What are Sound Barriers?
Good question! This is one of the most commonly messed-up area of acoustics (or sound control). Sound Barriers (otherwise known as Transmission Loss Barriers or TL Barriers) are materials used to stop sound from leaving an area. These are sometimes hung independently (like a curtain) or incorporated into wall/ceiling construction. Mistakenly many times folks tend to put sound absorbing products where Sound Barriers are really required. When you have a noise source (i.e. machinery, stereo, children…) in one area and your primary concern is containing that sound inside that area so others in neighboring areas don’t hear the sound, then a Sound Barrier is required. If however, your concern is no so much whether the sound is contained in the area it is generated in, but more the quality of the sound in that area, or general reduction in sound level then sound absorption is the thing required. If you’re are at all unsure…email and ask.
