Sound Pressure Level (SPL)

The acoustic volume or loudness of sound, measured in decibels. SPL is a function of a signal’s amplitude. Aside from the usual (and justified) warnings about hearing damage from high SPLs, it is worth noting that because of the way our ears function, sounds will appear to have a different timbre (or tone) to us at different SPL levels. This is important to keep in mind, especially when mixing in a studio environment. Be sure to check your mixes at a variety of volume levels to ensure that the mix is accurate. The old rule of thumb is that if a mix sounds good at a low SPL, it will sound great at higher levels…