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It can be tricky to have a perfect silence in an experimental space, even if soundproofed. But it is required especially when low sound-level communications are studied such as with arthropods. One of the issues I have had is the sound generated by some electric or electronic devices which needs to be present in the experimental room; despite their very low levels, I was able to hear high-pitched sounds when putting my ears very close to the device or the bulb.

What kind of light do you use to be sure that your light system does not become a source of sound, whatever low level it is?

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    $\begingroup$ If noise from lights is unavoidable to record, I imagine the lights would make a pure tone that could be erased with a bandpass filter in post-processing. Are you seeing those pue tones in your spectrograms or hearing them in the audio files as pure tones? $\endgroup$
    – Kerri
    Jul 12, 2022 at 15:40
  • $\begingroup$ @Kerri In my case, the main goal of removing these noises is to be sure that they dont interfere with the tested animals in controled experiments (if they are sensitive to these frequencies) $\endgroup$
    – Noil
    Aug 10, 2022 at 22:00

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The noise is most likely not from the light bulb itself, but rather from something in the power circuit of the lighting fixture that converts the power to the light fixture requirements. This sound can also be found in recording components, which is why for many studies conducted in semianechoic chambers, all the recording equipment is housed outside of the chamber and connected via cables passed through a small opening to the microphones inside the recording chamber.

Also, if you are recording acoustic behavior of animals, many choose to do so in dark environments to eliminate the potential for visual cues affecting acoustic behavior. This is typically done with thermal or infrared video.

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