Acoustics 101
We have what you need to understand acoustics and how they affect your spaces. Plus, learn why TONO Tiles are the best before making your purchase! Class is now in session!
Sound
vs.
Noise
Sound is the term to describe what is heard when sound waves pass through a medium to the ear. Good sound can lead to a happier and even healthier you
Noise is any unwanted, unpleasant, or distracting sound. Imagine the kind of echo that makes you immediately exit out of a YouTube video, or the inability to talk to your date at dinner.
Noise Reduction Coefficient
(NRC)
NRC is the measured amount of sound energy absorbed when sound waves come in contact with a particular material.
- Ratings generally range on a scale from 0.0 to 1.0
- NRC ratings of 0.0 means that a material absorbs no sound.
- NRC ratings of 1.0 means that the material absorbs an ideal amount of sound that comes in contact with it.
- TONO Acoustic Panels have an NRC rating of 0.90
DID YOU KNOW?
Way back when, a man named Sabin found a mysterious material that became known as the best sound absorber known to man. He determined that this material would have an NRC rating of 1.0, but as time went on, better materials became known! This means that NRC ratings can actually go even higher than 1.0!
← Wallace Clement Sabine, 1906
TONO Acoustic Panels are tested by an NVLAP certified lab, this gives our panels an accurate NRC performance rating!
So how much acoustic coverage do I need?
Multiply the length, width, and height of your room (L x W x H) and that’ll give you your cubic area.
Multiply that cubic area by 0.049 and you’ll get the number of Sabins (a unit of sound absorption) you need to get a 1 second reverb time, which is “library quiet”.
If you don’t need a room to be that quiet, you can take your total Sabins and divide by 2. This will give you a 2 second reverb time which is generally considered good “room tone”.
You can always add more TONO panels later to increase your Sabin count!
Now that you have your Sabins, divide that number by the NRC value of the absorber you’re using, and BAM! You’ve got the total square footage of that material needed.
This means that you need twice as much coverage when using a 0.5 NRC than you would using an absorber with a 1.0 NRC rating.
acoustic calculator
Start designing with our cut sheet
Now that you’ve passed Acoustics 101 and have know how much coverage you need, it’s time to start designing! Use our crafty Cut Sheet below to start planning how your panels will look up on the wall!
