the science

Our calculator is based on World Health Organization (WHO) standards for recreational sound exposure. in their current form, these guidelines only protect people who spend two hours per month in loud venues.

Our published research shows the average clubber spends 5-6 hours per night on the dance floor. This makes the official guidelines unhelpful when it comes to real-world nightlife.

Lowering volume levels in clubs and festivals would flatten the immersive experience that can make nightlife so powerful. On the other hand, wearing earplugs all the time isn’t always necessary - especially outdoors - and over-dampening the music can put people off using them altogether.

What’s needed is a smarter, more personal approach.

The science

The science behind our calculator is built on the equal energy principle. Put simply, your ears don’t just care about how loud the sound is - they care about how long you’re exposed. A short burst of very high sound can carry the same risk as hours of lower-level exposure.

That’s why no two clubbers will ever have the same safe limit. Someone who goes out once a month can tolerate more intensity than someone who spends every weekend in front of the speakers. Your exposures match up differently - and so should your protection.

This is where we come in.

By combining how long you spend in venues each month with WHO recommendations, and applying the equal energy principle, we give you a personalised decibel level - your noise dose.

This represents your sweet-spot loudness level, where your ears are protected. It helps you decide:

• how long you should stay in a venue

• whether you even need earplugs at all in a given setting

• and if you do, what strength of filter to use

It’s tailored to you and your exposures, not a one-size-fits-all rule.

Over-attenuation can dull the music unnecessarily, while under-protection leaves you exposed. Using your personal noise dose helps you find the right balance - protecting your hearing without losing the experience.