Saturday, December 21, 2019

Minimizing Noise Through Walls

Dogs barking, neighbors yelling, loud music playing and traffic blasting by - these are all things that can be a real nuisance, causing stress and sleeplessness. If you're living in a home where these sound disturbances occur, finding ways to soundproof your living space can add significantly to the quality of your home life.

What's Letting All That Noise In?
Sound travels in waves and is transmitted through the air to our ears. All sound that we hear is classified as airborne sound, such as music coming from a radio, but may also be called structural sound, such as footsteps on the floor above or someone knocking at the door. These structural sounds are transformed into airborne sounds, which is what we hear.

Sitting in our homes, we may be inundated by sounds through a variety of means. They may come from outside through our doors, windows and walls, and from inside through our floors, ceilings, doors and interior walls. Sound waves reach us by following the path of least resistance. This could be around the perimeter of a door or window, through an uninsulated electrical outlet or through an air conditioning or heating duct/vent. Sounds also transfer through the solid structures of your home, such as the actual doors, windows and walls. In the following, we'll concern ourselves specifically with ways to minimize noise coming through walls.

How To Reduce Noise Between Rooms
Anyone living in an area where temperatures drop during winter months knows that the first line of defense against a chilly abode is to insulate the walls against the cold. This will also help keep your house cooler during the summer months. By insulating all the nooks and crannies that exist between the exterior and interior walls of your home, you're helping block temperature transference. The same holds true for sounds that, like heat or cold, travel along and through the paths of least resistance.

Start With Soundproofing Walls
While complete soundproofing should include walls, floors, doors, ceilings and windows, you should start with the walls, both interior and exterior. Soundproofing during initial construction is usually easier and cheaper than with a remodel, but good results can be obtained with either method if properly done. Effective soundproofing of walls can be achieved through several means and some are a bit more labor-intensive than others.

One simple way of doing this is by using our Mass Loaded Vinyl Noise Barrier (MLV). Flexible, limp and heavy, this specially designed material is incredibly effective at blocking, absorbing and deadening sounds. It has numerous applications and is easy to use – especially important for DIYers. This method isn’t as visually appealing as other options but can satisfy your need for quiet. Read more about Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) here .

For optimal soundproofing, the wall cavity should be completely filled with quality insulation, including all gaps and spaces between studs. This will also improve the fire safety rating of your home, serving as a means for slowing fire travel within walls. Properly insulating walls for soundproofing should include filling any gaps that could allow sound transference, such as electrical outlets, switches and even nail holes that may have been made for hanging pictures, etc. If you are building a new home or renovating, taking extra care during construction to ensure proper soundproofing throughout the process will make things easier (and quieter) in the long run.

Recommended Installation Procedure:


  1. Demo existing walls, if required. You want to have any sheetrock removed and frame exposed.
  2. Install UltraTouch Denim Insulation
  3. Install IsoMax Sound Isolation Clips
  4. Insert Hat Channel
  5. Attach a layer of 5/8” drywall leaving a perimeter gap not to exceed 1/4” 
  6. Fill gaps with Acoustical Caulk Sealant , applying a 1/4” bead of along edges of sheetrock and bevel edges of butt ends. 
  7. Apply Green Glue to a second layer of 5/8” sheetrock, at a rate of 2 tubes per 4x8 sheet. Offset the seams of the second layer from those of the first layer and fasten to Hat Channel, pressing firmly. 
  8. Finish as desired

This is a common sound isolation system for minimizing noise through walls and ceiling and is found to be a highly effective solution to lowering both structural and airborne noise. Our expert team is always happy to help guide you through making your selection – let us know how we can help !

Thursday, December 19, 2019

How Sound Affects Your Sleep Cycles

Waking up from a poor night of rest is all too common in this fast-paced world. Placing the blame on technology and busy lifestyles is certainly valid, but there's another issue that can also impact your rest. Ambient sounds from the surrounding environment can wake you every night of the week. Learn how sound affects your sleep cycles, and choose smart ways to combat this serious problem.

