The Code of Silence
October 1, 2000
Maxwell Smart’s Cone of Silence was a nice idea. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to use such a device in today’s busy and energetic society? Well, for some types of noise it has been possible for a person
Environmental Acoustics: Is It Noise Or Is It Sound?
March 1, 2000
How loud is too loud? If you have ever dealt with this question, personally or professionally, you know that the answer is difficult to determine. All kinds of factors, from the time of day to personal sensitivity, influence the subjective
I Can Hear a Pin Drop
April 1, 1999
When an acoustical consultant walks into a room, the first thing they tend to notice is the acoustics. It can’t be helped, it’s second nature in much the same way a decorator would look at the furnishings. Occasionally someone else
Fiberboard Facts
June 1, 1997
By whatever name you call it: Fiberboard, Beaver board, sound-deadening board, CelotexTM, or HomasoteTM, this material seems to be making a comeback with potential acoustical uses. But before you decide to add it to your next project, you should know
Resilient Channels – How Metal Absorbs Sound Waves
April 1, 1996
Anyone who’s ever shared a wall with someone else has probably wondered if the walls were intentionally thin, or the neighbors intentionally loud. Often the assumption is that the walls between dwellings simply need to be thicker to muffle sound.
Audio Considerations in Teleconferencing – “Can You Hear Me?”
June 1, 1995
Teleconferencing, holding meetings by an electronic means, is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The word “teleconferencing” means different things to different people. Teleconferencing can range from a conference call with speaker phones to a system with
Sound Masking
June 1, 1994
Whether you call it white noise, pink noise or NC systems, sound masking is probably the only time that an acoustical consultant will admit that some noise is good. The shift to open plan offices and demountable partitions from the
Residential Sound Isolation
June 1, 1994
We frequently get calls from owners and tenants who wish to improve the sound isolation between apartments and condominiums, particularly in older units. The call often begins with, “I want something I can spray on to the wall to soundproof
Peach Piracy?
April 1, 1994
Speech privacy (peach piracy) exists when a conversation cannot be understood even if it can be heard. There are 4 levels of speech privacy; normal, confidential, inaudibility and none. Normal speech privacy exists when someone can only partially understand the
Tech Notes: Hydraulic Pile Drivers Work Out of a Tight Spot, Quietly
September 1, 1993
Driving piles is typically considered one of the noisiest, most disruptive activities at a construction job site. The increased noise and vibration levels can disrupt ongoing client activity as well as adjacent neighbors. However, new hydraulic pile-driving equipment may change