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Soundproofing To Make Things Quiet –Your Guide to Silence the Din

There is a lot of noise in the world! We’re not just talking noisy neighbors and over revved engines, but everyday life is a cacophony of sound. Being able to remove all the noises we experience on a day to day basis isn’t always possible, but where you can’t completely remove the noise, you can significantly reduce the racket that surrounds you.

When you’re looking at soundproofing options, you need to develop a good understanding of what the difference between soundproofing and noise reduction. A lot of products that are sold as ‘soundproofing’ will not completely deaden sound. This is partially because a lot of the sound we think we are hearing is not actually sound, but the vibrations caused by a bass frequency.

There is a lot of noise in our modern world. From coffee makers, car engines, doors that squeak and heaters the crank all night. But, believe it or not, with a little research and a lot of knowhow you can dramatically reduce this extra interference and crease a peaceful environment. This is in no way an exhaustive list unlike the Soundproof Professionals website, but we can certainly give you some fascinating insight into what you can change to hear the serenity.

To create your quietly peaceful environment you first need to look at where the source of aural disruption is coming from in order to create solutions to reduce the racket.

Sharing Space with a Noisy Sleeper
Whether you have a partner that snores, a housemate that talks in their sleep, or a neighbour’s dog that backs at 3am most mornings. Even without excessive sound levels, people who are light sleepers or work nightshift can find themselves easily disturbed and fall victim to being endlessly woken up.

This is a perfect example of there is little you can do to stop the sound at the source, but you have a multitude of options to help soundproof yourself so that you can still get a good night sleep.

There are a surprisingly large number of ear plugs, noise cancelling headphones and earmuffs on the market designed specifically to help tune out certain frequencies. You have probably encountered the heavy-duty ear protectors worn by people operating heavy machinery (or lawn mowers). However, did you know that you can get far more comfortable versions designed specifically to help you get a peaceful sleep.

If you live with a snorer (this includes the person who lives down the hallway who still rattles your bedroom walls with their snoring), then you are trying to remove a particular frequency. You can get earmuffs or small ear plugs that are both comfortable to sleep in and actually work to deaden the frequency. Don’t disregard snoring – it’s an issue! (see here)

One of the concerns, particularly for women or parents, is completely removing the ability to hear anything at all throughout the night. For this reason, look towards options that either just take the edge off the sound or work to cancel out the specific sound.

Soundproofing In the Office
The movement towards open plan offices was supposed to be great for increased collaboration and improved efficiency. Unfortunately, whether you are in an open plan office or tucked away in a cubicle, if you’re trying to concentrate then the constant droning buzz from your colleagues is hard to tune out.

You have two basic options to help cope with this – other than get a job with a solid office that is. Noise cancelling headphones or a white noise machine.

What’s a white noise machine you ask? There are actually a lot of variance in the devices that wear this label. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_noise_machine A white noise machine is technically producing a noise like that static on a tv when there is no station, it’s a higher pitched noise that counters other noises creating a dead spot.

While these are very effective for a sleeping space and are increasingly popular for use in a baby’s room, for an office setting that are not always idea. This is why you will often see ‘pink noise’ generators advertised as white noise even though this isn’t technically accurate – most of us aren’t sound engineers so can cope with the misnaming.

These generators may have a white noise playing underneath to help deaden the racket, but the primary noise that you will be able to hear is something more soothing like the sound of rainfall in a tropic forest or whale song.

Another option is noise cancelling headphones. You can even use these in combination with a white-noise generating audio file as well.

Unexpected Places You Can Silence
As you calm each source of irritation you will likely find more and more. Stand still in the middle of your house and listen. What do you hear the loudest? Address that, then work on other areas that might be next on the most annoying list.

Flushing Toilets
Have you ever been woken up by someone flushing the toilet? Did you know that not all valves are created equal, and you can actually install ones that will not wake up the entire state at 3am? An additional advantage to upgrading your toilets valve is that you are likely going to reduce your water usage – good for the wallet, good for the environment, and good for a solid night’s sleep.

Loud Washing Machines
How about a noisy washing machine? Yes, you can even help make this standard appliance become an unobtrusive piece of whitewear. While an unbalanced load will still create the banging and thumping, with the right sound proofing mat placed under your washing machine you will see a dramatic decrease in disturbing vibrations that echo through the house.

Background Noise When Recording
Of course, if you are a podcaster or want to record anything from your child singing to your first single realise, through to your grandparent’s biography, you will need to discover things like the right microphone and recording software. However, you can also invest in a range of pop filters and microphone wraps that increase the quality of recording while decreasing the background interference – this is something really important for sound recording if you are in an outside space.