In my first article I introduced you to the nature of noise in the workplace and three methods of sound reduction and control. The three major methods of sound reduction and control are masking, absorption, and deflection.

Now we will discuss these three methods of noise reduction. What they involve, how they work and which is best and why.

Masking:

Masking is covering the noise up. Usually with background music or white noise which is a low level of noise at many frequencies so that it cancels out some of the background noise.

Masking is quite inexpensive and does work ok, in most situations, but some people do not like it at all and find it more annoying then the noise.

In some cases this problem can be overcome by strategic placement of the background masking music or noise and or by using a mixture of the methods of noise reduction.

Absorption:

This method is probably the most popular indoor method of noise reduction. Absorption is a method where some material is used to reduce noise in the room by providing a surface that makes the noise energy weaken. This is usually accomplished by shaping the surface so that sound is reflected many times there by reducing the energy.

Some newer foam materials not only bounce the sound around but actually transform the noise energy to heat energy making an even more effective noise reduction surface.

These surfaces are usually covered with a cloth finish to match the interior and can be cubicle walls or even hanging barriers. Some can be custom finished and even can be in the form of pictures or logo