The Stages of Sleep

There are currently four defined stages of sleep. They include two particular kinds of sleep:
  • Non-REM
  • REM 
REM stands for “rapid eye movement.” The first three stages of sleep are non-REM types, during which you're lightly resting. Stage four is deep sleep, in which your eyes flutter underneath the eyelids.

A noise and sleep disturbance usually affects the first three stages of sleep. Your mind is still mostly aware of the outside world, which makes you vulnerable to wakefulness as the sounds ebb and flow.

It's much harder to disturb the mind in REM sleep, but this stage must be reached through a restful period in stages one through three.

Loud Sounds

A loud "bang" outside is enough to awaken anyone from a deep sleep. When stage four is disturbed, a person is rattled into reality. The heart might beat rapidly, which can be detrimental to vulnerable people with cardiovascular problems. It may be difficult to get back to sleep too.

Loud noises occurring during the other stages don’t cause as intense of a reaction, but they still stifle rest as the person opens his or her eyes and becomes aware of the outside influence.

If a loud sound awakens a person on a regular basis, the sleep cycles are greatly impacted. Bouts of insomnia can arise. Restful nights are now difficult to achieve.

Consistent Nighttime Disruptions

Your body needs time to move through all stages of sleep. Ultimately, you want as much time in stage four as possible. Frequent interruptions to your rest, however, stop this progress in its tracks.

If a sound awakens you in stage three, you must start again from stage one and move forward. It's possible to remain restless all night if sounds are constantly bombarding the room. Failing to reach stage four means that your body cannot really rest, and you wake up in the morning with a dissatisfied sensation. Feeling tired the rest of the day is common.

Sensitivity Varies Among the Population

It's difficult to address sleep and how sound affects it because of differences within the population. Some people simply sleep more soundly than others. A person who tends to wake up a lot during the night may be more vulnerable to sounds outside, such as traffic. These individuals would benefit from soundproofing their rooms. Wearing earplugs every night isn't practical.

Heavy sleepers may not wake up from the ordinary sounds found outside. However, loud noises can still startle them. These heavy sleepers might get away with a few hours of good rest, but they're certainly not immune. Consciously noting how you feel in the morning is a good way to ascertain how much the outside sounds are influencing a restful night's sleep.

Short- and Long-Term Effects on Health

The effect of noise on sleep can be considerable and affect your health:
  • Hormonal fluctuations
  • Cardiovascular damage
  • Metabolic issues
Your body performs a lot of damage control during restful sleep. If it's constantly interrupted, tissues cannot repair themselves. The body reacts with side effects that can be both immediate and chronic.

The short-term effects are usually centered around being sleepy and having clouded judgement. You might be irritable too.

The long-term effects can lead to weight gain, heart problems and other issues. Dealing with the noise disturbances is the best way to stop all of these issues from becoming major concerns.

Solving the Noise Dilemma

To avoid sleep-cycle disturbances, many people turn to white noise. Machines with specific sounds that play all night can help drown out those ambient disturbances.

If you can't sleep with any noise in your room, think about soundproofing your space. Specialized materials can be installed by professionals. Walls, ceilings and floors are all potential areas for soundproofing.

Depending on the materials, several decibels of sound can be eliminated from a home. Discuss your options with the experts because the investment isn't just in the property. Investing in noise reduction will only improve your health too.

Contact SoundAway Corporation today. Our team can help you with your acoustical options so that sounds are largely controlled. Discover a deeper kind of sleep with soundproofing products. The difference is felt in both your mind and body.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Understanding IIC Ratings

Impact insulation class (IIC) ratings represent a standard used in the building trade to designate the capability of a floor/ceiling assembly in a multistory building to attenuate sounds transmitting from one level to the next level below. Whenever something that produces sound occurs on an upper floor, whether that be a footfall hitting the floor, an object dropping or furniture being moved about, the amount of noise that's transmitted to the room below, called impact sound transmission, can be measured on a sound scale developed for this purpose.

The IIC was developed by ATSM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) using ATSM Method E989, incorporating a five-hammer tapping machine that's specified in ATSM Method E492. The five hammers on the tapping machine are placed in a line, and during testing, each hammer is lifted and then dropped in sequence, causing a total of 20 impacts per second hitting the floor. A sound level meter is placed in the room below to measure the difference between the initial sound, the frequency and force of which is known, and the resulting sound below. An industry standard is used to determine the sound reduction, or transmission loss, in dB (decibels).

