Acoustic panels, acoustic baffles, sound panels, and acoustic boards. The list of names continues. Call it whatever you prefer, just like many manufacturers do. For sake of clarity, we stick to acoustic panels in this guide. Despite the descriptive name, you will find various interpretations, both wide and narrow along with different use cases.
Goto Deco Sound to know more.
Therefore, in this guide, we will dive into the basics of acoustic panels. More specifically, we will answer the following questions:
To get the most out of this guide, make sure to check one of our other guides, The Basics of Noise Reduction, where we zoom in on the essential terminology of acoustics.
The category of acoustic solutions is growing, and within this segment, you will find a range of different solutions, including acoustic panels. These are not limited to acoustic baffles suspended from the ceiling. To treat acoustic problems in your office, studio, and meeting room, there are plenty of other solutions available—some of which we will present to you in this guide.
But, first things first. Let’s define what an acoustic panel is.
An acoustic panel is a sound-absorbing panel used to mitigate background noise and reduce the reverberation and echo in a space. When we talk about an acoustic panel, we refer to it in its broadest sense including vertical and horizontal panels.
With a better understanding of what acoustic panels are, we can now move on to the next question: when to use acoustic panels?
As mentioned earlier, vertical and horizontal panels can be characterized by different features related to their acoustic performance. However, we can specify it even further.
In general, vertical panels help mitigate sound transfers in a space, preventing that sound travels from one end of the room to the other. Vertical panels may also aid in lowering background noise to an acceptable level. For instance, in many modern open-space offices, the noise levels range from 60-80 decibels, while the recommended level is 45-55 decibels.
Therefore, if the goal is to reduce background noise and the reverb time, possible vertical solutions include:
Alternatively, opt for sound-absorbing wallpaper, such as BuzziSkin Printed, to bring dull walls back to life!
In order to remove background noise completely, ideally, you have to build floor-to-ceiling partitions or remove yourself from the noise source. Yet, vertical panels can go a long way to help reduce sound transfers.
Horizontal panels, on the other hand, are primarily used for direct absorption. To stop sound waves from spreading, absorptive panels must be used to convert the sound energy into heat through friction. Made from sound-absorbing materials or soft acoustic foam, all our horizontal panels are performing well in terms of absorption.
Examples of possible solutions for direct absorption include a range of ceiling-suspended panels such as BuzziLand, BuzziDonut, BuzziBlox, and BuzziPleat.
Check out another guide providing more in-depth recommendations for which acoustic solution might be best to solve your acoustic problem. Read it here.
Whether you want to limit sound transfers, reduce background noise and reverb time, it’s crucial to determine the location of the acoustic panels to achieve the best performance. Finding the ideal positioning depends on several factors, including
Here, we will primarily share general advice on where to apply acoustic panels. For specific recommendations and simulations, we suggest you get in touch with our acoustic help desk. Generally speaking, we can define a few guidelines for placing acoustic panels. The first step involves asking yourself: What is the size of the space? Are you dealing with a small or big space?
In smaller rooms, for instance, meeting rooms, designated focus areas, and private offices, sound waves will typically first bounce against the walls. Why? These are usually the hard surfaces closest to the sound source. As a consequence, you should be looking into using wall-mounted acoustic panels. These will help absorb the sound, reducing the number of waves that are sent back into the room. Examples include BuzziPod, BuzziSkin, BuzziMood, and BuzziBlox.
In bigger rooms and large spaces, sound waves behave differently. Sound energy propagates in any space, but in larger spaces, less sound energy is bouncing back into the room as the original sound sometimes drops dead before even reaching a hard element.
Yet, often sound waves do hit a hard surface before dropping dead—typically the ceiling rather than the walls. In these cases, horizontal ceiling-suspended acoustic panels can help improve the sound of the space considerably. When suspended from the ceiling, horizontal panels absorb undesired sound waves. For improved acoustic performance, install the panels in different suspension heights. The air pockets between the panels will capture sound waves, preventing them from traveling even further in spaces with high ceilings.
