About HowLoud

HowLoud is a small, honest tool for one question: how loud is it? A decibel meter that opens in a second, tells you the truth about its accuracy, and never records a word. It is made by two people who like building calm, useful apps together.

Who we are

We are not a company or a studio, just two people who handle everything ourselves: design, code, the audio engine, the guides, translations and support. The two of us are Nadya Yashchuk and Ivan Lukichev.

Nadya is a software developer and the publisher: HowLoud, its apps and the browser extension are officially published by her small sole proprietorship registered in Austria, with the formal details in the Impressum. Ivan builds the product side: the measurement engine, the site, the level pages and the SEO. Because it is just the two of us, everything stays personal. We choose what to build, answer our own email and shape each release around what people actually ask for.

What we make

How the meter works

All three tools share one approach. The microphone signal is taken with the platform's audio processing (gain control, noise suppression) switched off where the platform allows it. An IEC 61672-1 A-weighting filter, implemented as three digital biquad sections, shapes the signal the way a sound level meter does. The root-mean-square level over the standard Fast (125 ms) time constant is converted to decibels and offset by a calibration value to approximate dB SPL. Min, peak and the energy average (Leq) are kept for the session.

What we are honest about

Phone, laptop and webcam microphones are not calibrated instruments. Readings are estimates, typically within a few decibels of a certified meter for everyday levels and worse at the extremes. Nothing on this site or in the apps is certified to IEC 61672, and none of it should be used as legal evidence or for occupational compliance. The meter accuracy guide explains when a certified instrument is required.

Privacy

No audio is recorded, stored or transmitted by the website, the extension or the app. The website uses privacy-respecting analytics to count visits. Details are in the privacy policy.

Our other projects

HowLoud grew out of pickheadphones.com, our set of free headphone and speaker tests, where the sound meter first appeared. The same two of us build a small family of free tools and games, from Sudoku to math puzzles, all with the same promise: quick to open, free, and happy to leave you alone with the task.

Say hello

We read everything people send us, and several features, from the calibration slider to the classroom mode, started as a reader's email. Questions, corrections, feature requests or just a kind word: contact@nadzeyayashchuk.com. For legal and company details see the Impressum and terms of use.