What is Sound Masking?
Sound Masking is the addition of an unstructured sound to an environment that fills in the sound spectrum and makes the structured sound of human speech less intelligible. Usually, it’s an unintrusive sound like airflow, similar to a typical modern HVAC system.
HOW SOUND MASKING WORKS
Sound Travels
Like light, sound is a wave and spreads out in all directions from a source. Hard surfaces reflect it, walls block it, and soft surfaces absorb it. Other sounds can cover it up. But unimpeded, sound can travel pretty far.
Ever hear the saying, “it’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop?” The reason you can “hear a pin drop” over distances is because there is nothing to cover or otherwise impede the sound from being detected by your ears.
ACHIEVING SPEECH PRIVACY: START WITH THE ABC’S
Absorb, Block, and Cover – “The ABC’s” – represent the three ways you can improve your acoustic environment and achieve necessary privacy levels. Absorption of sound waves by using acoustic wall panels or dividers, Blocking by using high-STC-rated panels, partitions, walls, windows, etc. Covering by adding a source of unstructured [i.e., not music, which is information and therefore distracting], low-level background sound, known as sound masking or white noise. Most office environments will require some combination of these three tools to provide an acoustically pleasing atmosphere. In most cases, no one tool by itself will solve your privacy needs. While Covering provides the greatest increase in privacy per dollar invested, it must be used in conjunction with the proper mixture of Absorption and Blocking components in order to achieve specific speech privacy levels.
READY TO TALK? GET A NO-COST, NO OBLIGATION ACOUSTIC EVALUATION OF YOUR WORKPLACE!
COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Sound masking is often misunderstood. Two very common misunderstandings are that sound masking is the same thing as noise cancellation. This isn’t true. Another common misunderstanding is that you put the sound masking where the offending sound is coming from. This also isn’t true.
THE ROI OF SOUND MASKING
It’s no secret that distracted workers cost your business money. It’s a subtle leak that virtually every business has, and according to BASEX studies, it costs businesses like yours an estimated $587 billion. On the other hand, by making simple and inexpensive improvements to your offices’ acoustics, you can realize dramatic productivity increases with the workers you already have.
HOW MUCH WILL PRIVACY COST ME?
There are a number of ingredients to help you achieve your privacy goals, and each “privacy recipe” should be tailored to your environment and budget. Whether you’re treating a small office or an entire facility, one thing is clear: it’s a small investment for the very real and measurable ROI gains you’ll realize!
In an ideal world where cost was not a factor, you’d employ elements of all three of the ABCs and crank your Privacy Index score up somewhere near 100%. However, the cost does matter, so the trick is to maximize your Privacy Index score while minimizing the cost. Starting with the right sound masking system as a Covering solution and acoustic panels to contribute to sound absorption and blocking will give you the “most bang for your buck.”
This is the best place to start. Then, if additional privacy is still needed, other costlier options can be employed.