Types of

Sound
There are many different types of sound including, audible, inaudible, unpleasant, pleasant, soft, loud, noise and
music. You’re likely to find the sounds produced by a piano player soft, audible, and musical. And while the sound of
road construction early on Saturday morning is also audible, it certainly isn’t pleasant or soft. Other sounds, such as a dog
whis tle, are inaudible to the human ear. This is because dog whistles produce sound waves that are below the human
hearing range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Waves below 20 Hz are called infrasonic waves (infrasound), while higher
frequencies above 20,000 Hz are known as ultrasonic waves (ultrasound).
Infrasonic Waves (Infrasound)
Infrasonic waves have frequencies below 20 Hz, which makes them inaudible to the human ear. Scientists use infrasound
to detect earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, to map rock and petroleum formations underground, and to study activity
in the
human heart. Despite our inability to hear infrasound, many animals use infrasonic waves to communicate in nature.
Whales, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, and alligators all use infrasound to communicate across impressive distances
– sometimes hundreds of miles!
Ultrasonic Waves (Ultrasound)
Sound waves that have frequencies higher than 20,00 Hz produce ultrasound. Because ultrasound occurs at frequencies
outside the human hearing range, it is inaudible to the human ear. Ultrasound is most often used by medical specialists
who use sonograms to examine their patients’ internal organs. Some lesser-known applications of ultrasound include
navigation, imaging, sample mixing, communication, and testing. In nature, bats emit ultrasonic waves to locate prey and
avoid obstacles.
How is Sound Produced?
Sound is produced when an object vibrates, creating a pressure wave. This pressure wave
causes particles in the surrounding medium (air, water, or solid) to have vibrational motion.
As the particles vibrate, they move nearby particles, transmitting the sound further through the
medium. The human ear detects sound waves when vibrating air particles vibrate small parts within
the
ear.
In many ways, sound waves are similar to light waves. They both originate from a definite source and
can be distributed or scattered using various means. Unlike light, sound waves can only travel
through a
medium, such as air, glass, or metal. This means there’s no sound in space!
How Does Sound Travel?
Mediums
We know that sound can travel through gases, liquids, and solids. Sound moves most quickly through solids, because
its molecules are densely packed together. This enables sound waves to rapidly transfer vibrations from one
molecule to another. Sound moves similarly through water, but its velocity is over four times faster than it is in air.
The velocity of sound waves moving through air can be further reduced by high wind speeds that dissipate the sound
wave’s energy.
Mediums and the Speed of Sound
The speed of sound is dependent on the type of medium the sound waves travel through. In dry air at 20 °C, the
speed of sound is 343 m/s! In room temperature seawater, sound waves travel at about 1531 m/s.Generally,
sound waves travel faster in warmer conditions
Propagation of Sound Waves
When an object vibrates, it creates kinetic energy that is transmitted by molecules in the medium. As the
vibrating sound wave comes in contact with air particles passes its kinetic energy to nearby molecules. As these
energized molecules begin to move, they energize other molecules that repeat the process.
Compression & Rarefaction
Sound waves are composed of compression and rarefaction patterns. Compression happens when molecules
are
densely packed together. Alternatively, rarefaction happens when molecules are distanced from one another. As
sound travels through a medium, its energy causes the molecules to move, creating an alternating compression
and rarefaction pattern. The wavelength of a sound wave is made up of one compression and one rarefaction.
Characteristics of Sound Waves
There are five main characteristics of sound waves:
wavelength, amplitude, frequency, time period, and
velocity.
• The wavelength of a sound wave indicates the distance
that wave travels before it repeats itself. The wavelength
itself is a longitudinal wave that shows the compressions
and rarefactions of the sound wave.
• The amplitude of a wave defines the maximum
displacement of the particles disturbed by the sound
wave as it passes through a medium. A large amplitude
indicates a large sound wave.
• The frequency of a sound wave indicates the number of
sound waves produced each second. Low-frequency
sounds produce sound waves less often than high-
frequency sounds.
• The time period of a sound wave is the amount of
time required to create a complete wave cycle. Each
vibration
from the sound source produces a wave’s worth of
sound. Each complete wave cycle begins with a trough
and ends at the start of the next trough.
• Lastly, the velocity of a sound wave tells us how fast the
wave is moving and is expressed as meters per second.
Units of Sound
When we m easure sound, there are four
different m easurement units available to us.
• The first unit is called the decibel (dB). The
decibel is a
logarithmic ratio of the sound pressure compared to
a reference pressure.
• The next m ost frequently used unit is the hertz
(Hz).
The hertz is a m easure of sound frequency. Hertz
and decibels are widely used to describe and
m easure sounds, but phon and sone are also
used.
• A sone is the perceived loudness of a sound and a
phon is the unit of loudness for pure tones.
• Additionally, the phon refers to subjective loudness,
while the sone is the perceived loudness.
Acousticians, or scientists who study sound acoustics, have studied how different sound types,
primarily noise and music, affect humans. Randomized, unpleasant sound waves are often
referred to as noise. Alternatively, constructed patterns of sound waves are known as music.
Studies have shown that the human body responds differently to noise and music, which may
explain why road construction on a Saturday morning makes us more tense than a pianist’s song.
Properties of Sound
What makes music different from noise? A bird’s call is more melodic than a car alarm. And, we can
usually tell the difference between ambulance and police sirens - but how do we do this? We use the
four properties of sound: pitch, dynamics (loudness or softness), timbre (tone color), and duration.
Frequency (Pitch)
Pitch is the quality that enables us to judge sounds as being “higher” and “lower. It provides a method
for organizing sounds based on a frequency-based scale. Pitch can be interpreted as the musical term
for
frequency, though they are not exactly the same. A high-pitched sound causes molecules to rapidly
oscillate, while a low-pitched sound causes slower oscillation. Pitch can only be determined when a
sound has a
frequency that is clear and consistent enough to differentiate it from noise. Because pitch is primarily
based
on a listener’s perception, it is not an objective physical property of sound.

