A gunshot goes off in the night. By the time the responding officer arrives, it may be difficult for the reporting parties to recall which direction it came from. In areas with a high amount of gunfire, cities are installing acoustic gunshot detection...

Motorcycles are growing in popularity, especially as the cost of gas increases. But with the growing use of motorcycles comes the growing concern of their noise. Not all motorcycles are noisy and most new motorcycles are built with federally mandated n...

You are in the market to buy a new home. There is so much to consider, price, location, size and even the details such as carpeting, wood flooring, the number of bathrooms. One thing buyers often forget to consider when searching out their dream home is t...

Noise can be a nuisance and worse of all it stalks us in our own homes, thanks to the neighbors. About 100 million Americans share walls with strangers, many in acoustical slums. In U.S. Census Bureau surveys, people consistently rate noise ahead of crime...

Growing cities means growing noise. This is especially true in mixed-use urban environments that often contain commercial premises (entertainment, retail, office, hospitality or light manufacturing) sited close to residential uses such as apartments. T...

Noise is a nuisance; there is no doubt about it. But more than that, it can cause health problems. For this reason, many are working at reducing the amount of noise in our everyday environment by creating new laws and regulations. How does noise affect...

Peace and quiet is something we value as we are constantly barraged with the sounds around us. When we are home, the last thing we want is to hear the noisy neighbor, the children upstairs playing their guitar or traffic on the street. Understanding ho...

If you have worked in a call center, you know how noisy it can get with numerous operators and telephones. If you are on the other end of the phone with somebody at a call center, it also can be quite frustrating with all of the background sound. There a...

There is nothing more stressing than to be woken up in the middle of the night from sound or to not even get a good night’s sleep. Soundproofing your bedroom from either other rooms in your home, outside sounds, or, if you are in an apartment, your neig...

Putting inplant offices within industrial areas is a common practice as it helps shelter employees from temperature extremes, dust and sometimes noise. Depending upon your industrial environment, the inplant office’s construction, whether modular or sit...

A multipurpose room, such as a gymnasium or meeting hall is often subjected to a high volume of noise. Because of the size, this general-purpose room is often a magnet for unwanted sound reflections. Finding a way to cut down on the reverberation while...

Cafeterias in schools, workplaces and hospitals can serve hundreds, even thousands of diners on a daily basis. Besides providing a convenient dining location, a cafeteria also takes on a social outlet as diners enjoy a brief break from work or school. Caf...

A noisy outdoor air conditioner can be a nuisance and a headache. As air conditioning units get older, they often begin to rattle, hum and vibrate years before they are due for replacement. Fortunately, controlling the noise generated by a bothersome air ...

Soundproofing is an art that can be approached in many ways, as is evident by the plethora of products on the market promising to reduce or eliminate unwanted noise. However, no one-size-fits-all soundproofing prod...

The National Fire Protection Association has established standards which designate fire safety ratings that apply to many types of products. Section 6-5.3 of the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, entitled “Interior Wall and Ceiling Finish Classification,” es...