Auralisations: The sound of road noise
Auralisation: Comparing motorway and expressway noise at different distances
Experience the difference between expressway and motorway noise at 30 and 100 meters.
Experience the difference between expressway and motorway noise at 30 and 100 meters:
- Expressway noise: Two-lane road with 15,000 vehicles/day at 80 km/h.
- Motorway noise: Four-lane motorway with 59,000 vehicles/day at 110 km/h.
These examples illustrate how traffic flow and speed affect noise perception at varying distances.
Note: Listen to the sound files continuously to capture the differences in traffic dynamics. Avoid frequent jumping between files.
Instructions
- Connect your headset to your computer and ensure the left and right audio channels are correctly configured.
- Press the black boxes to start playback.
- During playback, you can switch between options.
- Do not adjust the volume, as it has been calibrated to ensure accurate comparisons.
Guideline: How to listen to auralisations
How to listen to auralisations
You can adjust the sound level of your playback system (PC, tablet, or smartphone) using the sound file for adjustment of volume on this page.
Adjust the level to the point where it sounds like a person speaking at normal volume one meter in front of you. You can compare it to a real person speaking at a meter’s distance. You may have to adjust the level a couple of times before you’re confident the level is right.
Get the most out of auralisations
In order to get the most out of the auralisations, you should do the following:
- Read the prerequisites below. You get the full information on the different situations (traffic flow, type of road etc.) in the grey tabs below.
- Adjust the “playback level” as described to get the correct volume in your headset.
- Listen to the auralisations by clicking the appropriate text in the box. When the sound files are loaded into your browser you can instantly switch between different sound files – which makes differences appear immediately.
Enjoy!
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