Pure Resonance Audio - Understanding a Sound Masking System Before Buying

1. Understanding a Sound Masking System Before Buying In a busy environment, like a hospital or an office, it becomes challenging to tune out the chatter and loud noises, causing distractions and misinterpretations. Often these noises prevent people from registering important conversations and announcements, leading to miscommunication and confusion. That’s where a sound masking system comes to the rescue. What is it? How does it work? Let’s understand the basics before you invest in one. What is Sound Masking? Sound masking involves the addition of background noise (artificially generated like white noise or pink noise) to dial down the distracting ambient sounds. It is not effective in actively controlling or preventing the noise. However, it can eliminate or reduce the perception of environmental sounds. It improves the acoustical privacy of an enclosed or open space, thus enhancing the attention and productivity of the people within that space. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_masking) Is it Similar to Noise Cancellation? Often used interchangeably, sound masking and noise cancellation are not similar. For masking, a pleasant sound is used to tune out the unwanted distracting noises. Noise cancellation, on the other hand, is a different approach to suppressing unwanted noise. It uses technology to completely turn off the sound. The latter creates an audio barrier.

2. How does sound masking work? Sound masking has three objectives: ●Reduce the unnecessary noise distractions ●Provide speech privacy ●Improve the acoustics of a space To do that, one has to install a sound masking system, which functions in the following manner. ●The space layout has an even distribution of speakers or sound emitters that emit soft and low-level broadband sound matching the frequency of human speech. The intensity or volume of that noise can effectively drown the ambient noises with precise calibrations. ●It should have a proper spectral balance, meaning there should be an even distribution of the frequency, which creates a uniform background sound for masking. ●The masking sound has soothing acoustics that balance the contrasting frequencies of silence and speech, which creates that perfect ambient noise free of distractions. Here are a few things to keep in mind when installing a sound masking system: ●The placement of the speakers should be throughout the space for even sound distribution. If you are masking a specific area, the speakers should be placed around the outside of that area. You can place the speakers in the ceiling or integrate them within the architecture, keeping them concealed. ●If you have an expansive space divided into different zones, the noise masking can be customized to each zone, having its specific volume and frequency based on preferences and requirements. ●When installing the system, it is essential to maintain a proper ratio of the ambient noise to the sound masking. Or else it will not give you the desired effect. Wrapping Up Hopefully, this article covered all the essential points about sound masking systems. If you run a corporate office that needs tweaking with the overall acoustics of the place, a masking system can work wonders in enhancing the ambiance and increasing workplace productivity. Make sure you always source the system from a reliable and notable company for desired results.