Tagged with 'soundproofing'

Anyone who has ever lived in an apartment, duplex, dorm room, or any other type of multi-unit housing knows that noise from fellow tenants can be an ongoing issue. In fact, a 2017 survey from HotPads found 26% of renters regretted their apartments' noise level, while a 2022 study determined 54% of renters surveyed wanted some form of "noise insulation" for their home.

Simply put, noise levels and sound containment are a huge issue for renters. Unfortunately, there's usually nothing they can do about it: soundproofing involves increasing mass and significantly reducing air flow to keep sound from getting through. It usually requires new construction such as tearing up walls or adding a drop ceiling, and most leases and rental agreements explicitly forbid the tenant doing any renovation or construction work on the unit without first obtaining the permission of the owner. That permission is unlikely to be granted.

The short-term nature of apartment living is also a deterrent. Even if a renter had permission from the landlord and could spend the time and money to install soundproofing materials, they'd be fixing a problem that would no longer be theirs once they moved out of the apartment.

All that said, let's look at a few ways to control sound entering your apartment.

1. Talk to Your Landlord

First things first: reach out to your landlord (or the property management company that handles your apartment) to discuss the sound issues you're facing. If these noise complaints have been persistent among other residents in the building or former occupants of your apartment, your landlord may decide it's finally time to install soundproofing or noise-blocking materials to resolve the problem once and for all.

2. Add Sound-Blocking Materials

Let's assume your landlord is NOT going to add soundproofing materials and also has NOT given you permission to do so. You're on your own, and you need some way to mitigate the sound you're hearing. And you need solutions that won't cause permanent damage to the unit you're renting.

Start by identifying places in your apartment where sound is entering. Doors and windows are two big culprits. 

For doors, consider adding a door sweep or some kind of door seal kit. Since sound waves can travel anywhere that air can go, the gaps around a door are particularly vulnerable to sound transmission. Caulk and weatherstripping are also options, but will be more difficult to remove if you move out of the apartment.

Similarly, gaps around windows should be addressed. Thick curtains hung over windows may help to dampen some sound entering from the outside. There are also DIY window plugs or inserts made with mass-loaded vinyl that can help. While these DIY solutions may be more cost-effective than off-the-shelf solutions, they also require labor and tools, and as such may not be an option for everyone.

isolé® Sound Barrier Sheet from Audimute was designed to be mounted over doors and windows to block sound. Instead of a layer of Mass-Loaded Vinyl, isolé uses Peacemaker®, an eco-friendlier alternative made with 90% post-consumer material. It's also portable, allowing you to take it with you when you move out of your apartment.

Peacemaker is also available on its own in 3mm and 6mm thicknesses. It can be used for DIY soundproofing solutions such as window plugs, or it can be applied in more permanent construction-heavy soundproofing solutions such as decoupling walls, adding a drop ceiling, or subflooring. Again, however, these installations usually require thousands of dollars and permission from your landlord, and, in many cases, your local government.

3. Talk to Your Neighbors

It's the simplest solution ... and maybe the most difficult. But it's usually easier to control sound by going to the source of it. If your upstairs neighbor's footsteps are easily heard in your apartment, for example, talk with them about adding a thick rug to the floor area above your unit. Similarly, if their TV or stereo can easily be heard from your apartment, talk with them about lowering the volume or agreeing to certain "quiet hours".

There's unfortunately not an easy solution for soundproofing in apartments or dorm rooms, but by working with your neighbors, reaching out to your landlord, or adding temporary solutions over doors, windows, and other sound entry points yourself, you may be able to find a solution that makes the noise a little more tolerable.

Sound control in any kind of healthcare space is important, but it's especially crucial for therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists. In addition to creating a comfortable acoustic environment for your patient or client (as well as yourself), you must also take measures to protect your patients' privacy so that vulnerable conversations or confidential information are not being heard by those in the waiting room or adjacent spaces.

