HIGH QUALITY MASKING AND COMFORT
What Is Sound Masking?
Sound masking systems are used in office environments to increase speech privacy and reduce audible distractions.
These systems are basically noise generators designed to produce low-level background noise with a particular spectrum
that are not disturbing or irritating to workers. This sound mask is, nevertheless, loud enough to effectively
blur conversations and reduce distracting noises.
What Is Optimum Sound Masking?
Sound masking consists of generating a neutral sound in order to make conversations less audible. For maximum efficiency, the sound
masking spectrum must have enough energy in the frequencies corresponding to human voice. However, the sound masking has to be barely
perceptible so that workers in office environments can go about their daily activities. Recent studies have allowed virtually perfect
sound masking levels and spectrums to be determined.
The picture below, taken from the article Acoustical Design of Conventional Open Plan Offices in Canadian Acoustics,
vol. 27, no. 3, 2003, presents the ideal sound masking scenario, i.e. a masking spectrum that allows more confidentiality while being less detectable.
Benefits
A properly installed sound masking system can increase speech privacy between workers and reduce audible distractions;
in doing so, it provides a better working environment with increased productivity.
Problems
The main problem is that each work space is unique in terms of acoustic room response and background noise.
If a sound masking system is installed without proper attention, it can do more harm than good, producing a sound
that is either too loud or overly irritating. Furthermore, calibrating a sound masking system with a simple sound-meter
is not effective enough to obtain the desired sound masking curve.
Solution
The Smart Sound Masking System developed by Soft dB is the best sound masking system on the market today.
Conceived from the latest noise control and signal processing technologies, it is extremely adaptable and precise
with the added benefit of being very easy to install.
How Does the Smart SMS Work?
- The Smart SMS self-tuning technique takes into account the specific acoustic characteristics of a room and the existing background noise.
- Once the self-tuning process is completed, the results are uploaded to the Smart SMS hardware to generate an ideal masking sound.
- The validity of the resulting sound masking spectrum in the room can be verified with the frequency analyzer integrated within the Smart SMS software.
- Once the desired sound masking is validated, the specific adjustment of the system can be permanently loaded into the Smart SMS and the PC can be unplugged and removed.
