#3: Forgetting about noise control engineering
Because most of us can hear decently, it’s easy to overestimate our understanding of acoustics and to underestimate the skill required to control noise.
Most people are unaware that our sensation of hearing is a cognitive representation of acoustic waves arriving at our ears. The process is designed to promote communication and situational awareness. So we experience a heightened focus on certain attributes and are able to ignore others. In other words, hearing defies physics by design. Auditory sensations are immediately fed into a pool of previous experiences, preferences, and emotions for subjective evaluation. Without training, hearing is not necessarily a good guide to the physical processes producing an undesirable noise, much less what to do about it.
But because we’re comfortable in a world of sound and the internet abounds with “advice” on the topic, many feel safe DIY-engineering situations that they’re really not prepared to deal with. Frequent “train wrecks” lead to the myth that noise control is magic or impossible.
Fortunately, noise control engineering is actually a thing. There’s even a whole professional society dedicated to it: The Institute of Noise Control Engineering. It’s the only organization (at present) that provides an 8-hr Principles and Practices examination (similar to a PE exam) for acousticians, leading to INCE Board Certification. These professionals are “sparse”, it’s true, but that’s primarily because it’s considered normal practice to only seek their assistance after the fact, when it may be way too late.
These skills are however attainable by mere mortals. Nelson Acoustics provide practical training in noise control.
Nelson Acoustics can help you anticipate and manage the quantity and characteristics of emitted sound to minimize annoyance. Before it makes the news.
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