Show HN: Free noise evidence generator for tenant complaints

Post by countfeng » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 2:32 AM UTC

rafram wrote: post #12

I'm guessing you vibe-coded this and let the model hallucinate the decibel thresholds? I randomly googled a couple (Philly and Fort Worth) and the limits shown in the UI don't match up with any law I could find. Philly doesn't have a specific decibel threshold (the law is based on decibels above standard background noise) and Fort Worth's is 70 / 60, not 60 / 55, with higher limits in non-residential areas. So it's s…

Post by countfeng » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 2:35 AM UTC

juancn wrote: post #9

How do you calibrate? I mean, the sensitivity of the microphones varies a lot. Legal proof needs a metrological chain of trust.

Post by countfeng » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 3:12 AM UTC

A_Duck wrote: post #11

A_Duck wrote: post #10

Congratulations on building a nice-looking app that addresses a legitimate need. I'd like to see some proof that this is able to accurately measure noise level across a range of devices. The CDC have a sound meter app [1] which has been tested to 2db accuracy, and they only make that available on specific Apple devices because calculating noise level depends on the hardware. I'm sorry to ask, but I'm seeing many case…

In my own reasonableness spot check, what measures as 37dB on my phone is showing as 49dB on my laptop

Post by countfeng » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 3:14 AM UTC

uoaei wrote: post #5

How do we know microphones on different devices are calibrated to record the same power readings? Do you have court-ready documents to show this?

Post by uoaei » Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 6:15 PM UTC

countfeng wrote: post #27

uoaei wrote: post #5

How do we know microphones on different devices are calibrated to record the same power readings? Do you have court-ready documents to show this?

I've added a calibration feature, hoping it will improve and help.