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Information required about sound masking industry Algemene.Electriciteit 06-06-2007
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Posted by on June 6, 2007, 5:05 am
Hi,

We are students doing a research on the Sound masking industry in the
US for our project in Europe. The aim of the research is to know
more about the sound masking industry, how it actually works. We are
in the middle of the research and we happened to come across this
newsgroup. I have a few questions which I would like to clarify about
the sound masking industry.

1)How is a typical office project organised in the US? If I am the
tenant/owner of the office, then do I hire a facility manager/property
manager to oversee its construction? Does the facility manager then
hire an acoustic consultant to see the acoustics of the office? Is it
any different in Canada?

2)How is the decision to go for sound masking systems actually taken?
Who decides which brand to choose?

3)If there is a public bidding process, how are the bidders invited,
does the Acoustic consultant already pre-selects the brands and the
bidders?

4)Who actually installs the sound masking system, can it be a General
electrical contractor or should it always be a A/V contractor.

5)What % of buildings are currently being build with the help of an
acoustical consultant?

6) Does anyone have an idea of the exact costs required for sound
masking. On most of the sound masking websites we see the cost to be
typically around $1 per square foot. Is this correct. Does this take
into account other costs like wiring costs, installation costs, etc.

7) Is Internet used as a medium for buying sound masking products?

I appreciate your answering the questions and spending your valuable
time to do so.

Thank you very much.


Posted by Secretia Green on June 6, 2007, 12:01 pm

> Hi,
>
> We are students doing a research on the Sound masking industry in the
> US for our project in Europe. The aim of the research is to know
> more about the sound masking industry, how it actually works. We are
> in the middle of the research and we happened to come across this
> newsgroup. I have a few questions which I would like to clarify about
> the sound masking industry.
>
> 1)How is a typical office project organised in the US? If I am the
> tenant/owner of the office, then do I hire a facility manager/property
> manager to oversee its construction? Does the facility manager then
> hire an acoustic consultant to see the acoustics of the office? Is it
> any different in Canada?

Possibly.


>
> 2)How is the decision to go for sound masking systems actually taken?
> Who decides which brand to choose?
>

Sr. Branding Coordinator, and or the Assistant Sidewalk Supervisor (ASS).


> 3)If there is a public bidding process, how are the bidders invited,
> does the Acoustic consultant already pre-selects the brands and the
> bidders?

Word of mouth or posted to Craigslist.

>
> 4)Who actually installs the sound masking system, can it be a General
> electrical contractor or should it always be a A/V contractor.


Walls of sound used to be created by Phil Spector, not sure anymore.

>
> 5)What % of buildings are currently being build with the help of an
> acoustical consultant?

87.3%

>
> 6) Does anyone have an idea of the exact costs required for sound
> masking. On most of the sound masking websites we see the cost to be
> typically around $1 per square foot. Is this correct. Does this take
> into account other costs like wiring costs, installation costs, etc.

Absolutely.


>
> 7) Is Internet used as a medium for buying sound masking products?

Never.



>
> I appreciate your answering the questions and spending your valuable
> time to do so.


No problem.


>
> Thank you very much.
>



Posted by 3D Peruna on June 6, 2007, 3:16 pm
I'll attempt to be more helpful...

>
> 1)How is a typical office project organised in the US? If I am the
> tenant/owner of the office, then do I hire a facility manager/property
> manager to oversee its construction? Does the facility manager then
> hire an acoustic consultant to see the acoustics of the office? Is it
> any different in Canada?

Usually, we work directly with the client. Sometimes, though, we're
hired by a firm that is contracting with the client to build the project
(then lease it back to the client).

> 2)How is the decision to go for sound masking systems actually taken?
> Who decides which brand to choose?

If the project has need for particular consultants, then we will find
them and contract with them. In the case of sound masking systems,
we'll contract with a sound engineer to design the system and recommend
brands to use.

>
> 3)If there is a public bidding process, how are the bidders invited,
> does the Acoustic consultant already pre-selects the brands and the
> bidders?

Most projects are bid, a few are negotiated contracts. In either case,
the specification developed with the consultant is used as the basis.
In almost all cases, a base design standard is uses, with appropriate
analysis of requested product substitutes during bidding.

> 4)Who actually installs the sound masking system, can it be a General
> electrical contractor or should it always be a A/V contractor.

Depends on the extent of the system. For small projects, the electrical
contractor often does it. Larger projects will have an A/V contractor.

> 5)What % of buildings are currently being build with the help of an
> acoustical consultant?

For us, 5%.

