The goal of soundproofing is to limit of the transition of sound from a room (or outside) to adjacent one. It determines which components of a façade, walls, ceilings etc. are important to make their acoustical isolation as good as possible. Soundproofing controls the noise, which is produced by the machines/equipment in a building. Room acoustics on the other hand tasks itself with the sound within a room: no echo, the same sound level everywhere, the same sound colour everywhere, that the room has the right acoustics, that it isn’t too echo-y or too muffled etc.
Nearly completely useless. The seaming lowering/dampening of the noise is more an effect of the distance from the source than the barrier that the foliage would provide.
Yes and no. The inclusion of foam absorbers efficiently lowers the amount of sound reflections at high and/or middle frequencies if the foam is thick enough. That’s how we decrease the reverberation time in that frequency band. That is also the way in which we eliminate the flutter echo. Because lower frequency sound reverberates in the room longer, we have effectively changed the sound colour of the room. Exaggeration with these foams can make the room feel acoustically dead.
Very effective, if done correctly. For a truly well isolated room we must use two layers of studs and completely fill the empty scape between the studs with mineral wool. It is smart to use gypsum plates of differing mass/ thickness. It is very important that the wall is constructed from the floor (bearing structure) to the ceiling’s bearing structure. It is also important that the metal studs are mounted onto a few millimetres thick tape made of foam (PET).
Of course. Expected use of the room determines adequate acoustics. Too few acoustic materials usually mean overly reverberant space, like you would expect in a cathedral or a giant cave. If, however, we exaggerate with sound absorbing materials, we hear nearly nothing from the performer and vice versa.
The art of good acoustics is getting several factors into a perfect harmony. “Good acoustics” in a radio studio or in a church are completely different. That’s why we must first ask ourselves what the room is going to be used for.
A decibel (link to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel) is a unit, where we compare two acoustic values. Because the ratio is logarithmic the rules for logarithms apply, not the rules for simple arithmetic. The consequence is that a difference of 10 dB (decibels) is very large from an energetic standpoint. 10 dB for the human ear means something is twice as loud or quiet.
I work on the narrow field of architectural acoustics. I make Noise Protection Report and the necessary Statement, Studies of room acoustics, I do counselling, help students and assist at architectural contests.
No, I do not. I don’t do acoustic measurements. Not in rooms, neither the environmental noise measurements. I don’t work with the environmental noise.
The price of a service if dependent on multiple factors: the type of acoustic service, the overall difficulty of the project, the size of the project, architectural limits and the given time to find an acoustic solution. That’s why I always make an offer, which is based on the description of the project and other necessary data.
If possible I prepare the offer the same day as I get the necessary details for its calculation.
It depends on many factors. On average I need about 14 days. If there is real necessity I have a sleepless night or sacrifice my weekend to deliver the report.
It depends on many factors. Because we are talking about complex work I usually need about 3 weeks.
No. This way I keep the required professional integrity and openness for all possible solutions. I leave the choice of materials to the investor or designer. Even though in a Report I calculate with known materials/kits, I never oppose the substitution for acoustically equivalent materials.
Yes, but I do not meddle with the field of electro-acoustics. I use my knowledge to create a space of the perfect size and shape and choose the necessary sound tuning elements/panels for the walls and ceiling. I advise on the primary positioning of equipment. Deciding the speakers, amplifiers etc. is however not my line of work.
I only deal with architectural acoustics. With years, however, I have met a few experts of other fields, who I happily recommend.