subject: Sound Absorption vs. Soundproofing [print this page] Have you ever walked into a room and the noise was overwhelming? Where the echo and reverberation created such a "roar" that you could hardly keep track of your own thoughts? This sort of environment is the perfect candidate for acoustical sound treatment. This is also where confusion can come about. The first thing to be done is to decide if you want to isolate the noise from entering/escaping from your room or if you want to soften the listening environment. In some cases, both are desired.
Soundproofing can be effectively achieved in several ways including acoustical insulation inside of your walls, 4'x8' sound board on or over your existing walls, a variety of closed cell foam and foam insulation tape just to name a few. The purpose of soundproofing is to keep sound from escaping from your room. Have you ever had or knew someone with a "garage" band? Chances are that you have. You can probably remember how all the neighbors would complain about the noise. At some point, someone probably attached some sort of material to the walls in an effort to block the noise, or at least tone it down. This is a good example of an attempt to soundproof. Have you have ever watched a television show where a person was put in a soundproof booth? The person inside of the booth could not hear anything outside and the people outside could not hear inside of the booth.
Sound absorption is the process where excessive high, mid and low level sound frequencies are absorbed to eliminate excessive "ringing" known as slap and flutter echo, or reverberation. Have you ever walked into an empty room, possibly before you bought a home, and noticed that there was an echo? Did you notice that the echo was greatly reduced, or even eliminated after you moved in to your new home? The reason for this is that when a room is empty, there is little, if anything, to absorb sound frequencies. But when your drapes are hung and your furniture and other belongings are moved in, they help to absorb the noise.
Often the excessive noise is still an issue. At this point, sound absorption is most likely desired. This can be achieved in a variety of ways such as acoustical sound absorption panels or noise absorption blankets just to name a couple. There is a variety of materials that are use by different manufacturers to absorb sound such as fiberglass insulation, rock wool, a huge variety of various foam and various cotton fiber blends. While other products can be harmful to your body in various ways because of the chemicals, materials and machinery used to make them, cotton blended fiber has been shown to be 100% recyclable, 100% environmentally friendly, Class A fire rated and contains zero VOC's. This is good news for those who are environmentally aware.
