RQ: White Noise Machines

[Cliron]

A 30 X 19 feet office has 8 people in it.

4 Engineers/computer programmers doing annoying engineer sounds.

2 Billing people who have to make calls all day making death threats for non-payment.

2 Researchers trying to read (often dense) articles, or grant writing.


We've tried to partition people into sections, but there is still just too much environmental noise travelling around the room.

Also, what has made this reach a crescendo is that one of the engineers has been humming alot lately. Like, hes at the other side of the room and I can hear him hum for about 6hrs of the day. He was asked to stop, but he kinda responded that he didn't know he was doing it and sometimes does it when he was nervous or something of the kind.

Rather than trying to force him to stop (which I'd have moral and ethical concerns about), I was thinking of installing some white noise machines round the office.

Since living in NYC I've heard a few people rave about them, but I honestly have no idea how they function.

-Is one machine set loudly at one corner of the room enough?

-Do you need to actually have a machine? Or could I have a spare computer with crappy speakers run an audio clip on repeat? (If so any suggestions for audio?)

-Does it vary considerably between people how long it takes to get used to the noise? My ex had one in her apartment, and I remember it driving me nuts at first but I eventually got used to it.

-Is there something else outside of white noise that I should consider (other than a new job)?

Thanks ya'll

[Plow]

I can't help with white noise machine info, but have you considered just some plain old noise cancelling headphones?

[Day]

I have actual white noise machine. I love it. I don't think 1 would quite cover that office though. I also know lots of folks use an app on their phones so you might get away with speakers and that kind of setup. It might take longer for some people to get used to it. Didn't take me long at all. Can't sleep without the thing now.

[wipers]

I normally just put a fan in my room and listen to that to go to sleep. It might work for you.

[Day]

?? He's looking for something for noisy office

[Coren]

We have 48 of them installed on my floor in my office (roughly 80 people) if that helps any.

[Cliron]

I can't help with white noise machine info, but have you considered just some plain old noise cancelling headphones?

People (myself) included have resorted to just putting our own music louder...but its gotten to the point where music has to be very loud (which I find uncomfortable/ anxious about damaging hearing) to dull all the noises.

Also, isn't helpful for when you have to have meetings, or phone calls etc.

[Cliron]

We have 48 of them installed on my floor in my office (roughly 80 people) if that helps any.

That does.

How are they placed? Do they have an "optimum" operational radius that you've noticed?

Do you find that they help in your office?

[Plow]

People (myself) included have resorted to just putting our own music louder...but its gotten to the point where music has to be very loud (which I find uncomfortable/ anxious about damaging hearing) to dull all the noises.

Also, isn't helpful for when you have to have meetings, or phone calls etc.

active noise cancelling isn't just like super padded or extra loud, it actually puts out sound on an opposite phase to truly counter the noise


but yeah not helpful for meetings, though you can definitely get ones for phone calls

[BaneTheBrawler]

how were you doing the partitions? you should be able to dampen quite a lot of noise just with the right arrangement. you want to avoid open areas in which the sound can travel; a lot of places have high ceilings, which just funnel sound around. or have rooms arranged in a grid, which do the same.

if you look at the walls of a sound-dampening chamber, the pattern the triangular baffles are in is a good pattern. - | - | - etc... but without creating a grid. you want to interrupt those channels.

you could also actually buy sound baffles. theyre kinda like the ones in those silent rooms, only you hang them from your ceiling or put them on the walls, wherever your sound is being channeled.

edit: although, this all depends a lot on the height of your ceiling. i'm picturing just a really large room, with a high ceiling, that you guys have tried putting little cubicles or "rooms" inside, but with exposed ceilings (because who needs a ceiling under a ceiling). the baffles should help with a room like that. if you're putting in walls that go all the way to the ceiling, arrangement (and non-shoddy walls) should do it.

[Meresgi]

?? He's looking for something for noisy office

And? I Sleep in my office too with the fan on.

I've never heard of white noise machines. I would vote for headphones too, just get ones with good cushions and you don't need to blare music at all. As for conference call type stuff, that i'm not too sure on.

[Ddz]

Buy some Bose headphones and drown everything out all day.

[Meresgi]

Buy some Bose headphones and drown everything out all day.

Man i've heard great things about them but nothing will ever bring me to drop that much cash on headphones unless the bass is so amazing it makes me have a bowel movement and then the headphones wipe.

[Coren]

That does.

How are they placed? Do they have an "optimum" operational radius that you've noticed?

Do you find that they help in your office?

Our office is in a long rectangle. It has 3-deep cubes on either side of the public areas (bathrooms, elevators, etc) and there are no partitions in the cube areas. The space is about 200 ft long.

They're placed 2 deep, one near the front of each row, one near the back, every ~16ft. They sound like your AC/fan is running 24/7.

The ones we use are speakers powered by a central hub, but we have a few others that generate sound with a fan and foils. The speaker-based ones we have are tone-adjustable (look up white noise vs gray noise vs pink noise vs blue noise vs brown noise etc). They are also volume adjustable on "zones". We have the speakers closer to the center aisles turned up higher than the ones near the back cubes.

The boxes themselves are big... maybe 14" across.

They are easy to ignore for most people, but some people do complain. They definitely cut down on what you can hear from other departments; we have 40+ people in one big room, and I can only really hear the people near me.

[Natallon]

I use this machine for my bedroom to help me sleep and will 100% recommend it!

My boyfriend first turned me on to this as a possibility for canceling out noise because they have a few of these at the office where he works. Granted, its a fairly small company so I'm not sure how well it would work for a large setting but something to look into maybe.

[Cliron]

I use this machine for my bedroom to help me sleep and will 100% recommend it!

My boyfriend first turned me on to this as a possibility for canceling out noise because they have a few of these at the office where he works. Granted, its a fairly small company so I'm not sure how well it would work for a large setting but something to look into maybe.

heh. Crazy timing.

I purchased two of them on Monday and they came today.

I just installed them into the office, and....it might be placebo....but I'm liking it. Will see.

thanks for all the recommendations and help guys~

[Day]

That's what we got too. Those are the shit man. I'm buying one for travel.

[Shakki]

Anyone have personal experience using one of these to block out snoring? I wear earplugs, but sometimes it's not enough, and if this would help I'm all for it.

[Day]

Its part of why we got ours both of us snore but my little dog snores even louder. It helps some but doesnt completely drown it out. Think really loud constant AC. We run ours on low though actually so it might help quite a bit.

[Plow]

Man i've heard great things about them but nothing will ever bring me to drop that much cash on headphones unless the bass is so amazing it makes me have a bowel movement and then the headphones wipe.

they're absolutely fantastic and definitely worth it if you fly a lot

you can get a fair bit better for the price if the noise cancelling isn't a concern tho