The Worst Sound of All

Isn't it amazing how much sound we're bombardedretreat to a place of soundproof solitude are the low
with everyday? We love to find a quiet momentfrequencies below 125Hz. This is the realm of the
where we are not acoustically assaulted by people,worst sound of all.
equipment, traffic, stereos, neighbors, cell phones,There would seem to be a need to set standards
and on and on. It's hard to find that quiet moment,for healthy living that describe how to insulate
and perhaps even harder to find that soundproofyourself from such noise. In fact, there is a standard
place. Sound levels are so intense that many wallsthat measures a structure's ability to hold back sound.
and building materials just don't stop the soundIt is called STC, which stands for Sound Transmission
satisfactorily.Coefficient, and is the most recognized and discussed
Think of it. How often are you bothered by noisesound isolation term in North America.
from the person in the room next door, even thoughBuilding codes will dictate what STC level a building
the door's shut? Have a music student in the house?needs to have. A new condo, town home or
Dad like to watch movies late at night? How aboutapartment will have to comply to these building codes
the neighbors having yet another party?and build walls, ceilings and floors that meet these
How in the world do we cope? It's no wonder thatSTC requirements. If this is so, how come I can hear
Ben Affleck slept in a soundproof sensory deprivationmy neighbor? Why is my new condo so noisy? After
chamber in the movie Davedevil. But of all the noiseall, the structure is built to code.
that we retreat from there's one that's the worst ofThe reason that new structures are still noisy is
all. Bass. It's the worst because it's the hardest tobecause of the STC standard itself. STC does not
stop. In the acoustics industry, "bass" is known asmeasure any of the worst sound of all. It stops
low frequency sound. It's the boom-boom musicmeasuring at 125Hz... exactly where the worst sound
sound you hear coming up behind you while driving.starts. So you have a high STC wall that meets
You hear it long before you see the car that'scode, but sounds terrible. Great.
creating it. Low frequencies are the jets flyingThere is a need to change this STC standard to
overhead if you're near a major airport.include these low frequencies. They do this already in
This is the worst sound of all because it assaultsEurope and Australia. In the meantime, what can you
from long distance. It penetrates normal building wallsdo?
and ceilings. Low frequencies are the largest andLook for building techniques that have been tested
generally the most powerful sound waves we comebelow 125 Hz. Good performance below 125Hz. will
up against daily. They are hard to escape.help you a lot. Be aware of products like resilient
Paradoxically, the low frequency "bass" is what ischannel, "sound" boards, foams, tapes, clips and
being sought more and more in home theaters,especially mass loaded vinyl (MLV). These products
bands, and music systems. So our dilemma is onlywon't help you in these critical low frequencies.
going to get worse.Consider materials that "damp" the sound vibration.
The "volume" level of sound is measured in DecibelsThese types of products are generally known as
(dB). The frequency of sound (bass, midrange, treble,visco-elastics and are most effective with the worst
low notes, high notes, etc) is measured in Hertz (Hz).sound of all.
The sounds that are most problematic when we