Today I’ll tackle the subject of drop tile ceilings and how they relate to several office related noise problems. While this article is geared towards office applications, please note that many of these principles can also be applied to school classrooms, commercial spaces, residential applications…
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What is Tinnitus? And How To Help Cope With It!
One in every ten people experiences some form of tinnitus during their lifetime. Whether this ringing is short-lived or lasts for months on end, tinnitus is a tedious effect millions of individuals suffer from…
Condominium Soundproofing: When Sounds Affect Your Quality of Life
Condo soundproofing has greatly improved over the last 20 years. Despite that, noise is still the second most important cause of discord between owners. Survival guide . . .
What Is A Triple Leaf Effect?
A triple leaf partition has two air cavities rather than the typical one air cavity. Similarly, a quadruple leaf partition has three air cavities. Triple and quadruple leafs are most often created when constructing a new wall in front of an existing wall. The other common ways include installing Hush isolation sound clips or resilient channel over existing drywall. This applies to both walls and ceilings alike. A leaf in a partition is a solid layer, like drywall or plywood…
Why We Lose Our Hearing
What’s one of the most common health concerns in North America? You may be surprised to learn it’s hearing loss. Around 48 million people in the U.S. alone — that’s 20% of the population — have trouble hearing. So, what causes our loss of hearing, and can we prevent it…
Decorative Absorption Panels: Common Q & A
Many people call us about Decorative Acoustic Panels aka DAP’s, thinking they are a cost-effective and attractive solution to stop room-to-room noise transfer. While they are inexpensive and do improve a room’s interior acoustics, their application is different than many assume…
What is Decoupling?
The basic definition of decoupling is to separate objects. Decoupling to isolate sound is most commonly done with Hush Sound Isolation Clips, resilient channel, or specialty framing like double stud or staggered stud walls. Sound vibrations will transfer best from material to material rather than through open space. An example of this would be sound transfer from drywall to framing and then to the drywall on the other side. You can stop this transfer with decoupling by reducing the number of connections isolation sound clips or by breaking the path entirely by specialty framing…
Top 10 Loudest Animals
If you think some people are too noisy then wait till you read about some of the loudest animals in the world. A normal human shout is around 70 decibels. Anything above 120 decibels and it becomes physically painful. There are many animals, birds and even insects that can make much louder sounds than that. Sometimes animals use these sounds as mating songs while at other times they use them to scare away rivals. Whatever be the reason, when it comes to making a racket, these animals top the list…
Debunking Bogus Floor Underlayment Ratings
Acoustic floor underlayments increases IIC and STC ratings in floors. With the many different acoustic underlayment products, there seems to be some debate on which material works best in floors, as well as the legitimacy of the ratings for these products. We can help resolve some of this confusion…
Why Sound in Movies is So Powerful!!
When you think about the movie “Jaws”, what comes to mind first? One of the most popular answers is that unmistakable sound — dun dun, dun dun. While only some movie scores become a part of pop culture, as is the case for “Jaws”, all film scores create an ambiance and atmosphere that draws you into the story and creates an immersive experience…
What is Misophonia? And Are You Affected By It?
Do you have an intense emotional reaction to hearing someone eating with their mouth open, sneezing, coughing, sniffling, chewing gum or throat-clearing? Do you feel enraged when you hear repetitive noises like tapping, the clicking of a pen, typing on a keyboard or hearing other sounds that make you want to run away or even lash out at the source of the sound? Have you wondered why you experience these reactions… have sensitivities to certain sounds… and wonder if you are the only one who has these problems? When your trigger events occur, does it seem like other people don’t take any notice of the sounds that affect you so strongly? Guess what…
Top 10 Noisiest Occupations
Millions of people are exposed to dangerous decibels in the workplace — from musicians to farmers. We have found the top ten occupations where noise poses a serious health problem. Working for years in a noisy job can drastically increase the risk of serious hearing difficulties. You can lessen your risk by protecting your ears with earplugs or other hearing protection devices at all times, but employers also need to be aware of the pain and cost of noise pollution. It can cause headaches, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, depression, and insomnia…