The majority of industrial and domestic buildings have some form of soundproofing. Modern buildings are typically designed to control the acoustics architecturally, whether you’re in a restaurant, school, or open-plan office. They will either install soundproofing panels or not have any background noise to speak of. Usually, when you ask about foam sound insulation, you’re met with jargon and misinformation. Because of this, we have simplified our explanation of soundproof foam with a simple explanation that’s easy to understand.
A scientific study of sound
It’s important to understand sound’s fundamental characteristics when trying to figure out how to reduce it. In its simplest form, sound is simply a vibration of energy. The vibrations cause the air around an object to vibrate. Eventually, the brain interprets this sensation as noise, speech, and music by carrying the vibrations as sound waves through the air. As soon as these soundwaves were discovered, certain materials could be used to control how they behaved. As a result, soundproofing was born to prevent sound energy from becoming muffled and distorted when it comes in contact with soft surfaces.
Noise absorption vs. noise blocking
You must first differentiate between absorbing and blocking sound before understanding the workings of soundproof foam. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they are clearly different. Like white objects that reflect light and black objects that absorb it, different materials react to sound differently. Several types of acoustic foam can be used either to block out outside sounds or reduce reverberations in a room by absorbing sound within. Before investing in any soundproofing solution, it is necessary to understand what you wish to achieve.
Unlike soft, lightweight foam commonly found in recording studios, sound-blocking foam is designed to prevent noise from traveling through walls. The denser and thicker the foam, the less likely soundwaves will be transmitted to the other side, so dense foam is more likely to be used here.
