In have seen pretty any kind of trigger devices but this one I cannot find.
Issue: I would like to lower the TV/sound system/music … Based on the environment noise level. This will ensure I stay sane and stop repeating constantly to the kids to lower the volume.
I have ST with rule machine and harmony. The only “active listening” device I can find is Echo but don’t know if I can used it on the “noise level”.
Thsnks for your feedback.
Echo won’t do this, because the only thing it’s listening for is its own “wake word”, it ignores everything else.
There used to be an acoustic sensor available, although it was quite expensive, but it has since been withdrawn.
But there are two ways to do this still, although they’re a little indirect.
Android phone plus tasker plus sharptools
An android phone using Tasker can be set to listen for ambient noise and then you can use SharpTools to trigger smartthings events. You would have to buy an inexpensive no-contract phone (Walmart has some for about $10) and then the two paid apps.
@joshua_lyon , the SharpTools developer is very active in this forum so he can probably say more.
LittleBits Sound Sensor plus IFTTT
Little bits is a company that makes an electronic building kit for kids and hobby us. It’s basically like Legos with electronics built-in. Nice stuff, but more expensive then you’d use for most regular home automation.
They have a sound sensor with variable sound for about $12. Then a power bit for about six dollars to power that one. Then you would also need to buy their “cloud bit” for $60 which has its own IFTTT channel. Total cost of about $80.
So you have the sound sensor coming on at the level you set trigger the cloud bit and the cloud bit is the “if” on the free IFTTT service. Then you can use any smartthings action or harmony activity as the “that” in IFT TT, because both smart things and harmony also have an IFTTT channel.
The biggest problem besides the cost is that there may be a lag because of IFTTT. At my house, that’s a pretty consistent eight seconds, which would be a long time to wait for that volume to adjust.
So my own recommendation would be to go with the android phone option.
I know it seems strange that there are no home automation devices that do this kind of volume checking, but at the present I don’t know of any. If you do run across one, let us know. 
OK, I found One more option, which is nicer looking but much more expensive.
If you get the netatmo weather station for $180 ($150 at Amazon) it has a nice sound monitoring sensor which you can set for a very specific level. It comes with two units, the indoor unit (which has the sound monitor) and the outdoor unit for things like rainfall.
There used to be a smartthings/netatmo integration, but I know there also used to be some fairly frequent complaints about it losing connection to smart things. I don’t know what the current status is. I don’t know if the sound monitor is exposed. Through the SmartThings integration, but it is through the netatmo IFTTT channel
https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/202989470-Netatmo-Weather-Station
So if you want the WeatherStation anyway, that might be another option.
Tagging @Evil_V and @iBeech in case they have any additional comments on the netatmo.
That’s a great option. I though buying it since I wanted a reliable outdoor humidity sensor (humidity of the weather station v2 doesn’t seem to be reliable) and a good illuminance sensor.
I’ll dig in if the sound sensor can be used as a trigger.
If I find another way I’ll let you guys know.
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Netatmo has sound level as an option for their IFTTT channel. I just don’t know if it’s available through the official SmartThings integration.
@ibeech has worked with it, so he may know.