Sound Reduction

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Room acoustics: noise and sounds within a room or given space The key to room acoustics is absorption to prevent sound waves from bouncing back-and-forth in a room. We’ve listed a few examples below that are often reported as the cause of complaints. Perhaps one of these are identical or similar to the issues you’re experiencing? • Disturbances from chatty colleagues • Air conditioning and heating • Disturbed by conversations from the other end of the room, e.g. from communal spaces • Difficult to concentrate with too many distractions • Visual distractions, for instance, if you’re sitting next to the entrance or reception • Need for privacy when people are overhearing your conversation If you recognize one of these issues, your problem is most likely linked to poor room acoustics. But don’t worry, we have a range of solutions to remedy problems like these. Each type of issue may require a different solution, which is why the next step involves defining the specific type of acoustic problem you need to solve. Define the type of acoustic problem you need to solve: The problems that often arise in relation to poor room acoustics are many, but to give you a better overview, we’ve grouped them into the following: • Reverb and echo • Background noise • Lack of privacy Reverb and echo Reverb and echo are often confused, and with good reason as the terminology can be too complex. So, let’s try to make it clear. Reverberation is the persistence of a sound after the original sound has stopped. The brain will recognize the sound as one extended event. So, when we talk about sound transfers in a room and noise traveling from one to another end of a space, the reverberation time is too high—or, in other words, it takes too long for the original sound to drop dead. Reverb sounds may originate from people talking, air conditioning or other mechanical devices such as copiers or printers. Echo, on the other hand, transpires when a beat of sound can be heard twice or even more times. In this case, the brain will perceive the sound as separate events. In 99% of the cases, it’s reverberation, and not echo, that causes noise problems in workspaces. Possible solutions Solving problems related to reverb and echo, we advise that you bring in • Acoustic panels • Other flexible acoustic elements, made from soft, absorbent materials to reduce sound and noise transfers. • Ceiling mounted solutions Lack of privacy When we talk about lack of privacy, we refer to it in its broadest sense, including both • Acoustic privacy (e.g. speech privacy) • Visual privacy (e.g. no visual distractions) To think that problems related to lack of privacy are linked entirely to open plan offices is counterproductive. The reality is that even employees working in cubicles report dissatisfaction with speech privacy while visual privacy isn’t a problem. Therefore, searching for a solution to remedy privacy complaints, remember to consider all aspects of privacy as one solution will not automatically resolve both problems. Possible solutions Whether you’re looking for visual or acoustic privacy, we’ve gathered some different solutions for you below. For a private call or meeting, opt for solutions that provide you with speech privacy, such as electronic sound masking solutions. https://www.lencore.com/ and more straight forward systems are supplied by https://www.lowellmfg.com/product- category/audio/sound-masking-speakers/. For high quality, original acoustic solutions, check out https://www.buzzi.space/. You may also consider free-standing elements, e.g. room dividers or desk partitions to divide areas and mitigate sound transfer between specific zones. We are looking to interrupt the travel of sound waves from their source. There are many ways to solve sound problems in your space, too many to cover here. Just know, sound is a leading source of distractions in the work place, controlling sound should be a top priority to increase productivity and occupant/employee satisfaction. There are affordable ways to lower the stress level felt by your employees and help you keep private conversations – well, private. For any additional questions, or to hire us, please contact us today!