The average person hears 1 million sounds every day. But it’s up to you whether or not it’s sound or noise. Sound is an umbrella term for all perceived audio. Dogs barking, drums drumming, cars honking; all sounds, technically.
Noise is a sound that becomes unwanted by the person hearing it. Maybe you love the sounds your dog makes, but your neighbor probably calls it noise. Now we are just scratching the surface.
Next time you’re in a commercial space, maybe that’s right now, take a moment to absorb all the sound around you. Are nearby conversations too loud? Higher tones echoing just a touch too much? Should the room even sound like this?
All spaces have different acoustical needs and functions, and those influence what we perceive to be noise. In a library, loud reverberating music would certainly be noise. In a bar it fits right in. That same music but so loud that the bartender can’t hear you? Well, now it’s noise again. If you are ever to determine how to deal with noise in your space though, you need to understand the four types of noise; continuous, intermittent, impulsive, and low-frequency.
Continuous noise is the most common, and can be the easiest to deal with, but that varies person-to-person. Heavy machinery operating non-stop, engines idling, or the constant background sounds of traffic when you’re downtown. These are all common examples of continuous noise. Didn’t we say earlier though that all noise is sound though? Where’s the cross-over?
This is why continuous noise can be the easiest to deal with, many people are able to simply tune it out on their own. Maybe when the engine kicks on you notice it, but before long you don’t even hear it, let alone think of it as “noise”.
Continuous noise in industrial settings and heavily populated areas aren’t so easy to deal with though. Heavy machinery and a thousand voices are not sounds that someone can simply tune out.
Intermittent noises are infrequent but regular in daily life. Generally, they come from loud bursts that you notice but are not surprised by. A prime example being a train passing by if you live near railroad tracks. Sure it’s loud, it may even wake you up at night, but you expect it. After awhile, it may not wake you up at all, since you’re no longer surprised by it.
This type of noise is often the biggest hurdle to land development outside of cities. If people have the choice to buy a home right next the tracks or far away from them, stats show that people choose to be farther away.
Impulsive noise is the opposite. It’s not scheduled, not predictable, unorganized, and so, it surprises you every time. It doesn’t even need to be very loud, just catch you off-guard. Think of a waiter accidentally dropping a plate, or your doorbell ringing when you don’t expect company.
Even though these noises aren’t that loud, they feel shockingly loud because you don’t expect them. Making it the trickiest type of noise to deal with.
Low frequency noise can be similar or even the same as continuous noise, but it’s focusing only on the lower tones that prevent a space from ever truly being silent. In fact, when a room is nearly silent, suddenly these sounds are nearly impossible to ignore.
An HVAC system running, a quiet clock ticking, some tapping their foot. Each of these you may not notice at all in public spaces, but once the room settles down, suddenly the HUMMMMMM of the air conditioning is all you can hear.
Be strategic and use acoustic solutions. Whether you’re accounting for the noise of the kitchen in the back, or you’re realizing months after opening a restaurant that it’s too loud, Conwed can help.
1445 Holland Rd
Maumee, OH 43537