Examples of possible ceiling-suspended panels include BuzziZepp, BuzziDonut, BuzziGrid, and BuzziPleat. Some of these acoustic panels also come with an LED option for improved functionality. This way you can turn your acoustic panels into acoustic lighting and combine two features in one.
If you’re struggling with noisy neighbours or a busy street outside your window, you may be looking for a way to block out the sound.
People may tell you that acoustic panels are one potential solution, but do they really work?
Read on to find out everything you need to know about this acoustic treatment, including how effective they are at keeping volumes to a minimum.
They are large, usually porous pieces of material that are strategically designed and placed within a room to reduce noise and echo.
They commonly consist of a sound-absorbing material or core and are covered in a breathable acoustic fabric that helps to dampen sound waves and reflections.
They can be used in almost any environment or space but are mostly used in recording studios, classrooms, offices, and other spaces where reducing excess noise is important.
There are many different types of acoustic panels available, each with their own unique applications and benefits.
The basic types include:
Constructed from an open-cell, flexible material that effectively absorbs sound, acoustic foam is one of the most common types used.
Available in an array of colours and thicknesses, this acoustic treatment can complement any room’s décor – but avoid using near heat sources as it could catch fire.
These are mounted to the wall with varying methods, they are a quick and easy solution which works in most environments.
Wall panels can be used in almost any space!
Freestanding panels can be used in spaces with little available wall space due, and can often be moved in and out of the room as necessary.
Fixed to the ceiling using brackets, wire hangers or directly using adhesives. Panels can be installed in line with existing ceiling layouts.
Suspended screens are hanging acoustic panels which add an aesthetically yet functional piece of furniture, that reduces the intensity of sound.
Within these different types of panels, there are endless choices in terms of design, materials, shape, sizes, thicknesses or fabrics.
Bass traps are usually made from dense materials, such as fibreglass or rockwool. They can absorb low-frequency noises which are often a problem in recording studios and live music venues.
For optimal acoustic performance, bass traps are best installed in corners or against walls.
Because they distribute sound waves, as opposed to absorbing them, acoustic diffusers lessen echoes and produce a more realistic sound.
Made from wood or metal, they come in various sizes and forms to suit every need.
Acoustic panels work to reduce noise be removing excess reverberation, vibrations, or echo within a space by stifling or muffling airborne sound waves.
Their porous structure allows sound waves to enter the absorbing core and strip back excess frequencies to improve acoustic comfort.
They also prevent the sounds bouncing off hard surfaces or structures such as walls, floors, or windows.
There are a variety of panel types available, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Acoustic Design Services. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
The most common type consists of a mineral wool panel, which is made from rock wool or fiberglass. Mineral wool panels are effective at absorbing low-frequency sounds, but they are not as effective at absorbing high-frequency sounds. These are often either painted or wrapped in acoustic breathable fabric for a sleek finish.
Recycled PET acoustic products have also gained popularity over recent years. These panels can also be covered with a fabric such as velvet or canvas and can be effective at reducing reflections and diffusing sound.
Acoustic foam is also a great option for improving the sound quality in your home, office, or recording studio.
They can reduce the amount of sound reflection that can cause rooms to sound unduly echoey by absorbing any sounds that come from inside your environment, like loud conversations, the clacking of keyboards, or ringing calls.
Acoustic panels are gaining increasing popularity these days as homeowners look for ways to muffle exterior noise. It’s easy to see why as they can help to dampen sound levels quickly and easily, without needing to make significant changes or renovations to your home.
In fact, a single wall full of our products can reduce sound reverberation in even the busiest room by more than 50%, making it an incredibly effective method of reducing unwanted noise.
Even better, there are a plethora of styles and designs available – ensuring that you’ll find a product that complements your existing décor.
With a little bit of effort, you can create a much more peaceful living environment for yourself and your family.
These specially designed panels can be installed on walls or ceilings to help deaden sound, reduce reverberation and echo, and also improve the overall acoustics of a room.
They are particularly useful in businesses, restaurants, recording studios, classrooms, home theatres, and other locations where clear sound is important.
