An Acoustic Approach to Products: A Guide for Manufacturers

Does your product perform acoustically? The answer is almost certainly yes. Knowing how your product performs acoustically and effectively communicating its acoustic performance to your clients could be a major differentiator in the marketplace.

Where to begin?

In addition to supporting your team with concepts and designs, Umbel can help you with product testing, performance predictions, use cases, marketing, and deployment.

We specialize in the visually striking and in understanding how objects and surfaces not traditionally regarded as "acoustic" perform in ways that benefit the sound of rooms.

Below is a short guide intended to help manufacturers start asking the right questions about the acoustic performance of their products. Want to go into the details about your specific product? Contact us.

When we talk about the acoustic properties of a product, we’re talking about how the sound of rooms interacts with it. This interaction can impact:

• the user experience of the product and the space in which it is situated

• the product’s compliance with relevant regulations

• market competitiveness

• opinions of the product and manufacturer that produced it

Understanding the acoustic properties of your product allows you to optimize your design, meet customer expectations, communicate about your product effectively with customers, and ultimately differentiate your product from the competition.

If you’ve already come this far in your research, you’ve undoubtedly encountered some core acoustic concepts. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most important ones

Sound Absorption vs. Sound Insulation vs. Sound Diffusion

Sound Absorption
Think about how much water can be absorbed by a paper towel, a sponge…or a concrete slab. When we talk about sound absorption, we’re talking about how much sound energy a material can absorb. The more sound energy a material absorbs, the more it will reduce echo and reverberation within a space.

Sound Insulation
Just like other forms of insulation (eg. a tshirt vs a parka, or fiberglass batt vs. closed-cell spray foam), sound insulation measures how effectively a material or surface blocks sound from passing through it.

Sound Diffusion
Even though the water pressure is the same when it reaches the end of your garden hose, it can be concentrated or diffused into patterns that are appropriate for either power washing your driveway or gently sprinkling your tomato plants. Reconfiguring the geometry of a room will similarly concentrate or diffuse the sound energy within it. Products that alter room geometry can have a similar end result to adding acoustic products specifically designed for absorption while significantly increasing design flexibility.

Working with room and surface geometry is one of Umbel’s specialties.  

Common Acoustic Ratings

You’ve probably heard of NRC and STC ratings in reference to the effectiveness of acoustic products. These ratings are standardized indicators of the absorption and insulation properties of surfaces and systems, respectively.

NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient)
NRC measures sound absorption effectiveness.
NRC is generally used to measure things like acoustic panels or other traditional acoustic treatments applied to rooms. It tells us just how much reverberation is being absorbed by the product. If your goal is to use your product to absorb sound, it could be important to know its NRC rating.

STC (Sound Transmission Class)
STC measures sound insulation effectiveness.
STC ratings are typically used to understand the ability of a wall or floor system to block sound. These systems need to be a component of a complete enclosure for STC to make sense. Imagine a room with four walls of unique construction. It would be important to know the STC rating of each wall in order to demonstrate that no one wall is a weak link within the overall system of sound isolation. 

Frequency Range

Frequency indicates the pitch of a sound. It’s the periodic vibration (cycles per second) of the sound wave. Measured in hertz (Hz), humans can perceive sound within the range of roughly 20 Hz - 20k Hz. Below 20 Hz, we perceive a regular pulse of changing air pressure. Higher than 20 kHz, the sound seems to just evaporate. 

Products perform differently across various frequency ranges (low, mid, high), and acoustic product designers are often trying to solve noise problems directly related to specific frequency ranges: absorbing the low 60 Hz hum of a large refrigerator, or insulating against the annoying ~1.2 kHz ping of a pickle ball serve. 

For a manufacturer, it’s important to understand if your product is intended to address a specific frequency range, as the range you’re addressing will influence both the types of materials that are appropriate for the job, as well as the size and shape of the product.

The wavelength of a sound at the bottom threshold of human hearing (20 Hz) is about 56 feet, and the 60 Hz hum of that large refrigerator has a wavelength of just over 18 feet. Regardless of what it is made of, a 2x2 panel will have little influence of any kind on these sounds, and an array of panels would be needed. In short, frequency can influence the total coverage of a product that is needed.

With these fundamental concepts in mind, here are some questions Umbel will discuss with you about your product.

• What is the primary function of your product? Is the goal to absorb sound, block sound, or diffuse sound?

• In what kind of environment(s) will your product typically be used? Is the space totally closed off? Does the space have open-air connections to other spaces?

• What is the acoustic issue this product is addressing? Are there specific problematic frequencies that need to be dealt with in order for your product to be successful?

• Are there industry standards or regulations your product needs to meet?

We can assist product manufacturers in several ways:

Concept Design
We devise new ideas and suggest changes to existing surfaces and objects.

Design Development
We can take ideas from the concept stage to reality.

Product Analysis
We can conduct thorough testing and/or modeling to determine your product's acoustic properties.

Comparative Studies
Umbel can evaluate how your product performs against competitors' offerings.

Custom Reports
We can provide detailed acoustic reports that clearly communicate your product's acoustic performance to your customers.

Optimization Recommendations
Umbel can recommend improvements that will enhance your product's acoustic properties while adhering to your design and manufacturing needs.

Product Marketing Recommendations
You know your customers best. Umbel can help you tell a story of your product and its effectiveness that is built on a scientific foundation. We can help you understand how to talk about the acoustic properties of your product in a way that will directly address your customer’s concerns.

Understanding the acoustic properties of your product can open new markets, improve customer satisfaction, and help you drive innovation. Together, we can uncover the full acoustic potential of your product and translate it into tangible benefits for your customers. 

Contact us to talk about your product.