More privacy, better focus: why office sound masking is the key to productivity.<\/span><\/h1><\/div>![\"Meeting](\"https:\/\/iesmartsystems.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/UTMB-Health-Education-Center-1015.jpg\" "\\"UTMB-Health-Education-Center-1015\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div>One of the most critical and overlooked components of a great office design is invisible: the soundscape. Soundscape simply means the way sound behaves in a space, including how it changes based on activity levels. Wherever you fall on the issues of open office vs. traditional office layouts, you may underestimate the importance of how people experience sound within the space. For new construction, you can bring in an acoustic expert to optimize the layout and sound-dampening materials, but even that may not be enough. Sound masking technology<\/a> is a powerful and flexible way to create an office soundscape that keeps conversations private and everyone focused on their work.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>The Difference Between Sound Masking And White Noise<\/b><\/h3><\/h2><\/div>It\u2019s possible to \u201cmask\u201d an environment with sound machines that produce background noise, often white, pink, or brown. However, when we say \u201csound masking,\u201d we\u2019re referring to a specific strategy of managing noise and privacy in a shared space or workplace. White noise is a cocktail of the frequencies audible to humans mixed at the same level, meaning you hear them at the same intensity. Although effective at preventing sound spillover from nearby conversations white noise can sound harsh or unpleasant. This is especially true over long periods (think eight hours a day, five days a week).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nProper office sound masking requires the use of sound sensors and speakers placed at key points around the workspace. The sensors measure ambient sound levels created by people working, and the sensors feed that information to a controller that tells the speaker system to respond with a mix of frequencies and volume that will fully mask the work noise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>Pink And Brown Noise – Using Colors To Describe Noises<\/b><\/h3><\/h2><\/div>If you\u2019ve heard of white noise, you may have also heard of pink and brown noises. These are cocktails of frequencies that are tuned to be more pleasant to the human ears. Pink noise adjusts for the higher, less enjoyable pitches you hear in white noise. Brown noise takes that approach even further, resulting in a more \u201cbass-y\u201d cocktail of noise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/div>One of the most critical and overlooked components of a great office design is invisible: the soundscape. Soundscape simply means the way sound behaves in a space, including how it changes based on activity levels. Wherever you fall on the issues of open office vs. traditional office layouts, you may underestimate the importance of how people experience sound within the space. For new construction, you can bring in an acoustic expert to optimize the layout and sound-dampening materials, but even that may not be enough. Sound masking technology<\/a> is a powerful and flexible way to create an office soundscape that keeps conversations private and everyone focused on their work.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> It\u2019s possible to \u201cmask\u201d an environment with sound machines that produce background noise, often white, pink, or brown. However, when we say \u201csound masking,\u201d we\u2019re referring to a specific strategy of managing noise and privacy in a shared space or workplace. White noise is a cocktail of the frequencies audible to humans mixed at the same level, meaning you hear them at the same intensity. Although effective at preventing sound spillover from nearby conversations white noise can sound harsh or unpleasant. This is especially true over long periods (think eight hours a day, five days a week).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Proper office sound masking requires the use of sound sensors and speakers placed at key points around the workspace. The sensors measure ambient sound levels created by people working, and the sensors feed that information to a controller that tells the speaker system to respond with a mix of frequencies and volume that will fully mask the work noise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> If you\u2019ve heard of white noise, you may have also heard of pink and brown noises. These are cocktails of frequencies that are tuned to be more pleasant to the human ears. Pink noise adjusts for the higher, less enjoyable pitches you hear in white noise. Brown noise takes that approach even further, resulting in a more \u201cbass-y\u201d cocktail of noise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Difference Between Sound Masking And White Noise<\/b><\/h3><\/h2><\/div>
Pink And Brown Noise – Using Colors To Describe Noises<\/b><\/h3><\/h2><\/div>
![\"Open](\"https:\/\/iesmartsystems.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/alex-kotliarskyi-QBpZGqEMsKg-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" "\\"open-concept-office\\"")
<\/span><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/iesmartsystems.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/wonderlane-FkHpejze0C4-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" "\\"open-office-with-meeting-rooms\\"")
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