Impact Sound Transmission
Unwanted sound vibrations transmitted through floor/ceiling assemblies are annoying, and assemblies that can reduce or eliminate these noise levels are highly desirable. These impact sound transmissions are attenuated, or lessened, by a variety of different flooring materials and floor coverings. Consider the difference in noise transmission to the room below if you have a bare hardwood floor or a floor covered in a thick carpet on top of a quality pad. The difference is significant.

Each of these floors and floor covering types have an IIC rating, typically falling somewhere between 25 and 85+. Higher numbers signify better noise reduction. IIC 50 would be considered the least amount of acceptable impact sound transmission between occupied floors and would be unsatisfactory to many occupying the lower floor. IIC 60 is considered medium noise reduction, and IIC 65 would likely be an acceptable noise reduction level for most lower-level occupants.

Determining IIC
In testing a sample floor/ceiling assembly in the laboratory using a five-hammer tapping machine, sounds are generated at 16 standard frequencies between 100 Hz and 3150 Hz. Results from each tap get plotted on a graph, each point depending on the amount of lost impact sound from each tap. The resulting graph is then compared to a standard reference graph to determine the IIC rating.
This testing, done in a laboratory on a single sample section of a floor/ceiling assembly, is the least accurate of two methods for determining a specific IIC rating. A more accurate and realistic rating is obtained through a testing method occurring in an actual building after installation of the floors. When testing is conducted under these real-world conditions, a total IIC value is obtained:
  • Floor covering
  • Subfloor
  • Underlayment
  • Floor joists
  • Lower room ceiling
  • Sealants and adhesives used for installation
  • Sound-deadening materials such as insulation and resilient channels

This method of testing is known as the field impact insulation class (FIIC).

Cushioning the Blow
Quite simply, one of the easiest and most effective ways of reducing impact sound transmission is by “cushioning the blow.” Adding a thick carpet with a high-quality carpet pad is extremely effective in lessening impact sound transmission and improving a floor's IIC rating.

Floors made from resilient materials such as rubber, cork or vinyl can also provide a slight improvement in sound reduction. Floating floors, such as a wood finished floor sitting on a resilient underlayment can also provide a higher IIC rating value. On the other hand, a concrete floor covered directly with a non-resilient material such as wood, tile or stone has a low IIC due to the fact that there is no “give” in this type of flooring system.

Additionally, since the current IIC rating system only tests sounds within a range of 125 Hz to 3150 Hz, which is approximately the sound range of the human voice, noises existing below 125 Hz, such as those that may be heard when someone is walking above on a floor with a lightweight joist system, may be audible. Noises made by people walking on a floor with a loose joist construction are also not accurately accounted for by standard IIC testing.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

How to Install Whisperwave Clouds & Baffles

The Whisperwave line includes some of the best sound absorbing hanging baffles and clouds on the market. Featuring an s-shaped design that is visually appealing and with options available in colors from earth-toned to bright and vibrant, these products are an obvious choice. Install in industrial facilities, auditoriums, high-ceiling office, classrooms, or any space that is in need of noise control. For those in need of a bit of guidance, we have outlined a step-by-step guide to walk you through it.

Make Sure You Have the Proper Hanging Materials.
Our Whisperwave Clouds and Baffles come with the needed stainless-steel corkscrews for wire suspension (smaller clouds, four per 2’ x 4’, and larger clouds, six per 48” x 96”) but they will arrive separately. Ensure you have these corkscrews on hand or purchase them before installing the product.
For Vertical Suspended Baffles, place the suspension points where necessary on your Whisperwave Baffle. Insert (two per baffle) the corkscrew by pressing down firmly and turning clockwise until the top of the coil is completely seated alongside the top of the baffle. Then suspend the baffle using hanging wires and anchors. Voila, you’re done!

Horizontal Suspended Whsiperwave Clouds take a little bit more effort to install. Our anchor placement guide comes in handy:
The placement of the corkscrews on your horizontal panel depends on the size of your cloud.