Let’s delve deeper into some of their typical uses.
In a restaurant
Bad acoustics can ruin the ambience of your restaurant. It can be too loud for people to speak to each other. People with hearing impairments or anxiety will be very uncomfortable. Adding acoustic treatment will solve these issues.
In an office
Bad acoustics in an office results in a distracting environment, where even the smallest noises are amplified due to the myriad of hard surfaces. The addition of soft absorbing materials improve productivity, concentration, and general well-being. The use of office acoustic panels is almost essential in modern office design.
There are many ways to solve the problem.
In a village hall
We often see poor acoustics in village halls, as absorptive materials have been replaced over time with modern extensions of these old buildings. Events, meetings, and other community gatherings suffer from excessive noise issues without acoustic panels in the space.
In a meeting room
Issues with excess reverberation create issues with concentration and meeting quality. Lots of echo in meeting rooms also result in poor audio quality on calls, e-meetings, or video calls. Adding just a few correctly placed panels can have an immediate improvement.
Almost any space can benefit from improved acoustics with sound-absorbent panels.
The only downside to them is that they can have fire rating issues due to the materials used to manufacture them.
Some panels release smoke or chemicals when burned and this may not be suitable or safe if there is a risk of fire.
In saying that, many of our products are covered by fire ratings and certificates by the manufacturer.
Soundproofing is the process of reducing or eliminating sound from passing through a wall, window, floor, ceiling or other opening. It is often used to improve the acoustics of a room by preventing sound waves from bouncing off of hard surfaces.
Acoustic panels are NOT an effective way of soundproofing rooms or apartments, as their highly absorbent materials only target and reduce echoes and reverberation that cause noise pollution within the space. They will not prevent the sound from spilling through the walls, floors or ceilings to adjoining rooms. Acoustic panels allow sound to travel through, they do not block it.
They can be placed strategically on walls to control and improve the overall soundscape within your space, which can have a small knock on effect.
Additionally, acoustic panels help contain sounds emitted within the room by absorbing any excess noise made within a space. All of these benefits result in improved acoustics, creating comfortable and stress-free environments.
A lot more thought and preparation is required to soundproof a room or wall.
No, they will not reduce noise through wallsas they are designed to absorb sound waves and reduce the amount of noise that travels within an open space.
While they can help to dampen sound within a room, they cannot prevent the transfer of sound between rooms or walls. This is because they absorb echo and reverberation.
Sound waves travel differently when they are trapped inside a space with our range than they do when they move through open air. This is because the sound is broken up and scattered among the panels before it reaches the wall, reducing its intensity and resulting in less sound breaching the boundaries of your home.
Highly porous material works best for dampening noise within an open space, rather than preventing the transfer of sound between rooms.
In other words, acoustic panels are not effective for completely blocking out outside noise from seeping through walls into a living space. However, they can be a great way to keep sound in a space.
Whether you’re needing to soundproof a studio to record new music, or just want some quiet from the outside world, it is still an effective solution.
These products come in many shapes and sizes, and are generally easy to mount on the walls or ceiling of your room for maximum efficiency.
While not impenetrable against sound, panels have been known to reduce the level of noise quite significantly, so you’ll definitely find your peace and quiet once they’re installed.
It may be beneficial in terms of reducing sound inside a given space, but they are not designed to keep sound out.
They are usually made of porous material, like fiberglass or foam, that absorb sound waves. While this can drastically reduce the amount of noise heard within a room or area, sound waves can still pass through.
If you want to keep sound out, acoustic insulation is a similar topic which can be useful to understand.
Although not an effective solution for soundproofing a room, they can be used to improve the overall soundscape of a space – controlling sound reverberation and echo.
They are designed to absorb sound waves and reduce the amount of noise that travels through an open space.
Acoustic panels have been known to reduce the levels of noise within a room with their highly porous absorption, but will never be effective for blocking sound entirely.
All of the work that we do at Resonics involves our role as an acoustic consultant. We offer a complete service from acoustic survey to design, supply, and installation – no matter what space you’re dealing with.