What Are Acoustics?

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What Are Acoustics?

Acoustics is the science of sound. A room’s acoustics describes the way sound behaves in a given space. Sound travels as waves that are transmitted at different speeds, or frequencies. High frequencies move faster and are higher in pitch. These include talking, television noise, music, etc. Low frequency sounds are generated by slow vibrations and are deep in tone. You may experience these when you hear someone’s footsteps or stereo system.

High Frequency Sound Waves:

Low Frequency Sound Waves:

Rooms with hard solid surfaces

such as hardwood floors or glass walls, or lofty spaces, like cathedral ceilings, reflect sound rather than absorb it. With nothing to absorb the sound waves, they continue to bounce off of the various surfaces, resulting in a reverberation, or as it is more commonly known, an echo.

A room’s reverberation is measured

A room’s reverberation is measured by the time it takes for the sound to dissipate in an enclosed space. To be more precise, reverberation is measured by the amount of time it takes the volume of the sound waves to diminish by 60 decibels (dB). An RT60 test, which stands for Reverberation Time less 60 dB, quantifies the reverberation time of a given area. A room with a high reverberation time is typically characterized by an overpowering background clatter, or a loud, extended echo.

While almost any space can be subject to reverberation, certain spaces are more prone than others. The soundproofing we offer will reduce reverberation and echo in virtually any structure. Some of our satisfied clients include: