Sound masking is a process of introducing background sound into a working space at controllable levels across a very specific range of frequencies such that it quickly becomes unnoticeable, but also dramatically reduce the range at which normal speech becomes unintelligible, for better focus and confidentiality.
One of the challenges with open-plan working areas is that the level of ambient noise can vary greatly with the number of staff who are in the space at the time and the nature of what they are doing. An unintelligent ‘fixed’ sound masking system will either be too loud (and therefore noticeable) when the area is quiet or ineffective when the area is full of activity. The intelligent Soft DB system that Aura supplied and fitted for Simmons & Simmons uses sensors to monitor the ambient noise, and continually adjusts the masking level such that it is always effective yet remains discreet.