To find the approximate distance away from the sides to install the corkscrew hangers, multiply the width and length by 0.20, similar to how you would find the diagonal length of a square.

For example, for 4’ x 8’ Whisperwave Clouds, to set the corkscrew hangers, you’ll want to have 3 corkscrews along the horizontal side of the baffle, 1 in the middle approximately 8 inches from the edge and approximately 11.3” from the corners.

For 2’ x 4’ Whisperwave Clouds, set the corkscrew hangers 4.75” away from the sides and 9.5” in the front and back of the cloud. Be sure to keep all hanging wires plumb to ensure the best results for your baffling.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Acoustic Paneling Options for Restaurants

If you own a restaurant, your key goals are to provide customers with great food and a great dining experience. This goes beyond delicious ingredients, great customer service and a clean dining area; the sound and ambience of your restaurant can play a big role in a patron’s decision to frequent your business. Think back to the times you ate at a restaurant that was so noisy you had to shout to talk with your friends. Did you want to go back there and eat again? Luckily, there are several ways to control the noise in your restaurant to provide a top-quality experience for your customers.

Wall/Ceiling Paneling
Fabric-wrapped acoustic panels, such as those we carry from Ambience, are a great choice for sound absorption that stays in line with your dining room’s color scheme and design. Every panel is wrapped in high-quality textured fabric and can be paired with any number of Guilford of Maine acoustic fabrics, and FR701 is one of our most popular options. Standard sizes of 2’ x 2’ or 2’ x 4’ are common for most restaurateurs' needs, but we can customize these panels up to 5’ x 10’ in size.

If your walls aren’t a viable option for acoustic paneling, ceiling-mounted panels are a great alternative. Clean, simple and fire-resistant, ceiling panels can blend right in for an out of sight, out of mind design that reduces reverberation and overall noise levels. Most customers won’t even notice them!

Ceiling Clouds
A cloud-style ceiling panel incorporates design to a dining space while adding plenty of function. Arrange them in your own patterns around chandeliers and ceiling fans, or line them up and space them evenly over large open areas with communal dining seating. Panels can be mounted easily to a ceiling with hooks and cables and provide a unique visual component to an otherwise unused, undecorated space.

Baffles or Waves
We’ve written previous posts about utilizing Rondo baffles or Whisperwave products when you’re interested in a unique, eye-catching panel design for your space, and the same holds true for restaurants. They’re a great choice for layered sound reduction and can be mounted at various heights for a stylish, asymmetric look depending on your space.

Outfitting your restaurant with sound reduction panels is as much functional as it is about design. To make sure you’re choosing paneling that’s right for your space, contact the SoundAway team and discuss your options with an acoustical analysis. We’re happy to quote you on a variety of projects that scale to your needs!

Thursday, April 25, 2019

When Rondo Sound Baffles Are the Perfect Choice

When space is limited and you need sound-absorbing technology that isn’t visually distracting but has some architectural style, SONEXⓇ Rondo sound baffles are an excellent solution. Available in a variety of colors and configurable vertically or horizontally, Rondo sound baffles are great for large interior areas due to their ability to prevent noise buildup.

SoundAway’s client base regularly utilizes Rondo baffles for spaces such as indoor pools, music rooms, open floor plan offices, reception areas and much more. These baffles are specifically designed to lower reverberation while allowing crisp sound to naturally carry over large spaces as intended. Arrange them vertically from the ceiling of a multipurpose conference room, hand them from light fixtures, or fix them in a unique, artistic pattern to add to the room’s design. They can also be installed horizontally like a string of beads that hug the ceiling, staying out of sight and blending into the room’s architecture.

Rondo sound baffles are made of premium Class 1 fire-rated Willtec melamine foam, which has a low-density, open-cell structure to comply with fire-resistance and heat-shielding standards without adding too much weight to your rafters or ceiling frame. They pass UL 181 Section 11 standards for microbial growth and have a fungal resistance rating of #0 per ASTM G21, which is what makes these baffles an excellent choice for indoor pools or gyms. Each baffle is 6” in diameter by 24” in length and comes with corkscrew hangers for easy installation.

