Assessing Environmental Impacts – Noise Quality
July 1, 2005
So, your local newspaper just announced that a major developer wants to put in a new mixed-use project. They want to tear down existing buildings, create new roads, add public areas, and put in several new buildings with underground parking,
Demolition Noise and Vibration Monitoring
May 1, 2005
Last month one of our High Tech clients came to us with a neat problem. They will be tearing down a warehouse building built in the early 70’s. The problem is that the building shares a party wall and interlocked
Why STC Doesn’t Tell You Everything
March 1, 2005
The sound isolating properties of wall and floor/ceiling assemblies are often presented using a single number rating system, the Sound Transmission Class (STC). The STC rating of a partition is determined by following an ASTM Standard which compares the sound
Soundproof Windows?
January 1, 2005
It’s late at night and you’ve just settled down to sleep, when the neighborhood dog starts barking – loudly. At first you try ignoring it, then as it continues, you try covering your head with your pillow. Just as you
Video Conferencing in a Box!
January 1, 2005
It has started again! While watching the recent football playoff and bowl games the following commercial was aired: Two entrepreneurs are standing in an empty hanger wondering where the walls will go in their new office, when in walks a
Question of the Month: Automatic Microphone Mixer
September 1, 2004
Q. I have been told that installing an automatic microphone mixer in my sound system will eliminate feedback. Is this true? A. No! The complete elimination of feedback is a myth about automatic microphone mixers. Installing an automatic mixer will
Teleconferencing
September 1, 2004
It’s time to re-visit the issues of acoustics for conference rooms. We are getting a number of phone calls from clients looking for help with the quality of their conference calls. Problems are in one of two areas: it is
Laminated Glass on Steroids
June 1, 2004
Sekisui, a Japanese firm, has come up with a new way to improve the acoustical performance of laminated glass which is often used to reduce noise transfer from space to space when vision is desired. The inner layer of the
Widescreen: The New Standard?
June 1, 2004
The other “big thing” at InfoComm 2004 is projector manufacturers are finally delivering “widescreen projection” by actually shipping native resolution widescreen digital projectors. For the past 6 years, the projection industry has moved from analog projectors to digital projectors (the
Restaurant Acoustics
May 1, 2004
During the last 20 years we have seen a number of different acoustical issues in retail / shopping areas – everything from blender noise for a juice bar at a now defunct Mexican restaurant chain prototype, to a restaurant so