Excellent design is one of the unsung heroes of our lives. Without excellent—or even just adequate—design, we all suffer. Whether it’s a poorly designed kitchen layout or a door that inexplicably hinges the wrong way, design disasters cause a lot of heartache.
The same is true with a poorly designed sound masking system. Normally, I’d reserve my commentary on this for a group of acoustic consultants. But it’s come up so many times in the past months that it’s gone into PSA territory. We have even been brought in to fix failed systems, which costs the client time, money, and anxiety because there is little to do but put in a whole new system.
What is a failed design?
My definition of a failed design is one where the system does not work. It hasn’t solved the problem and can never solve the problem even after a few expected adjustments, like door seals. The even more disastrous failure is when the client wants to turn the system off.
What causes designs to fail?
The primary reason most sound masking designs fail is a genuine lack of design. It’s surprising how many contractors will purchase an off the shelf sound masking system and just whack it in the ceiling much like they might a light fitting. Only the light fittings will have been carefully designed by a lighting consultant. Usually the sound masking in this situation is installed with hopes and wishes alone.
Another reason is a lack of understanding of good sound masking design. While generally a grid of some kind will do the job, it does not hold a candle to a customised design and carefully calibrated system. Generally, the untrained tech is not putting the end user at the centre of that design either—a critical factor for success.
When the client wants to turn the system off, the installation might have been okay. But the problem will generally be due to a poorly specified sound level. For example, if a specification does not allow for the acoustics of the environment, but rather sets a level that must be achieved for sign off. Just in case you were wondering, that level is never too low.
How do we solve sound masking design disasters?
The obvious answer is to only deal with experienced sound masking installers. You cannot expect an untrained technician to design a sound masking system that works. It’s not fair to the tech or the client. This is why off the shelf solutions, while potentially (not always) cheaper, are a roll of the dice.
Another related answer is to consult with the manufacturer during the design process. Any good manufacturer will assist with design, and ensure that their system is performing in a way that honours their brand. That’s one reason that we here at Soundmask only sell to installers that we have trained.