The vast majority of acoustic sound panel projects that stretch across the landscape of America today are soundproofing treatments that are easy to replicate over and over again with a great deal of success. Through a simple diagnosis of the size, shape, and surface textures of your room in question, an accurate definition of the acoustical application can be delivered that will work to produce the intended sound values back. The goal with any soundproofing project is to simply drop the echoes from the space so that in turn the original sound values can be restored to premium clarity and maximum sound quality. The concept of controlling echoes is a simple one. By placing a set of sound panels, wall or ceiling mounted, inside the room, enough of the echo can be captured and converted out of the space, which in turn would yield greater clarity to the original sound and lower overall levels of background ambient noise levels.
The stronger costs associated with a soundproofing treatment are defined by more of a full turnkey effort to control the process from beginning to end. Acoustic suppliers that visit the project site, build the sound panels, and perform their installation, are doubling and tripling up on the overall costs associated with the noise control project. The fact is, that keeping people off-site and buying sound panel systems that are designed for easy self-installation, can offer a great deal of savings on your project. And as with many commercial venues, the savings can be substantial depending on the size and scope of the project.
Say, for example, a church sanctuary from poor interior room acoustics…the congregation is complaining about the unintelligible sound quality. By simply modeling off the room’s size, shape, and surface textures, and accurate coverage amount of sound panels can be predicted to a high degree of accuracy, without putting any sound meters or acousticians into the room. Instant savings on the cost of the treatment, which is the first step in lowering your expenses to resolve your noise issues. The noise you are experiencing is the same noise others have experienced, and the steps taken to reduce their noise levels prior to your project would be the same steps taken for you. What adjusts from treatment to treatment is the number of panels, based on room size, which is something you can measure and feedback to your sound panel supplier, who in turn can generate your sound panel quote.
In this same example, then, once the acoustic panels are made, shipped, and delivered to your doorstep, seize control of the application and self-install your order. Sound panel systems are easy to put up yourself, much like hanging pictures on your wall or ceiling. They will ship with the clip systems you need for proper installation, and easy to follow instructions. If, on the other hand, you buy your sound panels from a supplier who also wants to install them, there’s where your price points can begin to skyrocket. So upfront, save on the cost associated with the analysis and pre-game planning by keeping the experts at bay, and on the back end, coordinate efforts on your own to self install the treatment once the panels are delivered.
You do not need a design firm or an architectural firm to charge you for the layout of the sound panels. Simply take pencil to paper and map out a plan that works for you based on available cavity space. The mistake cannot be made at that point, as to where you locate the panels, just place them evenly distributed in a nice even site line around the room’s perimeter. The mistake that can be made is before the panels arrive, with instances of under-ordering the wrong amount of material. If you short your recommended sound panel counts, to save on budget, for example, you will experience the decay in sound values back…leaving too much echo yet inside the room. So again, modeling the coverage amounts are very accurate, so long as you follow the sound panel supplier’s recommendation on coverage amounts. Order the right amount of acoustic panel, and evenly spread the treatment around your room, and you will experience premium sound quality at half the price of having the pro’s charge you both for their upfront advice and their back end installation charges.
The key to the cost savings, then, lies in working with the right sound panel supplier. If they are worth their salt, they should have many years in the sound panel business. Do not be mislead by fancy websites that showcase some nice looking sound panel treatments….trust instead of the length of time the supplier has been in business. Nothing wrong with comparing notes from panel supplier to panel supplier, as you source your best options, but trust that the longer the supplier has been in the game, the more sound panel treatments they have successfully prescribed. Also, ask the sound panel consultant on the other end of the opening phone call how long they’ve been in the industry. Sometimes the customer service people are new on the job, and your goal should be to align with the sound consultant who has been around as long as the company has. There’s where the magic in the free online sound consulting happens.
For more information on your upcoming soundproofing project or any questions related to controlling the costs of your application, contact NetWell Noise Control at 1-800-638-9355 or visit them online at www.controlnoise.com