ANY-maze Help > I/O devices supported by ANY-maze > Accessories designed specifically for ANY-maze > The ANY-maze multifunction remote > Using the multifunction remote in ANY-maze > Using the multifunction remote sound sensor

Using the multifunction remote sound sensor

Introduction

The sound sensor in the multifunction remote measures the ambient sound levels in the range 30dBA to 120dBA.

The device uses what is called A-weighting, hence the units are dBA (i.e. sound level in decibels with A-weighting). The 'weighting' refers to a frequency filter that is applied in sound level measurement. A-weighting mimics human hearing, emphasizing mid-frequencies (where our ears are most sensitive) and reducing very low and high frequencies. Although this is tuned to human hearing, and therefore not really relevant to tests on animals, it is by far the most common weighting used by sound level meters and therefore the weighting that will almost certainly have been used in any reports of sound levels in tests.

  

  

Figure 1. Location of the sound sensor.

Reading sound levels with the remote

Remember, if you want to prevent the multifunction remote from going to sleep, press and hold the Next button.

To measure the sound level, select the 'Sound' option on the remote. The sound level will immediately be shown on the display. The device uses what is known as 'slow' time-weighting, in essence this means it averages sound levels over a 1s period which generates a more stable reading. However, this does mean the level can take a little while to stabilise especially when there is an abrupt change in the sound level.

Freezing the temperature reading

Pressing the Enter button will freeze the current sound level on the screen, and a 'Frozen' symbol will appear. The sound level will unfreeze after the freeze period ends. 

This is particularly useful when you need to take a reading in a location where you can't view the screen, such as inside a sound-attenuating chamber.

As mentioned above, the sensor reports the average sound level over a 1s period and therefore takes a little while to stabilise. Therefore, if you need to take a reading where you can't see the screen, place the remote in position and wait a couple of seconds before pressing the Enter button to freeze the reading. 

Testing the temperature sensor in ANY-maze

While the sound level is 'frozen' (see previous section) pressing the Enter button on the remote will transmit the current level to ANY-maze. To test this:

 1.Switch to the I/O page in ANY-maze. 
 2.Select the relevant multifunction remote in the list on the left, the entry will open to show the remote's sensors. 
 3.Choose 'Sound sensors' from this list. 
 4.Press the Enter button on the remote. The sound level will freeze. While it is 'frozen' press the Enter button again. The sound level will be transmitted to ANY-maze and displayed on the I/O page (see Figure 2 below).  

  

  

Figure 2. Testing the sound sensor on the I/O page.

Recording sound levels in an ANY-maze experiment

Setting up the protocol to record sound levels

In experiments, such as an open field test, you may want to record the ambient sound level before each test to ensure consistency. To do this, follow these steps:

 1.Load your experiment into ANY-maze 
 2.Switch to the Protocol page and select the first item in the protocol list on the left 
 3.In the Protocol settings, ensure you are using a Protocol mode that includes I/O, such as the Video tracking with input/output mode. 
 4.Add a new I/O device to your protocol by clicking the Add item button in the ribbon bar and selecting New I/O device from the menu that appears. A new I/O device will be added to the protocol list and selected automatically. 
 5.Give the I/O device a sensible name, such as 'Remote control', and use the drop list to select the multifunction remote you are using. 
 6.Add a new sensor by clicking Add item and selecting New input item > New sensor from the menu. The new sensor will be added to the protocol list and automatically selected. 
 7.In the protocol list click the sensor's Port to use item. 
 8.In the Port to use settings select the multifunction remote's sound sensor. Note, you can choose the same sensor for more than one apparatus. 
 9.Return to the sensor item in the protocol list.  

  

  

Figure 3. The Sensor settings in the protocol

 10.Give the sensor a sensible name, such as 'Ambient sound level'.  
 11.In the Sensor's settings, select the option to read the sensor Before the test starts, when the sensor's key is pressed. 
 12.You may also want to alter the sensor's image to make it more easily identifiable.  

Reading the sound level before a test

Once the sensor is set up, you’ll see that on the Tests page, tests are no longer shown as Ready..., but rather as Waiting for pre-test Ambient sound level reading (where 'Ambient sound level' reflects the name given to the sensor in step 10). To take the reading:

 1.Ensure the 'Sound' menu option is selected on the remote. 
 2.Press the Enter button. 
 3.The sound level will be transmitted to ANY-maze, stored with the test, and the test status will change to "Ready...". The reading will also be displayed in the I/O Status panel on the Tests page (see figure 4 below).  

  

  

Figure 4. Viewing the sound level in a test.

 4.If ANY-maze successfully stores the reading, the remote will provide haptic feedback indicating success. If the reading is not stored then, depending on the remote's configuration, it will either give haptic feedback indicating failure, or no feedback at all (which can be interpreted as failure). Note that the reading will ONLY be stored if the test is in the Waiting for pre-test Ambient sound level reading state, or in the Ready state when the test includes a sound sensor that is set to be read before the test starts. 
 5.If you want to replace the reading you can simply press the Enter button again, the new reading will overwrite the original one and haptic feedback will again be provided.  

Viewing and analysing the sound level readings

The sound level reading is stored with the test in the data file. To view this value, include the Apparatus measures > Ambient sound level measures > Ambient sound level: initial value in a report (see figures 5, below).

  

  

Figure 5. Selecting the ambient sound level to be included in a report.

If you wish, you can analyse the sound level, for example, to ensure that there was no significant difference in the ambient sound level between different groups of animals, as in figure 6 below.

  

  

Figure 6. Analysing the ambient sound level in an experiment.

  

© Copyright 2003-2026 Stoelting Co. All rights reserved

ANY-maze help topic T1441