> 6) Does anyone have an idea of the exact costs required for sound
> masking. On most of the sound masking websites we see the cost to be
> typically around $1 per square foot. Is this correct. Does this take
> into account other costs like wiring costs, installation costs, etc.

Not a freaking clue.


> 7) Is Internet used as a medium for buying sound masking products?

Sometimes we'll look up info on the Internet, but we leave it up to the
contractor to actually buy.

Good luck.

Posted by gruhn on June 6, 2007, 3:31 pm
I've only been involved in one qualifying project.

> 1)How is a typical office project organised in the US?

Do you mean "office people doing some project," "a project to make an
office," "the archictural office designing a project"?

> tenant/owner of the office, then do I hire a facility manager/property
> manager to oversee its construction? Does the facility manager then
> hire an acoustic consultant to see the acoustics of the office? Is it
> any different in Canada?

Is the building being designed and built by an architecture firm? Does
the building exist? Do you already occupy it? Have you just rented it?
Is it white or gray space?

> 2)How is the decision to go for sound masking systems actually taken?

The client said "we need sound damping between units." I forget if
that's also in the code or not.

> Who decides which brand to choose?

The receptionist made the recommendation, the project architect made
the specification, the client (in house construction) agreed.

> 3)If there is a public bidding process, how are the bidders invited,

n/a

> does the Acoustic consultant already pre-selects the brands and the

n/a

It might do you well to couch your questions in ways that don't assume
answers to previous questions. That is : Who says there's an accoustic
consultant?

> 4)Who actually installs the sound masking system, can it be a General
> electrical contractor or should it always be a A/V contractor.

See, I'm wondering if you're talking about something different than
I'm talking about. Electrical contractor? The product we used was
studs. The framing crew installed it.

> 5)What % of buildings are currently being build with the help of an
> acoustical consultant?

I don't know.

You're questionaire is starting to sound like you need help in
research design.

> 6) Does anyone have an idea of the exact costs required for sound masking

Yes, somebody has very intimate and up to date knowledge of this.

> On most of the sound masking websites we see the cost to be
> typically around $1 per square foot.

Of space masked? Of material installed?

> Is this correct. Does this take
> into account other costs like wiring costs, installation costs, etc.

What do the web sites say?

> 7) Is Internet used as a medium for buying sound masking products?

I don't know. The receptionist did the research on the web. No clue
how the purchase was made, check the GC for that info. Perhaps check
or money order, maybe Visa.


Posted by ++ on June 7, 2007, 7:57 pm
Algemene.Electriciteit@gmail.com wrote:

>Hi,
>
>We are students doing a research on the Sound masking industry in the
>US for our project in Europe. The aim of the research is to know
>more about the sound masking industry, how it actually works. We are
>in the middle of the research and we happened to come across this
>newsgroup. I have a few questions which I would like to clarify about
>the sound masking industry.
>
>1)How is a typical office project organised in the US?
>

One hopes to design spaces with as little possible need for mitigation
using common known acoustics properties.

> If I am the
>tenant/owner of the office, then do I hire a facility manager/property
>manager to oversee its construction?
>

Field architect, Construction Manager

>Does the facility manager then
>hire an acoustic consultant to see the acoustics of the office?
>

The acoustics engineer is a part of your team of AEs or she is a member
of your AE firm

> Is it
>any different in Canada?
>
>2)How is the decision to go for sound masking systems actually taken?
>Who decides which brand to choose?
>
>

First design so yu need less.

>3)If there is a public bidding process, how are the bidders invited,
>does the Acoustic consultant already pre-selects the brands and the
>bidders?
>
>

The Acoustics engineer usually makes suggestions as a part of the work.
There may be more than one solution. The cost consultant or the
architect engineer conveys costs of various solutions.

>4)Who actually installs the sound masking system, can it be a General
>electrical contractor or should it always be a A/V contractor.
>
>

Depends on the system. Acoustics control can be as simple as
strategically placed panels to absorb noise. Depends on what the noise
problem is, as designed or in renno retrofit

>5)What % of buildings are currently being build with the help of an
>acoustical consultant?
>
>

Why not go to some acoustical engineering websites for industry %s

http://asa.aip.org/index.html


>6) Does anyone have an idea of the exact costs required for sound
>masking. On most of the sound masking websites we see the cost to be
>typically around $1 per square foot. Is this correct. Does this take
>into account other costs like wiring costs, installation costs, etc.
>
>7) Is Internet used as a medium for buying sound masking products?
>
>I appreciate your answering the questions and spending your valuable
>time to do so.
>
>Thank you very much.
>
>
>
>
**


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