Sound Masking Definition
Sound masking uses low-level background noise in an environment to "mask" unwanted noise. It is often used in offices, allowing employees to focus on their work and maintain speech privacy.
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How It Works
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Sound masking generates barely perceptible noise (e.g. something like the "whoosh" of an air conditioner) that renders nearby sounds indistinct. For example, you might be able to hear your neighbor speaking on the phone in the next cubicle without being able to make out their words.
Health Benefits
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Besides increasing worker productivity, sound masking has been proved to reduce stress, according to speechprivacysystems.com.
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Other Applications
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Besides offices, sound masking can be used in natural environments such as a city park to mask urban noise pollution. It can be used at home to mask street noise.
Sound Masking vs. Noise Cancellation
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Sound masking does not actually hide the existence of noise. On the other hand, noise cancellation actually eliminates the sound wave to create a completely silent environment.
Musak
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The first instance of sound-masking technology was the notorious Muzak system which has piped bland, inoffensive music into office lobbies, elevators and waiting rooms since 1922.
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