Amplitude (Dynamics)
The amplitude of a sound wave determines it relative loudness. In music, the loudness of a note is
called its dynamic level. In physics, we measure the amplitude of sound waves in decibels (dB), which
do not
correspond with dynamic levels. Higher amplitudes correspond with louder sounds, while
shorter amplitudes correspond with quieter sounds. Despite this, studies have shown that
humans perceive
sounds at very low and very high frequencies to be softer than sounds in the middle frequencies,
Timbre (Tone Color)
Timbre refers to the tone color, or “feel” of the sound. Sounds with various timbres produce different
wave shapes, which affect our interpretation of the sound. The sound produced by a piano has a
different
tone color than the sound from a guitar. In physics, we refer to this as the timbre of a sound. It’s what
allows humans to quickly identify sounds (e.g. a cat’s meow, running water, the sound of a friend’s
voice).

Duration (Tempo/Rhythm)
In music, duration is the amount of time that a pitch, or tone, lasts. They can be described as long,
short, or as taking some amount of time. The duration of a note or tone influences the timbre and
rhythm of a sound. A classical piano piece will tend to have notes with a longer duration than the
notes played by a keyboardist at a pop concert. In physics, the duration of a sound or tone begins once
the sound registers and ends after it cannot be detected.
ACOUSTIC MATERIALS
&SPECIFICATIONS
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ACOUSTIC
MATERIALS:
An acoustic material is a material designed to control, direct, and manipulate sound waves. The material can
either enhance or diminish the quality of the sound as per the requirement in a particular given space.

TYPES OF ACOUSTICMATERIALS:

1. Sound Absorbers
2. Sound Diffusers
3. Noise Barriers
4. Sound Reflectors
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SOUND
ABSORBERS:
• These sound absorbing acoustical panels and soundproofing materials are used to eliminate sound
reflections to improve speech intelligibility, reduce standing waves and prevent comb filtering.

•Typical materials are open cell polyurethane foam, cellular melamine, fiberglass, fluffy fabrics and other porous
materials. A wide variety of materials can be applied to walls and ceilings depending on your application and
environment.

•These materials vary in thickness and in shape to achieve different absorption ratings depending on the specific
sound requirements.
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TYPES –
• Acoustical foam panels
• White paintable acoustical wall
panels
• Fabric wrapped panels
• Acoustical wall coverings
• Ceiling tiles
• Baffles and banners for ceiling
• Fibre glass blankets and roll
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ACOUSTIC FOAM
PANELS:
These acoustical foam sound absorbers are used in a wide variety of applications ranging from Recording and
Broadcast Studios to Commercial and Industrial Facilities. Available in Polyurethane or in a Class 1 Fire Rated
foam. These products can be applied directly to walls, hung as baffles or used as freestanding absorbers.
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WHITE PAINTABLE
PANELS:
It is a white acoustical wall panel with a soft textured appearance. The two foot by one foot dimension provides
installers flexibility to mount acoustical panels around existing objects. In addition to reducing echo and
reverberation, these acoustical panels are used to create unique designs and patterns. The glass fiber core is
faced with a paintable covering. This allows you to match or complement existing wall colors by applying a light
coat of flat or matte spray paint. To customize the look even further, many local printing companies now have the
capability to produce an image directly to the face of these panels.

