Why sound masking?
More than 40 million North Americans work in open plan offices featuring partial height panels. Granted, these cubicles make better use of space and improve communication flow, but they’re an acoustical nightmare.
Traditional walls have given way to modular furniture systems, more employees use the same space, and everyone is seated closer together. At the same time, absorptive treatments, quieter air handling and office equipment, and new construction methods have lowered the background sound level.
That may sound like a good thing – and to some extent, it is – but without background sound, it’s easier to hear the distracting things happening around your desk.
Think of a library. The difference between the low background sound level and the high volume of speech or noise makes the latter seem louder. You can understand a conversation taking place up to 50 feet away!
Are closed offices the solution? It seems you get privacy, but in fact, sound often leaks from one office to the next through the ceiling or air transfer components. Then a closed door means nothing.
A sound masking system helps to address these problems by distributing a comfortable, engineered background sound throughout your workplace.
The benefits? Speech privacy and acoustic comfort.
Are acoustics really that important?
Research conducted over the last decade by the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) and others shows that poor acoustics is the number one cause of workplace dissatisfaction and the most significant factor affecting employee performance.
If you work in a modern office, you can likely relate. Usually, you’re spending time on work that requires concentration. Disruptive noises and conversations make tasks harder to complete. Errors happen more often. That adds to stress. And it takes more effort to focus - which tires you out, affecting your mood and, ultimately, your productivity.
It’s not something to be taken lightly. A survey of 400 business managers conducted by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and the University of Maryland identifies noise control as the greatest opportunity for productivity improvements. And in an American Institute of Interior Designers’ (ASID) study, more than 70 percent of respondents said they would be more productive if their office was quieter.
The CBE also found a strong link between workplace dissatisfaction and speech privacy levels. Many employees are disturbed by people talking on telephones or in surrounding areas. They’re also concerned by the fact others can overhear their private conversations. Maintaining confidentiality can also be essential to your organization.
Maybe it’s something you should think about.
How do you use sound to cover up sound?
If you’ve ever ran water at your kitchen sink while trying to talk to someone in the next room, you’ll understand. You can tell your conversational partner is speaking, but it’s difficult to comprehend what they’re saying. That’s because the running water has raised the noise floor in your area.
The noise floor is the level of constant sound present in a space. If this floor is too high, you’ll find it irritating. Too low, and you can easily overhear conversations and noises.
Sound masking creates a noise floor high enough to mask unwanted noises, and low enough for comfort. It works because the human ear can’t separate, or distinguish, sounds of similar volume and frequency.
So, you can reduce distractions and achieve privacy. A more consistent sound volume across your space and over time also makes your facility feel quieter. Movements from one area to another become less disruptive.
How is the solution implemented?
A sound masking system uses loudspeakers to distribute a comfortable, engineered background sound. This makes it difficult to hear incidental noises or conversations.
The AccuMask System’s loudspeakers are usually installed in a grid-like pattern above the ceiling tiles (shown here).
If you’d like to page employees (selectively, or across a wide area), or even provide music, you can do both through the same set of loudspeakers. The system also defends against eavesdropping and electronic espionage by employing multiple independent sound generators.
In short, the AccuMask System is a complete audio solution for your workplace.
Will I hear it?
You must be able to hear the masking sound for it to be effective. But it’s designed to be as unnoticeable as possible. It doesn’t contain distracting patterns, and it’s tuned so you don’t hear volume changes as you move through your facility. Employees come to consider it a natural part of their environment over a short period of time.
The AccuMask System offers the highest masking uniformity in the industry. It provides zone sizes of 1 to 3 speakers, or 225 to 675 square feet. Such small zone sizes mean the masking sound can be specifically designed for your space.
There are two additional elements for enhancing comfort:
The Ramp-Up Feature is ideal for installing the system in an already-occupied facility. It automatically increases the sound masking volume over a two-week period. Workplace occupants can gradually get used to the new conditions.
The Timer Feature schedules the masking volume to match expected activity levels throughout the day. It ensures the masking is loud enough to be effective during busy times, and low enough to be comfortable at quieter times.
Can’t I use music to provide masking?
Music alone does not provide the frequency spectrum required to consistently mask conversations and noises. Music preferences are a matter of personal taste. And because music contains variations and patterns, it becomes inherently distracting.
