What is sound
masking and how does it work?
Sound masking is one of the most cost-effective things a
business can do to reduce unwanted noise and increase speech privacy.
In a nutshell adding sound to a space
makes the space seem quieter. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it is true. This
is because the added sound reduces the intelligibility of speech. When you
cannot understand what someone is saying, their words are less distracting — in
fact, you probably don't even notice them.
Sound masking can be explained by analogy with
light. Imagine a dark room where someone is turning a flashlight on and off.
The light is very obvious and distracting. Now imagine that the room lights are
turned on. The flashlight is still being turned on and off but is no longer
noticeable because it has been "masked". Sound masking is a similar
process of covering a distracting sound with a more soothing or less intrusive
sound.
One of the
most effective solutions to reduce auditory distraction is to install a sound
masking system. These systems are designed to introduce low-level noises
that subtly raise the ambient sound level, rendering office and outdoor noise
less noticeable and speech virtually unintelligible.
Sound Masking
is a specifically tuned ambient background sound that targets the
same frequency as human speech, reducing its intelligibility. Sound masking does not eliminate
all noises in an environment; it simply reduces the area where human speech is
intelligible and distracting. The resulting environment leads to greater
productivity and increased privacy and comfort.
Making privacy simple
Sound masking systems utilise a series of speakers
that are typically installed within the plenum space of a buildings ceiling.
When working space sounds just right
Imagine an office where private conversations stay
private, work areas stay quiet, and sound is efficiently managed to ensure
maximum productivity.
Privacy is often an issue in offices and other
enclosed spaces. For instance, when an office space is overly quiet every sound
can break concentration. Conversely, in an office that is too loud the
conversations of co-workers are distracting and affect productivity. Both
situations create less-than-ideal work environments. Purposefully
adding sound into an open office environment lets you control the sound levels
overall, improving speech privacy – rendering private conversations
unintelligible to nearby listeners – and creating an environment with fewer
distractions.
“Sound being unseen is often
forgotten, or worse ignored in the design process. Spaces must not only look
great; they must sound great too”.
Sound masking is beneficial for a diverse range of workplaces
including ~
·
Health Care
·
Hotels
·
Call Centre
·
Offices
·
Government Buildings
·
Financial Services
Improve
Productivity and Enhance Privacy with Sound Masking
Sound masking is the addition of an unobtrusive background sound, similar to airflow, to reduce the intelligibility of human speech and reduce distractions. The resulting environment leads to greater productivity and increased privacy and comfort.
What makes our Sound Masking System so good?
Flexibility, Adaptability, Scalability and Usability
Unlike other sound masking systems that need to be adjusted manually, the Soft dB Sound Masking System is adaptive to the real-time conditions in the space. It constantly monitors the ambient noise levels and makes automatic adjustments to compensate for any changes.
Because sound is energy, whenever a noise source, like a human voice, passes through a masking sound wave, it is dissipated and loses energy and intelligibility. This makes it possible for conversations to be held at normal volume levels and not be intelligible beyond 15 or 20 feet in open space. It also makes it possible to achieve speech confidentiality in closed areas like offices or patient rooms
For further information please contact us on 0845 6432197 or download our brochure at https://www.movingdesignslimited.co.uk/sound-masking/
