Sound Masking Intorduction

Open plan offices have become almost the norm, since they offer many benefits. However, if staff find them less than desirable places in which to work then they will become disgruntled, efficiency will fall and staff retention may even become a problem. Increasing privacy of speech by using sound masking systems together with acoustic wall panels and linings helps to create a much better environment in which staff spend their working hours. An investment in increasing privacy of speech is certainly cost effective, and proven in practice over three decades, with Sound Masking one of the easiest and most cost effective ways of achieving this aim.

Cellular offices and meeting rooms are increasingly specified as to where confidential exchanges take place and coupled with the trend towards lighter and more easily re locatable partitions mean that Sound Masking systems along with acoustic panels and acoustic door seals are increasingly used to achieve the desired level of privacy.

Large open plan offices are not the only applications, and sound masking systems are in operation in smaller scale areas including

Doctors’ surgeries, medical centres, defence briefing rooms, interview rooms, waiting areas and others ‑ all with very successful results.

The ability to deliver high quality Public Address through the Sound Masking system at very little extra cost makes the cost/benefit equation even more weighted on the side of Sound Masking Systems. Various systems are available to treat one-off rooms or entire office blocks.

The ability to deliver high quality Public Address through the Sound Masking system at very little extra cost makes the cost/benefit equation even more weighted on the side of Sound Masking Systems. Various systems are available to treat one-off rooms or entire office blocks.

Sound Masking systems have been in successful service for some 30 years. Extensive practical experience has clearly demonstrated that attention to detail during the design and commissioning stages certainly pays off. The following are a few key considerations:

* Other features which may be incorporated into the sound conditioning system, e.g. public address systems, fire alarms etc., should be established at the outset.
* Generally no more than 10 dB should be added to any individual frequency, and sound levels should be kept within a maximum of NC45

* Complete floors of office buildings should be treated where possible, since this leads to greater flexibility.

* The treatment of individual offices as a single project should be avoided, since the results are much better if a series of adjacent offices are treated together. Natural acoustic thresholds, e.g. doors, can be used to define the limits of the sound‑masked area, thus avoiding acoustic shock.

* Zone size should be limited to some 15-20 speakers to optimise flexibility and control.

*For most projects, the ability to precisely shape the acoustic spectral curve is important along with the ability to produce enough volume to compensate for high performance ceilings such as chilled ceilings with metal backing plates and plasterboard types.

The sound masking system should be left in operation 24 hours a day. Power consumption is very low, and equipment life will in fact be extended if it is not frequently switched on and off; continuous running also avoids acoustic shock. Special add on units which change the level of operation at predetermined times and spread over a 30 minute period are available.