Skip to main content

Appendix 1: Testing Acoustic Sensors

Acoustic Sensors can have variable microphone quality depending on damage, inconsistent manufacturing conditions, and exposure to moisture/environmental conditions. We recommend testing all acoustic sensors prior to deployment and retesting after any prolonged deployment prior to redeploying.

A good way to test them is to use a recording of "white noise" (e.g. this youtube).

  • Play the white noise using a speaker set to "moderate" volume (indoor speaking voice volume is good).

  • Set each recorder in the same place (if doing one-by-one) and orientation and record a short ~5-10 second clip with the white noise playing.

  • Make sure to keep the speaker volume consistent.

  • Download the recordings from each sensor to a testing folder.

  • Open the folder in Raven Lite or another software that renders spectrograms (Audacity).

  • Ensure that the recordings from all sensors look the same (consistent pattern of noise on the spectrograms for each recording).

    Raven Lite showing two recordings where the gain or microphone quality was low. We would likely hold this sensor back until settings that produced similar recordings were determined.

::: tip Testing can become part of the Configuration workflow by added testing before programming the sensor and formatting the memory cards. This can identify faulty equipment early on avoiding costly equipment failures. :::