SINCE
2002
DEFINITIONS
Your structure has to ideally provide three conditions:
- 1. Sound Isolation
- Keeping in the sounds you are making to avoid annoying the neighbors while keeping out the noise others are making to avoid compromising your acoustics.
- 2. Vibration Control
- Controlling ventilation and other mechanical systems so as to not add noise.
- 3. Acoustic Environment
- The appropriate acoustic environment for the sounds you will be making.
But first some definitions:
- NC or Noise Criterion level is a standard that describes the relative loudness of a space examining a range of frequencies. It was established in the U.S. for rating indoor noise like noise from air conditioning equipment and other mechanical systems. NC should be considered for any project where excessive noise would be irritating to the users. This includes, but is not limited to theatres, clubs, and restaurants.
- RT or Reverb Time is defined as the time taken for the ambient sound in a room to deacay RT should be considered for any project where excessive reverberation would be irritating to the users. Including theatres, studios and clubs.
- STC or Sound Transmission Class is a number that tells us how effective a material is at blocking the transmission of sound. This rating is used for hard materials like concrete, brick and drywall but also applies to walls, ceilings and floors as composite systems. Mass and trapped air are the two factors that most effectively increase the STC rating.
- NRC or Noise Reduction Coefficient is a number that tells us how much airborne sound a specific material absorbs. This rating not only applies to soft materials like acoustic foam and fiberglass, but also applies to harder materials like brick and drywall. NRC is an average of the material’s absorption at various frequencies between 125Hz & 4000Hz, therefore, the better the absorption the higher the number.
- Room Modes A room mode is a peak or dip in a room’s frequency response that is dictated by the room’s dimensions. The three types of room modes are: axial, tangential and oblique.
- We implement a design that is site-specific and calculate the STC, the NC and the RT to meet the client’s needs. We calculate room’s modes, implementing the best possible dimensions for your allotted space. We then specify the most appropriate acoustical treatments and their proper placement.
