come with their own calibrated unit

Might get one of these…

You’d be wasting your money – they’re both RF spectrum analysers, not audio.

Even if you can pinpoint the source, what are you going to do about it?

You need to get Environmental Health (“The Council”) involved, as avdave2 has already said.

They will act on this sort of thing if enough people complain. I would guess it would come under ‘Noise Nuisance’ in Environmental Health terms, rather than being over any particular dB limit.

http://www.environmentlaw.org.uk/rte.asp?id=76

They can serve an abatement notice on the company.

Nightmare, but yes I would certainly be getting in touch with environmental health or whatever the channel is and the only thing I would spend money on is an independent noise consultant, but that would be very expensive and only if there was some requirement to do so and maybe the responsibility of the plant/council, no idea just guessing.

Having said that noise cancelling headphones may provide at least a quiet hour or two, the sony xm3’s I have are good at removing low end noise and amazing at cancelling out the drone of air conditioning at work and aeroplane noise