When your space calls for efficient and stylish sound-reduction panels that don’t provide a visual distraction or take up much physical space, consider Rondo sound baffles from SoundAway.com. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have to help you choose the best baffles for your sound-absorption project!

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Whisperwave Your Project From Top to Bottom

When it comes to controlling the acoustics in a common workspace, it's important to consider style as much as function. A standard rectangular acoustical panel might not fit with a modern office space design, and sizing options could be limited. Or maybe the space in question is a modern music venue. These spaces want to be as comfortably stylish as they are functional. In either of these instances, Whisperwave™ panels are a fantastic option.

Imagine you manage facilities at a hip, modern office with exposed rafters and you have large, open meeting spaces where sound can carry. Putting up walls can ruin the office atmosphere your company wants to create, but you have to do something to reduce noise while keeping the aesthetics of your space. Ceiling clouds are a perfect solution! Hung parallel to the floor or ceiling, these curved acoustical panels are made from Class A fire-rated melamine foam and are incredibly lightweight. Their curved style gives them a modern look, and they can be mounted at various heights for an asymmetric vibe or incorporated into an existing design. If you have limited ceiling space to work with but need more noise and reverberation reduction, ceiling baffles are ideal. Hung perpendicular to the floor, these baffles can be staggered at various heights to create a layered wall of soundproofing between spaces with 12” ribbon baffles and 24” standard baffles available. Baffles are ideal for high ceilings or spaces where one needs to limit blocking of light or fire sprinklers.

After you’ve tackled sound carrying up toward the ceiling, it’s important to address your space’s walls. Whisperwave™ offers a line of ribbon-styled wall panels that can be mounted directly to the wall for a stylish and practical way to address noise. Use them in recording studios or create a feature wall out of the panels for a unique design aesthetic. They are lightweight, easy to install and look great in a modern setting.

We offer this fantastic line in natural white, natural gray and standard or premium HPC colors, and we’re excited to discuss how these great products can be incorporated into your reverb reduction project. Contact us with questions or concerns, or get a quick quote so you can upgrade your room’s design and cut down on noise at the same time. We think you’ll love the modern look, easy maintenance and practicality that Whisperwave™ can offer!

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Soundproofing Your Studio Doors & Windows

Whether it’s a recording studio that needs complete soundproofing or a home theater or study where ideal acoustics are preferred, controlling the noise coming into a room is as important as controlling the noise you produce. Plenty of attention is given to a studio’s walls, but it’s also important to pay attention to windows and doors. Why place so much emphasis on a studio’s doors and windows?

It’s a common misconception that air and sound travel the same way. While a small gap or crack around a window might leak out just a small amount of air, the amount of sound emitted is exponentially higher. In fact, a small gap in your door or window can reduce your soundproofing effectiveness by upwards of 50 percent! There are plenty of DIY remedies to consider, but installing professionally engineered doors and windows goes a long way to reaching your soundproofing needs.

QuietSpec studio doors are an ideal single-leaf option for STC- and OTIC-rated acoustic doors. They’re engineered with a customized, high-mass, viscoelastic damping core and finished off in a clean birch that can be stained or painted as desired. Different heights and widths are available, as are core thicknesses depending on your needs. Acoustic-rated thresholds are included as well, giving you complete soundproofing from top to bottom. We ship these state-of-the-art soundproof doors in just four weeks after receipt of order, which is an average of three times faster than our competitors!

What about windows picking up ambient noise from the outdoors or other areas of a building? Quiescent soundproof windows are an STC-rated custom solution designed to fit and function with any wall thickness. Made with an anodized aluminum frame, these acoustical windows are suitable for interior or exterior use with angled or vertical options and laminated panes for 45 - 56 STC configurations. While every soundproofing space is unique, our team of experts can customize and ship these soundproof studio windows in as little as 5-6 weeks after receipt of order!


When it comes to soundproofing a studio, home theater or quiet space, just as much attention should be given to doors and windows as is given to walls, floors and ceilings. With proper consideration and customization, you can make sure your doors and windows are keeping sound from penetrating or escaping and working properly for your space. If you have any questions or concerns about which door and window soundproofing options are best for your space, contact us at 866-768-6381 to speak with our soundproofing professionals. You can also leave us comments on this post and we’ll be happy to assist!

