Soundproofing A Gymnasium

In the acoustics world, we deal with two main strategies: sound control and soundproofing. The difference is extremely important, but I can make it simple:

Sound control is the utilization of sound absorbing materials placed within a space to reduce reverb and echo, making the overall acoustics better and eliminating the muddiness that arises from these two phenomena.

Soundproofing iis the utilization of sound blocking materials to stop sound from transmitting through one side of a material to the other.

When it comes to improving the sounds in a gymnasium, our main priority will be sound control. The unique aspect of gymnasiums that causes acoustic issues is their size. With very tall ceilings and hard, tall walls, sound readily bounces off of the surfaces and creates unwanted echo and reverb. If you amplify sounds through a loudspeaker, that only provides the sound more energy to bounce around even more.

You’ve probably had an experience in a gymnasium where someone is speaking and it is loud but you feel like you can barely understand what is being said. That is because of echo and reverb, the two things we seek to tame with sound control.

Echo is when sound reflects back to the listener with a delay. The word echo conjures for many an image of a cave, where if you shout, your words will reflect off all of the many surfaces and come back at you, creating echo. In effect, spaces with lots of hard surface area and tall ceilings is essentially a cave, so gymnasiums are then echo creators.

The objective for adding sound control to a Gymnasium is to reduce the RT60 (Reverb time) and the reflections of sound on parallel walls by adding absorption to the room. Generally speaking, you are looking to achieve a reverb time (RT60) of about 2 seconds for general noise levels and 1–1.5 seconds for proper speech intelligibility. Reducing the reverb time does improve the overall acoustics.

However, it is important to remember that material should spread evenly throughout the room on the walls and ceiling. This helps to prevent direct sound reflections from parallel surfaces. This will improve overall speech intelligibility and produce a comfortable and functional multipurpose room.

Another popular way to treat gyms is with ceiling banners. These banners absorb sound and offer the same advantages as acoustical wall panels. These banners are hung horizontally along the ceiling. For a slightly different look with the same performance, acoustic baffles are a smart choice. They are similar to the banners but suspended vertically from the ceiling using the two factory-mounted grommets.

If you are looking for a higher-end look for your facility, fabric wrapped panels make a great choice. They are available in an array of colors and sizes to match any decor. AlphaSorb® High Impact Panels are a good choice if abuse-resistant panels are required.

Crosspoint™ Acoustical Wall Fabric is also great for high-traffic areas like the lower portion of the gymnasium walls.

Gymnasiums are important spaces where audio from speakers matters. That said, due to their large size, they intrinsically cause acoustic issues because of massive reverb and delay. The solution is elegant and simple, and at Acoustical Solutions, we work tirelessly to provide the best sound control options on the market.

To learn more about sound control product options to make your gymnasium sound great, reach out to me today!