The echo is something that can be very annoying. For people like me who like silence when they are working or sleeping, echo cancellation and soundproofing became miracles. But how does it work, and why people might consider using it?
Well, to begin talking about echo cancellation, we first need to talk about audio quality and the things that can ruin it. As mentioned in this article, it’s also known as Acoustic Echo Suppression (AES) and Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC), although both work pretty similarly, they use different tactics to achieve the same goal, and the result may differ from each other.
Now, echo cancellation was commonly in telephony to remove the annoying echo from a call, but nowadays you can soundproof whole areas inside a building to achieve this same purpose. This is usually done in places where there’s too much sound pollution to consider peaceful, or when there’s a need to record high-quality sound for a production.
Whatever the case it may be, there’s a wide variety of options on the market to achieve this goal, but do you need it? That’s something you have to consider before soundproofing an area.
When You Should Soundproof Your Environment
Privacy and peace of mind is probably the main reason why you should consider soundproofing a place. Almost everyone enjoys having peace of mind in their work environment or houses, and sounds coming from the outside (or inside) can ruin this peace pretty easily, and people who like calm like me might as well try it out.
Improving performance and quality of life is another reason. Invasive sound can be pretty stressful and might affect the performance of you and your coworkers if the problem happens in your area of work. It can also ruin your family’s quality of sleep (and life) if the problem is too serious.
The stress caused by it can cause health problems, too. Believe it or not, stress can lead to a wide variety of health complications, and comfort is something that fixes it right away.
People that are into creative hobbies like music produces and video makers usually want soundproofed areas to work at because it increases the quality of the content they create.
And, at the end of the day, this investment will certainly increase the value of your house just in case you were wondering. This is perfect for those people who might be thinking of selling their houses. For the long-term run, it’ll definitely pay off, and you’ll get to enjoy your house along the process without any regrets.
Reducing The Sound Coming From The Outside
There are way too many options on the market to pick from. For example, you can go for soundproofing curtains that reduce acoustic sound from outside. They may work wonders if the sound is not as strong as to surpass it, but for really strong sounds, it won’t work as well.
You see, most similar products equal to the soundproof curtains work similarly. They are made of a thick, strong fabric that is meant to absorb the sound coming from the outside. In many cases, these curtains will be more than enough to deal with most sounds coming from the outside.
I myself have used them for quite some time and they have indeed helped, but they are not able to absorb all sounds. For example, really loud sounds coming from trucks are one of the exceptions. Every morning I can still the faint business voice of the people trying to sell things outside my window.
Still, they work perfectly to deal with the problems I was facing before purchasing them: annoying sounds waking me up in the morning. Ever since I got them, I’ve been able to sleep better.
But in some cases, curtains won’t be enough to deal with those problems. Like Soundproof Pros have said before, there are other things you can purchase to deal with the echo that is generated from the inside.
Reducing The Echo Forming In The Inside
Now, when it comes to dealing with the echo forming inside a building, you can get yourself some fabric and replace metal blinds for them. They are not only great for blocking sound but also blocking light. They are also pretty aesthetic if you ask me.
Carpets and rugs are other great examples since they can help absorb the sound bouncing in the walls and floor. They are especially good for business buildings that can’t over furniture their insides.
Sofas and furniture that are fluffy are also great for the very same reason. Soft materials are great for absorbing sounds. If you place them strategically near the walls, this effect will be further enhanced.
Some people like adding plants as well as bookshelves since they are another fancy way to stop bouncing echos from messing around your area.
You Can Hire a Professional Soundproofing Company
Soundproofing professionals are more than prepared to perfectly soundproof a room and remove echos as well. They know how to analyze a space and take decisions depending on it to act accordingly.
What’s so great about hiring a professional soundproofing company is that you won’t have to worry about the results, since they have the tools, training, and experience to make things work. The pricing might be a little high, though, but the results will make it worth it. They’ll also do it in no time.
Doing It By Yourself
Besides following the tips we mentioned earlier, there are some other things you can do. Installing thick blankets in the walls, for example, is a rather common method to achieve this. You can also cover the walls with bookshelves since they are pretty effective, and if you do both things, you’ll have a more effective result.
Now, if you are truly thinking about doing it by yourself, you should visit https://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Sound-Proof-Room. It provides an in-deep guide on how to soundproof a place all by yourself, with the materials you may need and the steps to follow in perfect order.
