Speak Up: An SPL Meter
by LiveWell RERC
🗂️ Medical
Version 2.08
📅 Updated December 18, 2019
Voice modulation and loudness training app for children and adults.
Features Speak Up: An SPL Meter
*As of March 26, 2021 SpeakUp: An SPL Meter is no longer being supported by the development team.
Feel free to download and install on appropriate devices and use as able*Speak Up: An SPL Meter is designed for people that need training modulating or increasing their speaking volume; this can include children with cognitive impairment or children that have a hard time understanding the concept of loudness.
Because of the apps flexible nature, there is also a setting to make the app appropriate for adult users, like those with Parkinsons disease.This tool can be used in Speech Pathology therapy sessions in place of a standard sound pressure level (SPL) meter to offer visually appealing feedback, or to continue training at home.
The app works by monitoring your voice using the devices built in microphone.
As you speak, the app converts your voice into a decibel measurement, which in turn then controls an image within the app.
This image moves vertically higher as you speak more loudly and lower as you speak more softly.
The goal is to keep the image within the "Great" (green) color zone.
Users can adjust the ranges of the color zones on a "Level Input" screen.
This screen allows you to enter decibel ranges for the color zones.
This allows the user more flexibility during a training session and also allows the app to be used for a variety of speech conditions.Calibration with a sound pressure level (SPL) meter is not required for everyday use, but might be desired for use in a therapy setting.
Do this by using the calibration offset features in the Settings menu (see training guide) until the decibel output in the app matches that of the SPL meter.Features: - Kid and adult friendly- Animated background to give the feel of a bee moving through scenery- Accurate decibel measurements & visible output- Ability to adapt app to meet user needs by changing images and decibel ranges for the color zones- Two fun backgrounds available- Calibration features to ensure exact measurements (not required for everyday use, but may be desired for clinical use)- Logging capabilities so you will know how you are progressing- Detailed training material includedThe development of this app was supported by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Community Living, Health and Function (LiveWell RERC) funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the United States Department of Health and Human Services (grant no.
90RE5023).Minor updates.
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What Our Users Say
Don't just take our word for it. Here's what our users have to say about our Android app.
"Does not work just constant 10 db. Yup, I'm experienced and it just flails inline with any adjustments, it's just a novelty item."
Nigon Kouk
"I am an SLP and this app is great visual feedback for loudness for my clients with low vocal intensity. What would really make this app amazing and useful for me everday is if you were 1) able to set a GOAL mark for loudness (such as 65 db) and 2) if it tracked average db over the course of a phrase, sentence, or timed interval."
Katelyn Zarem
"this is really useful, any chance you can do an app for my galaxy smartwatch??"
Samantha Hixon
"This app is great! I use it with a pediatric patient who needs to work on increasing his conversational volume level. He loves the visual feedback. It makes it fun and immediately rewarding. And his mom downloaded it so they can use it at home to promote carryover and generalization of these skills! I like that you can adjust the min/max depending on your goals with each individual patient."
Jamie McGee
"What a great idea! Increasing (or decreasing) loudness can be a difficult goal to track and this app provides not only the SLP more tangible/reliable data collection but also provides the patient a chance to improve overall awareness and self-monitor their loudness level. This app is user friendly and can be used with both pediatric and adult populations."
Jacquelyn Vorndran
"This app is a great tool! I love the simplicity of it and the visual feedback it provides. It's nice that there are both "kid friendly" and "adult friendly" versions of it (between the bumblebee character and the ball). I also like that you can set the parameters for your target decibel range."
Katie Broadwell
"This is a great app! I am a speech pathologist and use this with patients with Parkinson's disease. It provides feedback about speech loudness and is very visually friendly. Anyone can use it! It's great for home practice or for use in the clinic. I would highly recommend it!"
Meredith Nye
"I am a SLP and think this is a creative way to measure and track vocal intensity during therapy. Kids will find the bee character interesting and motivating. For adults, it will be helpful to visualize your target vocal intensity. Loudness is not tangible so it is hard to know when you are meeting your target. Patients and therapists could use this app for the entire session to determine if they are on track. Helpful for many different patient populations."
A Google user
"I used this during voice therapy with a patient who has Parkinson's and they loved it! I used the "solid pattern", which is more adult friendly, and adjusted the min/max to match their target loudness range. Normally, the patient isn't able to see their loudness level on the sound pressure level meter, but this app gives a great way to provide visual feedback for more self regulation. Will be a good tool for at-home practice as well."
Sarah Stidham
"this is a very useful app. kids find it very motivating to use. it can easily be used by family outside of therapy to increase the amount of time kids are practicing volume modulation. works across a variety of android devices and is super easy to use. can be used to help kids increase or decrease their volume."
Kevin Caves
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Available for Android 8.0 and above