What about my airflow system?
Your airflow system turns on and off throughout the day in order to regulate building temperature. It can’t be relied on to provide constant coverage. And when it is on, the sound it produces is not in the correct frequency spectrum to mask speech.
Isn’t a sound masking system the same thing as white noise?
The term white noise describes a specific type of sound used in early masking systems during the 1970s. These systems were inflexible, and the hissing quality of their sound prevented widespread acceptance.
The AccuMask System makes an engineered sound comparable to that of soft airflow. If you’d like to hear the system in action, contact your Representative for a demo or site tour
Does sound masking cancel noise?
No. Noise-cancellation technology uses microphones to detect noise, which in turn signal a computer (connected with a loudspeaker) to produce an equal and opposite sound wave. This sound wave is projected in the same direction as the noise, which eliminates it.
Noise cancellation is effective for continuous, low-frequency sounds such as engines and traffic. Its applications are limited because the noise source and the listener must be in the same position for the effects to be experienced. Cancellation is not useful in the office because it can’t address the variable and high-frequency nature of speech, or the movement of employees.
Noise-cancelling headphones – a popular item these days – are used to eliminate background sound. That makes surrounding conversations easier to hear.
How effective is it?
Sound masking allows easy communication over short distances while protecting employees from the noises coming from surrounding offices and workstations.
As noise travels, its volume decreases to a level that is covered up by the masking sound, so it follows that this technology requires some distance to work.
In open-plan spaces, for example, you can expect the radius of speech intelligibility to be reduced to approximately two workstations. The exact distance depends on the masking system’s volume and your building’s construction, as well as other noise control methods and materials used in the space.
You’ll notice a distinct impact from private office to private office.
Will I be able to hear my neighbor?
The background sound level in offices is often so low that voices carry over a distance of 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 meters) or more. A masking system dramatically reduces that distance. The exact distance is affected by office layout and any other resident acoustic treatments, but 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 meters), or approximately 2 workstations, is a good expectation. It can be less.
Over shorter distances, masking may not prevent you hearing that someone is speaking, but it will prevent you understanding what is being said. This is a key benefit, because understandable speech is the least private and causes the most distraction.
Will software show me what I can achieve?
Software that predicts general acoustic performance can help you determine which design choices may have the largest impact on noise and speech privacy in your facility. But these programs don’t take enough factors into account to accurately predict the impact the choices will have across your entire space. They give you an overall rating.
For this reason, software can be used to guide a conversation about acoustic design. But it shouldn’t be used to replace sophisticated 3D-modeling packages - or better yet, the advice of an acoustical consultant.
All predictive programs show sound masking is an effective acoustic treatment, but they can’t model the differences between products. So they aren’t recommended to determine which system you buy.
When making your decision, compare features such as how the system is controlled, the size and types of zones it offers, how the masking sound is generated, the frequency and volume adjustment capabilities, timer functions, and installation versatility. In open-ceiling applications, even the system’s appearance can be important. Ask your Representative for more information.
Can the results be measured?
Yes. The acoustic performance of your space before and after the introduction of sound masking can be measured using a sound analyzer. These measurements include volume, contour, spatial and temporal consistency, dynamic range, and speech privacy.
Where is it used?
Sound masking systems are intended for use in areas with low background sound levels. In these types of spaces, you can hear noises and conversation across long distances. Sound masking will not improve acoustics in areas with high background sound levels of 50 dBA or more.
The primary goal of a sound masking system is to cover up speech, but it also masks other noises within the same frequency range as the masking sound. These include exterior traffic, general office activities, and ventilation. The system does not address very high or very low frequency sounds.
Which sectors can use sound masking?
- Commercial
- Educational
- Financial
- Government
- Healthcare
- Hospitality
- Institutional
- Judicial
- Military
- Retail
Will sound masking work in restaurants?
Locations such as airport lounges and members clubs, which are similar to open-plan office environments, can benefit. However, most restaurants are characterized by high background sound levels and a lot of echo. These issues should be addressed with absorptive materials.
What about industrial applications?
Sound masking addresses noise problems caused by low background sound levels. Because industrial environments usually feature high background sound levels, introducing masking won’t have an impact.
How is it installed?
