Sound Masking By Lencore
One size does not fit all when it comes to effectively managing noise problems, and that’s why Lencore offers a wide range of simple set-it and forget-it fully customizable noise management solutions.
You may love your noise canceling headphones when you’re on a plane and wish to shut out the world around you, but the way to achieve focus and productivity in your professional environment requires a different set of noise reduction techniques. That’s where Lencore’s state of the art Sound Masking comes in.
Sound Masking with Lencore’s Green Sound
Our scientifically formulated Green Sound™ employs a unique noise reduction algorithm and is calibrated to ambient speech frequencies at a level that makes intentional conversations in close proximity clear, while reducing noise from background distractions through advanced sound masking. This approach offers an effective noise control measure. You can achieve this uniform sense of focus anywhere your work requires, from a single room home office to a multi-floor high rise.
As one of the top providers of sound masking systems for both commercial and institutional uses, we believe that sound masking should deliver speech privacy and comfort within the designed environment to allow collaborative and individual work spaces to co-exist. Individuals will produce their best work in a non-stressful, comfortable environment and without proper acoustics this environment is unattainable.
Sound masking systems, when properly designed, dynamically improve comfort and collaboration in the workspace by gently raising the ambient background sound uniformly with a clean, consistently random, broadband, non-intrusive sound. This can also serve as a speech privacy system that makes it more difficult for outside listeners to hear confidential conversations, protecting speech privacy.
What is Sound Masking?
Sound Masking is the process of adding unobtrusive background sound to reduce noise distractions, protect speech privacy and increase comfort within the environment to allow collaborative and individual work spaces to co-exist.
You may have experienced something like the sound masking effect when running water at the kitchen sink while trying to talk to someone in the next room or while at the beach and trying to listen to a conversation on the next blanket. You can tell the other person is speaking, but it’s difficult to comprehend what they’re saying because the running water and crashing waves have raised the background sound level in your area.
Distractions in the workplace can come in a variety of forms. Loud phone conversations, collaborative talk, an impromptu call for a meeting –– all of these things can break an employee’s focus.
However, some environments are so silent, so devoid of distraction that even the smallest disturbance can become a big issue. Loud, noisy environments aren’t ideal, but neither are library-quiet workspaces that make people feel self conscious.
Sound Masking is specifically engineered to cover up the frequency of human speech and make conversations less distracting. Simply put, sound masking reduces how f
ar away conversations can be heard and understood by others. It helps achieve the right “signal to noise” ratio by raising the ambient background sound to a level called “speech privacy”. If implemented properly, sound masking should also provide comfort, improving overall concentration and boosting productivity.
How Does Sound Masking Work?
Sound Masking does not cancel sound, but rather covers up unwanted noise in an environment, thereby making the space seem quieter and providing both speech privacy and comfort. The intention of sound masking is to make conversations heard from a distance more difficult to understand and less distracting.
Sound is gently introduced into the space through a series of speakers that are controlled from an electronic device. This sound, which is similar to the ‘hush’ of an air-conditioner, fades into the background and is set at a level slightly above indirect speech. This scientifically designed sound then makes conversations less distracting and allows you to focus on your work.
We do not all know what the work environment will look like as a new normal sets in from COVID-19. Spaces that are less than full may feel eerily quiet without the normal hustle and bustle of daily activity. Sound masking, in this case, will make a space feel more comfortable because the act of adding noise to the space will remove that ‘eerie’ feeling of reduced occupancy.
What Industries Need Sound Masking?
When speech privacy and controlling noise is your chief concern, Lencore’s solutions are ready to win your confidence so your conversations remain confidential.
Government organizations, top-tier hospitals, and financial institutions all around the world depend on Lencore’s technology to keep information safe and secure, and clients and patients comfortable and providing 5-star reviews.
We have sound masking solutions to fit environments of every size and budget.
See How Our Noise Reduction Solutions Work in Different Environments:
- Single Room & Small Areas
- Small to Medium-sized Environments
- Enterprise Systems
Sound Masking FAQs
Sound masking works very well and is based on the simple premise that louder sounds cover (mask) quieter sounds. The way in which this is achieved and its level of effectiveness can vary greatly depending on the selected solution. Lencore provides the most effective and comfortable sound masking solution available with our scientifically formulated Green Sound.
The sound masking method is one of the most effective noise reduction techniques based on the concept that louder sounds cover (mask) quieter sounds and controls the sound level. Sound masking (add link https://www.lencore.com/what-is-sound-masking/) works by introducing a blend of sonic frequencies (white, pink, and brown noise) into the environment at a level just above indirect speech and is proven to make environments more private and less distracting by effectively removing background noise.
The proper level of sound masking varies based on a given environment. Ideally, sound masking should be tuned at a level just above indirect speech, which in most environments ranges from 42-45dB, meaning the masking level should be set at 46-48dB measured at 4 feet from the floor (average seated listener position).
Many hospitals today are incorporating sound masking technology to help control noise levels in their environments. When properly designed, sound masking not only enhances privacy and security but also creates a more comfortable and productive environment for patients and healthcare professionals alike. Studies have shown that sound masking can lead to a 38% reduction in patient stress levels (source: The New England Journal of Medicine).
Refer to our sound masking products guide for more information on which may be best for your space, or check out our paging systems for additional paging and audio capabilities.