Here are some tips to control the sound in your therapy office:

1. Stop Sound Transmission Via Doors

Sound can easily travel through the air gaps around a door, allowing discussions within an office to potentially be heard by those outside of the office. There are numerous products on the market that address this: from door sweeps and weatherstripping foam to our Door Seal Kit. If your office door is hollow-core, use a sound barrier sheet like our isolé® to help block sound transmission. Any one of these products will help reduce sound waves getting out of (or into) an office via the door, and most can be paired together (like isolé and our Acoustic Door Seal Kit) to increase the sound-blocking capabilities. Blankets or quilts hung over doors can also help to dampen sound transmission.

2. Install Additional Soundproofing Where Possible

For a more comprehensive sound-blocking solution, soundproofing materials such as Mass Loaded Vinyl or our Peacemaker Sound Barrier can be put behind walls or ceilings to add mass and density, which helps block sound transmission. Soundproofing products typically require new construction for installation, so they're best added before moving into the office.

3. Absorb Sound Within The Room

Sound control within a treatment room is also important. Soft furnishings such as couches, curtains, and rugs help to absorb echoes and high frequencies, providing patients with a more soothing acoustic environment for their sessions. Bookshelves similarly can help to mitigate echoes via diffusion. For spaces with surfaces made of highly reflective materials such as drywall, concrete, or glass, consider installing sound-absorbing acoustic panels such as our AcoustiWood® or Image options. In addition to reducing noise within a room, these panels can also add compelling and therapeutic touches of color and design.

4. Add White Noise or Music

Sound-masking is a popular sound control option for waiting rooms in healthcare facilities. White noise machines or music played at a low level can "mask" sounds such as talking to help protect patient privacy.

5. Create Distance Between Treatment Room and Waiting Area

If possible, waiting rooms or reception areas should be situated as far away from the therapist's office as possible. Sound weakens as it travels, so creating a substantial distance between a "private" treatment area and a "public" waiting area will allow sound to have dissipated by the time it reaches one from the other.

6. Discourage Cell Phone Calls in Waiting Area

This is an easy one. Asking patients or clients to refrain from talking on the phone while in the waiting room creates a more peaceful acoustic environment for everyone!


By creating an environment where sound is controlled and acoustics are treated, therapists, counselors, and other healthcare providers can help to protect their patients' privacy while also making a comfortable space conducive to conversation, exploration, and, ultimately, healing.

Audimute founder Mitch Zlotnik shows us how a water pump in a basement can create vibration noise on the floor above.

We love it when Audimute customers get creative with our acoustic solutions. Here's a great example from Warren L., who writes:

"I have a Class C motor home and a lot of noise comes into the cab from [the] rear of the motorhome. The manufacturer suggested a curtain to block noise to the cab from the rear. I chose isolé Sound Barrier Sheets after some research. I installed them and tested them. What a difference! [...] Considering this was an ad hoc install, I was very impressed with the curtains. They look great. I am very pleased with my isolé sheets."

Thanks, Warren! In addition to its effectiveness when mounted over doors or windows, isolé makes a great partition, and we're happy it's bringing you some peace of mind on the open road. Wishing you safe and (great) sound travels!

Many times at Audimute, we'll hear from folks who need help with "soundproofing." Their office is too echo-y, there's some high-frequency sound in their restaurant, they want to be able to hear their drums, etc. All completely valid acoustic concerns; except the solution they're looking for isn't soundproofing; it's sound-absorbing. 
 
At Audimute, we do both (more on that later). But let's delve into what those terms really mean. 
 
Soundproofing has become the easy, shorthand term for any kind of sound management solution, but it really only speaks to a specific kind: the total containment of a room or space so that no sound is getting in or out. 100% soundproofing is possible, but it can result in an acoustic environment so tightly regimented that it ceases to be comfortable (check out anechoic chambers for more).  
 
Maybe you don't want 100% soundproofing, but you do want to block some sound from getting into or out of a space. There are plenty of scenarios where where that's the case: 

• You live in a house next to noisy train tracks
• You own a loud rock venue and don't want your sound to bleed into the quiet coffeeshop next door 
• You live in a house next to noisy train tracks and a loud rock club 
• You own a loud rock club located inside a house next to a quiet coffeeshop by train tracks

...You get the idea. 
 