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Prospec ® Composite Barrier

We are always excited to add new and innovative products for our customers to enjoy. Bringing you the safest, most effective and affordable noise dampening materials has kept SoundAway on the cutting edge, and that dedication has led us to an awesome new product for homes and offices of any size. After doing our homework, we’re happy to introduce a new type of soundproofing material we feel will help you take your sound dampening projects to the next level: The Prospec ® Composite Barrier!


Prospec sheets are made of a 3-ply material that consists of a mass loaded vinyl barrier surrounded on either side with a willtec fire-resistant melamine foam and another willtec foam decoupler layer designed for the very best in noise dampening for walls, floors, ceilings, and all types of loud heavy machinery. This material installs quickly and easily fits into tight spaces and awkward configurations.

The innovative design makes Prospec barrier a much more versatile material than ever before! While this material can be placed out of site, it can also be hung like a curtain to separate conference rooms, cafeterias and gymnasiums, factory floors, and so much more for a wide range of frequencies. The material is pliable and easy to work with and adheres to surfaces using an optional included adhesive tape on one side or using our acouSTIC foam adhesive.

This is a LEED Green Certified material which means that it is designed with sustainability in mind, is safe for the environment, and will not irritate those with allergies or chemical sensitivities. This material will not decompose over time or emit toxic gases in the event it is exposed to flames or high heat. Prospec Composite boasts a Noise Reduction Coefficient of up to 0.85 with a Sound Transmission Class of up to 28.

Prospec Composite is so versatile and easy to use that it manages to be perfect for applications ranging from home and office to commercial and industrial. Combining mass loaded vinyl with willtec acoustical foams with the benefit of decoupling puts Prospec in a class all its own. Buy with the pressure-sensitive adhesive for easy hanging or go with foam adhesive where necessary to create the perfect noise dampening solution in minutes on even the most conservative budget.

How will you use your Prospec Composite Barrier? Share your stories and ideas in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!


Thursday, January 3, 2019

The Best Barriers for Noise Reduction

When it comes to reducing noise in your home or office, the options can be confusing. Noise reduction materials are designed for a wide range of applications and making the right decisions can mean the difference between success and failure. You’ll need something that looks great, lasts for years, and fits into your budget. So, we’re going to go through a few of our favorite sound reducing products you can use to make the most of your home or work space.


Mass loaded vinyl sheets are a great solution for walls, ceilings, floors, and enclosures of all kinds. This material has a high STC (Sound Transmission Class – the unit of measurement for sound barrier materials) across a wide range of frequencies and comes in either 1/8” or 1/4” thickness. When used for flooring, adding a carpet underlay will slightly increase the STC upon installation. We carry mass loaded vinyl sheets and rolls with a durable pressure-sensitive-adhesive that will easily stick to virtually all cleaned surfaces. Don’t forget to use our vinyl seam tape to prevent noise leaks between MLV sheets and other surfaces.


Our UltraQuiet acoustic cotton panels are perfect for large rooms including churches, theaters, conference rooms, and gymnasiums. These panels made from recycled cotton fibers greatly reduce reverberations using environmentally friendly “green” materials that are LEED Certified. These acoustic panels are Class A fire-rated and perfect for anyone dealing with allergies or chemical sensitivities. We offer a wide range of sizes and colors from which to choose your favorites and we have thicker acoustic bass traps for blocking those lower frequencies.


UltraTouch denim insulation is one of the safest and most effective wall insulations you can buy! UltraTouch denim insulation is also LEED Certified, meaning it is environmentally safe and contains no formaldehyde, fiberglass or chemical irritants of any kind. It is made from recycled denim fabrics transformed to greatly reduce noise while also improving heating and cooling efficiency. The thick, three-dimensional structure traps and isolates sound with an STC of 45. This amazing insulation will last for years and is easy to install.

At SoundAway, we pride ourselves in providing the very best noise reduction products for our loyal customers and these are just a few of our favorite products for reducing noise in virtually any room - no matter how conservative your budget. What are your best tips for reducing noise in the home or office? Share your stories with us in the comments below!