Sound Isolation Overview
Sound Isolation – What is it?
Have you heard someone use the term “sound-proofing”? It is often used in a general sense to mean any kind of acoustic treatment. Sound Isolation, or making a room “sound-proof,” can be a complicated, time-intensive, and expensive process. Frequently, we find it’s important to remind people that acoustic wall panels (made by Auralex or any other manufacturer) are not designed to stop sound transfer in a room.
The Difference Between Sound Isolation and Absorption
Acoustic wall panels, regardless of core material, are used to improve sound INSIDE a room. This material helps absorb sound waves, preventing slapback echo and reverb in a small room. Isolation products stop the transfer of sound from one room to another by adding mass and using layers with different densities, achieving the best results. Unfortunately, currently, this is the only way to properly isolate a room.
Measuring a Room’s Isolation
The standard for measuring isolation is called “Sound Transmission Class”, or STC. All materials that are intended to block sound have an STC Rating. Virtually every material filters out at least a small amount of the sound that travels through it, but denser materials are much better at this than porous or fibrous materials. Harder materials like rubberized sound barriers, concrete, brick and drywall will have higher STCs, while softer materials like mineral fiber, acoustic foam and carpet will have much lower STCs.
Sound Transmission Class (STC) is a single rating number of how effectively a material or partition is at isolating sound. For example, ½” drywall has an SCT of 28.
The average commercial or residential room is constructed of ½” drywall and metal or wood 2”x4” studs, and does not have internal wall insulation. This structure has an STC of 33.
The subjectivity chart below helps give an understanding of what STC goal you should have.
See pages 10-12 of Acoustics 101 to see what different layers of different products can provide that STC.
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