Key to resolving any acoustic issue is to understand what you are dealing with....
SOUND WITHIN A ROOM
Is the noise that you are trying to solve being generated within the room itself?
AIRBORNE
Do you believe the noise is travelling through the air?
SOUND ENTERING OR EXITING A ROOM
Is the noise you are trying to solve coming from outside the room you are in ?
STRUCTURAL / MECHANICAL
Is the noise you hear possibly travelling via vibrations of structure or building elements ?
VS
VS
1
2
Once you know this you can progress onto our PQ quadrant outlined below to start resolving the noise issue.
P & Q Noise Quadrant
With any noise pollution issue there are only two types of noise, determined by their method of travel, namely airborne noise or structural/mechanical borne noise. Plus there are only 4 unique ways to solve all/any noise issue and these are contained in our noise quadrant highlighted above. This quadrant serves as the Roadmap for Peace & Quiet.
ABSORB
Airborne noise can be mitigated by soaking up the flow of sound-waves, thereby reducing the loudness (dB) and/or frequency (Hz). This is achieved through various materials such as high density polyester products or open cell foams etc. NRC - noise reduction co-efficient is the generallly used term for how absorptive a product is and ranges in scale of NRC 0 to NRC 1 with 1 being most absorptive.
BAR
Through the use of flexible sound barriers (such as, mass loaded vinyl) airborne sound transmission is reduced. Often measured by the term STC - Sound Transmission Class for a single pass or can be measured as CAC (Ceiling Attenuation Class) if measuring the performance of a ceiling system for flanking noise (double pass)
INHIBIT
Mechanical structural vibration can be curtailed by dampening the vibrational energy created within a structure or at the source. Inhibiting this vibration or micro-bends in metal is achieved through the use of products such as visco-elastic membranes.
ISOLATE
When total isolation of structural vibrational energy is required to stop transference from a source - a physical break is required in the form of underlays, pads, springs and even clips & hangers. Generally measured as ICC (Impact Insulation Class) which is an acoustical rating used to quantify impact sound absorption and vibration isolation. This rating system is used for floor and ceiling assemblies.
