This article explores the basic understanding of background noise and noise room. This article also discusses the effect of background noise on the sound quality of music.

Definition of Background Noise

Background noise or background noise is a disturbing sound in a location for a certain period of time. In any location anywhere, we will always hear the sound. Sound sources that can be heard can be divided into three categories, namely the sounds caused by natural events, such as rain, gusts, and so forth. Then, there is a voice caused by humans and other living things. The last is the sound caused by the machinery. Thus, background noise is a composite of all audible voices of the three mentioned sound sources. Background Noise has frequency (Hz), level (dB), and time (seconds).

Definition of Noise Room

The term noise room is usually commonly used by the general public for indoor. Noise room is the noise that is in our room. Each room has a frequency spectrum and noise harmonization with different levels with each other. Like fingerprints or finger prints, humans are unique among each other, as is our audio hearing space. Each room we can say has a unique noise print even though the room is made with the same material of the same size and is in an adjacent position.

External Noise

External noise is a sound disturbance that comes from outside the room that propagates through the air media and building construction. External noise can be divided into two, namely noise constant and impulse noise. The constant noise is the continuous noise, such as the noise caused by an AC compressor located just outside our room. Impulse noise is the occasional noise such as the sound of an outdoor door opened by the lid or the sound of a motor across the road outside the room.

Noise Room Illustration

Internal Noise

Internal noise is a sound disturbance that comes from within the room itself. As with external noise, internal noise can be divided into constant noise and impulse noise. The constant noise is coming from indoors that can occur due to the sound of an AC fan or noise from the audio equipment itself. Meanwhile, impulse noise that occurs in the room that comes from equipment in the room.

Noise Room Illustration

Noise Pollution

In the end, both constant noise and impulse noise coming from both indoor and outdoor, amplified and extended by resonance and reverberation in the room.

Picture of Magnitude of Noise in a Room

In order to have an idea of the noise threshold in a room, here are some references that are often written in an acoustic textbook. A value of 0 dB is the value set as the lowest human hearing threshold reference. In fact, no ordinary room has a noise density of 0 dB. In a quiet empty space at home in any urban housing, usually has a noise plus minus 40 dB. If we are in a food court that is dense activity, then the noise in the room generally has a noise plus minus 60 dB. If we are at the forefront of a world-class rock concert, generally the sound level we can hear is greater than 105 dB.

What are the effects of Noise Room for Music Rooms?

A simple description of the noise room can be illustrated as follows. When we go on vacation to a place far away from the busyness of the night, we sit under a starlit sky, then we may be able to hear the distant crickets and the breeze that blows the leaves. If the place is so quiet, we may be able to hear our own breathing. That means the background noise level in that place is smaller than the sound of our breath. However, if in the room we turn on a fan, can we still hear our own breathing sounds?
So, to be able to listen to the details of musical sounds that are generally small in the concert hall, audio room, or control room of a studio recording required a very low background noise.
Mathematically, we can say that in our room there is a 50 dB noise room with a flat frequency spectrum ranging from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. If in the room we play music from the audio device with an average sound level of 90 dB, then the real music dynamics that we enjoy is live plus minus 40 dB, depending on the frequency position of the music.

Conclusion for Noise Room

First: realize it or not, so far we always listen to noise. Sometimes the noise we hear is very annoying and can increase our stress level. One good therapy to lower our stress level is by listening to music solemnly. But in reality, sometimes the calm atmosphere we expect can not be achieved because of noise in our room.
Secondly: if you already have a device capable of accurately presenting micro detail, we still have to pay attention to it. However, the information may be missed by our hearing because the noise level contained in the room is larger than the microprokes the detail generated by our audio devices.

For noise room consultation please fill out the following form or contact us at:

ALTA Integra

Jl. Hayam Wuruk No. 2 R – S
Jakarta Pusat, 10120
Telp: 021 351 3 351
Fax: 021 345 8 143