Soundproofing – in the truest sense - requires new construction: tearing up a wall, adding a false floor, etc. It requires a significant amount of time, money, and labor. In short, it can be done, but it calls for a lot of commitment.
 
Sound absorption, on the other hand, is the use of mounted products such as acoustic panels to absorb echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies within a room (We often tell people to think of sound waves as water and a sound-absorbing acoustic panel as a giant sponge soaking up those sound waves). There's installation involved with sound-absorbing panels, but likely no construction. 
 
Let's futher explore the difference between soundproofing and sound absorption with some real-world scenarios featuring our friend, Audie: 
 
Audie wants to drum loudly in his home studio but he doesn't want to disturb his neighbors. 
Audie needs a soundproofing solution. (Like our Peacemaker® Sound Barrier – 3mm). 
 
Audie is drumming but his drums sound muddy due to echoes in his home studio. 
Audie needs a sound-absorbing solution. (Like our Sound Absorption Sheets). 
 
Here's another one: 
 
Audie's clients at work have a hard time hearing him during conference calls due to reverberations in his meeting room. 
Audie needs a sound-absorbing solution. (Like our Fabric Acoustic Panels). 
 
Audie's desk at work is constantly rumbling and shaking due to vibrations from the parking garage downstairs. 
Audie needs a soundproofing solution. (Like our Peacemaker® Soundproofing Underlayment – 6mm). 
 
One last one: 
 
Audie wants to drum loudly in his home studio but he doesn't want to disturb his neighbors AND he wants his drums to sound less echo-y in his home studio. 
Audie needs a sound-absorbing AND soundproofing solution (Like our 2-in-1 isolé® Sound Barrier Sheets). 
 
In summation, when it comes to soundproofing vs. sound absorption, here's a nifty little rhyme to help you remember the difference: 
 
If loud noise is coming through the walls, floor, or roofing 
Then the solution you want is soundproofing. 
But if echoes create distraction and distortion, 
Then the solution you want is sound absorption. 
 
Ready to discover your sound-absorbing or soundproofing solution? Contact our Acoustic Specialists for a free acoustic consultation! 

While we celebrate 20 years of acoustic solutions at Audimute, we also want to celebrate the legacy of those who came before us. Today, we're highlighting the contributions of Emile Berliner.

Today, Berliner is best remembered as the inventor of the gramophone and for his groundbreaking work in helicopters and rotary engines. But he also had a lifelong interest in acoustics, which prompted him to develop the Berliner acoustic tile in the 1920s (below).

As one newspaper explained it at the time, Berliner's acoustic solution called for a room with poor acoustics to be "covered with hollow paper discs covered with thin wires to hold their shape. These are what Dr. Berliner calls 'sound sponges,' the principle being to absorb sound waves, preventing reflection." These discs were then concealed by a layer of specially made porous cement.

Berliner unveiled his concept for the first time at a meeting of the American Institute of Architects on October 8, 1925. Soon after, in February 1926, he received U.S. Patent No. 1573475 for his acoustic tile concept:

After another year of testing, Berliner gave the first public demonstration of his 'sound sponges' in February 1927 at the James F. Oyster School in Washington, D.C., during a lecture in the institution's 3,700-square-foot assembly hall by Lieutenant Benjamin H. Rigg, a member of the 1925 MacMillan Arctic Expedition. The results were immediately apparent: Lt. Rigg could be heard clearly, without echoes or reverberations distorting his speech. 

Word spread quickly. Soon after, Berliner installed his "Resonant Walls" at Drexel University, the New York Cotton Exchange, and even the board room of a financial institution in India.

Sadly, just as his work in acoustics was starting to find an audience, Berliner passed away in 1929 at age 78. It's unclear if "Berliner's Resonant Walls" continued to be installed after his death. 

(Images courtesy of Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division & the United States Patent and Trademark Office)