Your Representative selects the AccuMask System components and designs a layout.
Installation can be handled by your Representative’s in-house technicians, by a third-party installation company, or your own contractor. Though the loudspeakers are typically installed above the ceiling tiles, they can also be used in open or hard ceilings such as gypsum. They’re usually placed 15 feet apart in a grid-like pattern so each one covers approximately 225 square feet.
Your Representative sets up and tunes the system to meet your requirements, either independently or together with your acoustical consultant.
Is it difficult to install in existing spaces?
The AccuMask System can be used in new construction, or easily installed in existing spaces of any size - with minimal disruption to employees. Arrangements can also be made with your Representative to install the system outside regular working hours.
Can I just treat the noisy areas in my workplace?
Masking should be installed throughout your space. If the masking sound is present in one area and not in another, it will draw attention as occupants move about. Treatment of individual private offices or selected areas in an open plan is not recommended. Partial masking installations should occur only when there is a physical break between two areas, such as a wall, doorway or corridor.
What are the benefits for open-plan areas?
Because it’s not a physical barrier, sound masking can help create a flexible, open space that supports interaction between employees. It can maintain acoustical control if employee density increases, or if the height of workstation partitions decreases.
Why should I use it in private offices?
Conversations that require privacy usually take place in closed rooms. But air transfer components, poor door seals, gaps between the wall and ceiling, and breaks in the plenum barriers provide clear paths for overhearing those conversations. And though the level of acoustic satisfaction experienced by employees in private offices is generally higher than those in cubicles, almost one third still feel noise interferes with their ability to do their job.
Why should it be used in meeting rooms?
When a meeting room is used for presentations or conversations, sound masking ensures the participants are not disturbed by outside noises.
Is the system easy to control?
Yes. The AccuMask System’s settings can be managed using a remote control.
Can I adjust the masking sound?
Sound masking works because occupants come to consider it a natural feature of the space they’re in. If the masking system is turned on and off, or the volume is often adjusted, it will call attention to the system, which could then become a distraction.
The AccuMask System has a Timer Feature that can be programmed to gradually adjust the masking volume to match expected changes in activity levels throughout the day.
If you change your facility’s layout, your Representative should make the required changes to the masking sound. Properly altering the volume or frequency requires both training and specialized equipment.
What kind of support is available?
It’s important to choose a sound masking system supported by professionals who can properly design the system and provide you with ongoing support as your organization grows and changes.
Representatives pride themselves not only on state-of-the-art technology, but also their firm commitment to customer satisfaction. No matter the size of your operation, they have the knowledge and capabilities to meet your needs. And international coverage means they can assure you the same high standard of service no matter where you’re located.
Representatives offer the following client services:
- Site inspection
- System design
- Installation
- Tuning
- Maintenance
- Relocation
What’s the payback?
Economic pressures lead many organizations to minimize the cost of their physical space. But design choices that result in poor working environments can end up costing more in the long run.
“People” costs – including recruitment, salaries, training and benefits – make up the majority of an organization’s expenses, usually costing 10 times more than the building and its maintenance combined. So, creating a space where employees are comfortable and productive can really impact your bottom line.
Sound masking is part of a proactive approach that provides employees with the type of workplace they need to excel. It’s also likely to be one of the smallest investments you make in your facility.
Early consideration of a sound masking system in your construction plans has benefit. It can reduce costs by eliminating the need for extra insulation, layers of drywall or plenum barriers, and high-spec or permanent walls around private offices. Sound masking is very effective when used in combination with floor-to-ceiling wall systems and is comparable to increasing their Sound Transmission Class (STC).
Fewer slab-to-slab walls mean reduced HVAC zone requirements and a less interrupted ceiling grid. In this way, masking also maintains the flexibility of your space for future renovations!
Many people believe acoustic materials need to be installed prior to project completion. However, the AccuMask System is also easily installed in existing facilities, addressing acoustical concerns without requiring a large-scale renovation.
The system can also reduce the need to purchase other acoustical treatments. The nature of these reductions varies and should be discussed with your Representative.
Is it expensive to operate?
The AccuMask System is extremely economical to operate. A 15,000 square foot installation consumes the same energy as a light bulb.
Can I expand or relocate the system?
The AccuMask System can be expanded or relocated with ease.