Prepare yourself before going traveling


The Worst Sound of All

Isn't it amazing how much sound we'replace of soundproof solitude are the low
bombarded with everyday? We love to find afrequencies below 125Hz. This is the realm of
quiet moment where we are not acousticallythe  worst  sound  of  all.
assaulted by people, equipment, traffic,
stereos, neighbors, cell phones, and on andThere would seem to be a need to set
on. It's hard to find that quiet moment, andstandards for healthy living that describe
perhaps even harder to find that soundproofhow to insulate yourself from such noise. In
place. Sound levels are so intense that manyfact, there is a standard that measures a
walls and building materials just don't stopstructure's ability to hold back sound. It is
the  sound  satisfactorily.called STC, which stands for Sound
Transmission Coefficient, and is the most
Think of it. How often are you bothered byrecognized and discussed sound isolation term
noise from the person in the room next door,in  North  America.
even though the door's shut? Have a music
student in the house? Dad like to watchBuilding codes will dictate what STC level a
movies late at night? How about the neighborsbuilding needs to have. A new condo, town
having  yet  another  party?home or apartment will have to comply to
these building codes and build walls,
How in the world do we cope? It's no wonderceilings and floors that meet these STC
that Ben Affleck slept in a soundproofrequirements. If this is so, how come I can
sensory deprivation chamber in the moviehear my neighbor? Why is my new condo so
Davedevil. But of all the noise that wenoisy? After all, the structure is built to
retreat from there's one that's the worst ofcode.
all. Bass. It's the worst because it's the
hardest to stop. In the acoustics industry,The reason that new structures are still
"bass" is known as low frequency sound. It'snoisy is because of the STC standard itself.
the boom-boom music sound you hear coming upSTC does not measure any of the worst sound
behind you while driving. You hear it longof all. It stops measuring at 125Hz...
before you see the car that's creating it.exactly where the worst sound starts. So you
Low frequencies are the jets flying overheadhave a high STC wall that meets code, but
if  you're  near  a  major  airport.sounds  terrible.  Great.
This is the worst sound of all because itThere is a need to change this STC standard
assaults from long distance. It penetratesto include these low frequencies. They do
normal building walls and ceilings. Lowthis already in Europe and Australia. In the
frequencies are the largest and generally themeantime,  what  can  you  do?
most powerful sound waves we come up against
daily. They are hard to escape.Look for building techniques that have been
Paradoxically, the low frequency "bass" istested below 125 Hz. Good performance below
what is being sought more and more in home125Hz. will help you a lot. Be aware of
theaters, bands, and music systems. So ourproducts like resilient channel, "sound"
dilemma  is  only  going  to  get  worse.boards, foams, tapes, clips and especially
mass loaded vinyl (MLV). These products won't
The "volume" level of sound is measured inhelp you in these critical low frequencies.
Decibels (dB). The frequency of sound (bass,Consider materials that "damp" the sound
midrange, treble, low notes, high notes, etc)vibration. These types of products are
is measured in Hertz (Hz). The sounds thatgenerally known as visco-elastics and are
are most problematic when we retreat to amost effective with the worst sound of all.



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