When noise is talked about in regards to architecture, it’s often about eradicating it. We use headphones to block out coworkers, partition spaces to try to prevent noise leakage, and install acoustic panels to help absorb noise. There is another option, however, when it comes to problems with noise in the workplace: sound masking.

What is Sound Masking?

Unlike other solutions to noise problems, sound masking involves raising the background sound levels by adding additional sounds, instead of simply taking the noise away. Sound masking introduces ambient noise to an office space or room to mask disruptive environmental noises. This type of acoustical solution is growing in the interior acoustics industry and has been shown to be effective in masking distractive noises, as well as increase productivity and privacy in the workplace.

The background noise level in office spaces is generally low. This leads to people often unintentionally overhearing the conversation of their coworkers, which can sometimes be a difficult situation for everyone concerned. Sound masking was designed to address this common problem by emitting an inconspicuous background sound through use of a loudspeaker system. This ambient sound level eventually becomes more uniform, resulting in the otherwise noisy distractions in the office environment being muffled by the sound masking system.

How Do Sound Masking Devices Work?

The sound emitted by sound masking devices is a soft, inconspicuous sound that’s similar to the sound of airflow. This sound is specifically tuned to be the same frequency as human speech in order to make conversations less intelligible and less noticeable. This increases speech privacy in the office, which is especially important with the rise of the open office layout, and ultimately results in better productivity.

Put simply, sound masking adds unobtrusive sound to the office environment with the goal of “masking” distracting noises. For this to be effective, however, not just any sound can be added.

1. First of all, the sound added must be random. This means there can be no context and the sound doesn’t transmit any information to the human ear.
2. Second, the sound needs to be broadband, meaning the sound exists across a broad range on the audible spectrum (20 – 20,000 Hz).

Basically, sound masking makes an office space seem quieter by raising the level of ambient noise of the environment to make speech less intelligible and less distracting. Words are less distracting when you are unable to understand what someone is saying, and you may not even notice them.

Sound Masking vs White Noise

Sound masking is often incorrectly considered to be the same as white noise. While both white noise and sound masking are random signals of different frequencies, the main difference is that sound masking is tuned around the same frequencies as human speech. This results in sound masking providing speech privacy. White noise is unshaped and represents the full frequency spectrum, making it not as effective in masking conversations in the workplace.

A correctly calibrated sound masking system also disperses added sound throughout a space, offering a dynamic and consistent sound environment. White noise, on the other hand, is source-dependent and localized. This means you are able to locate where white noise is coming from, which can’t be done with sound masking. Sound masking is designed for the added noise to fade into background, while white noise would be irritating if increased to the volume needed to be effective in masking human speech. Ultimately, white noise isn’t as effective or efficient in covering up conversation in office spaces since it isn’t engineered specifically to do so.

Office Sound Masking

The rise in office sound masking has primarily been cause by two things:

1. A shift from softly-furnished, partitioned office spaces to sleek, open office layouts.
2. An increased consideration of employee productivity and health as a central consideration in office design.

A minimalist, open office design often puts worker productivity at and satisfaction in jeopardy. Reverberant, hard surfaces common in office spaces, such as concrete and glass, reflect noise rather than absorb it. Sound masking devices now offer an effective solution to this problem. Sound masking allows office spaces to keep their minimalist, modern design, while also creating a noise environment with fewer distractions and helps employee satisfaction and productivity.

Sound masking also allows for better speech privacy, which is one of the main complaints among those who work in cubicle office environments or open plan offices. Insufficient speech privacy negatively affects company and personal security, productivity, health, and comfort. By adding background noise that masks conversation and other noise distractions, a sound masking system offers a cost-effective solution to effectively increase office comfort and protect employees’ speech privacy.

Benefits of an Office Sound Masking System

• Protect customer information. Sound masking helps protect customers’ sensitive information from being overheard, such as credit card numbers and health information.
• Protect personal employee information. A sound masking system helps prevent customers or other employees from overhearing private employee conversations.
• Ensure privacy for meetings. Meetings sometimes involve sensitive information, making speech privacy even more important.
• Fewer distractions. A survey found that around 80% of employees said that office noise and coworker conversations were the top distractions in the workplace.
• Remove awkward silence. Awkward silences in the office can be distractions as well. Sound masking helps make the noise environment more comfortable.
• Increase productivity. With reduced noise distractions, employees are more engaged in work, which leads to increased productivity and profitability.
• Enhance office comfort.

Does your office need sound masking? Contact us today to find out more about how SkyNext America can help with your office sound masking needs.