• Quick & Easy acoustical solution

• Soft drywall texture appearance
• Create unique patterns
• Panel size allows for flexible mounting options
• Paintable & Printable finish
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FABRIC WRAPPED
PANELS:
Acoustical sound panels utilize 6-7 PCF glass fiber material for maximum absorption. Available as wall panels,
ceiling tiles, hanging baffles, acoustical clouds and bass traps, with more than 50 standard colors to choose from,
these materials will look as good as they sound. The standard sizes and configurations best maximize raw
materials, however, many of these products can be customized to meet specific requirements should you need
material sized to fit or other finishes or coverings.
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ACOUSTIC WALL
COVERINGS:
Acoustical wall fabric is a multidimensional fabric that offers excellent acoustical properties, unmatched fade
resistance, and a fire/smoke retardant class A rating. Sound channels is resistant to moisture, mildew, rot,
bacteria, and is non-allergenic. Produced with no voc’s (volatile organic compounds), ods’s (ozone depleting
substances), heavy metals or formaldehyde, it's the perfect acoustic fabric for offices, classrooms, conference
centers or any area where speech intelligibility is a critical factor.

Installation:
• This material is not factory trimmed. It is necessary for the installer to cut a straight vertical edge
• Following the ribbed pattern. All edges must be butt joined. Do not overcut edges. Cut material to
• Desired lengths, allowing for top and bottom trimming. Wall carpet should be hung
• Straight up. Do not alternately reverse strips.
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• Apply a premixed heavy duty adhesive directly to the wall, allowing it to dry.
• Without it being overly dry. (Important!!! Adhesives are ready mixed. Do not dilute)
• Adhesive and do not apply adhesive to the back of the wall covering).
• Please be sure to follow instructions as provided by the adhesive manufacturer.
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ACOUSTIC CEILING TILES:

• Cloudscape® Ceiling Tiles absorb noise and block sound transmission. These ceiling tiles are designed to fit
into existing 2' x 2' suspended drop tile ceiling grid systems. They may also retrofit in a 2' x 4' ceiling grid by
installing cross tees. Cloudscape® ceiling tiles may also be ordered as a full 24" x 24" size, un-backed for
adhesive mounting directly to walls or ceilings.

• Ordinary ceilings take on new levels of visual excitement with these sculptured tiles. They are
available in five different patterns plus a non-patterned look to enable you to "mix and match" for your own
designs.
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BAFFLES & BANNERS:

Baffles and Banners are designed to solve acoustical problems economically in any large cubic volume space
such as arenas, gymnasiums, theaters, restaurants, and auditoriums. Reverberation times that range from 4 to 9
seconds can be reduced to 1/2 to 2 seconds. Speech intelligibility is greatly improved and sound intensity levels
are reduced simultaneously by 3 to 12 decibels.

BAFFLES:
• Baffles are an economical way to reduce sound pressure levels and lower reverberation times in large spaces
such as gymnasiums, theaters, restaurants, healt h and fitness clubs, etc. Reverberation times can be lowered
from a RT60 of 4 - 9 seconds down to a RT60 of 0.5 - 2 seconds. Speech intelligibility is greatly improved and
sound intensity levels can be simultaneously reduced by 3 to 12 decibels.
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2 • These baffles are easily suspended from existing open truss and preengineered suspension systems. They are
designed to hang in a vertical fashion, allowing free flow of air and integrate exceptionally well with existing
sprinklers, lighting and HVAC systems.

BANNERS:

• Speech intelligibility is greatly improved and sound intensity levels can be simultaneously reduced by 3 to 12
decibels.
• Banners are suspended from ceilings, bar joists or pre-engineered suspension systems. They are designed to
hang in a horizontal or in a catenary fashion using edge stiffeners or deck mounted flat with washer plates
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SOUND DIFFUSERS:
These devices reduce the intensity of sound by scattering it over an expanded area, rather than eliminating the
sound reflections as an absorber would. Traditional spatial diffusers, such as the polycylindrical (barrel) shapes
also double as low frequency traps. Temporal diffusers, such as binary arrays and quadratics, scatter sound in a
manner similar to diffraction of light, where the timing of reflections from an uneven surface of varying depths
causes interference which spreads the sound.
 SOUND BARRIER:

Sound barrier materials are used to reduce the transmission of airborne sound. The BlockAid® series of products
include the standard one pound per square foot non reinforced barrier, transparent material when observation
or supervision is required, reinforced vinyl to create a hanging barrier partition.