Think of it as PhotoShop® for sound. Sound equalization is a process used to strengthen or weaken the energy of audio frequencies, maximizing what we want to hear and minimizing what we don’t.
Most of us are familiar with the concept from our fiddling with the treble/bass controls on audio equipment. The treble control adds or takes away energy from high frequencies, and the bass control does the same to lower frequencies, but a lot more can be done by messing with many different frequency levels using different audio equipment from the likes of GRAHAM SLEE HIFI.
Sound equalization is most commonly used to:
Enhance sound while it’s being recorded or produced (think of those huge soundboards in recording studios or at live concerts)
Enhance sound during playback (that’s you fiddling with the treble/bass controls)
Enhance the environment in which the sound is being heard
While the first two concepts are pretty well understood, the third often raises eyebrows.
In the third scenario, sound equalization plays a key role in what we sometimes call “room optimization.” Simply put – manipulating the way sounds interact with a room and everything in it. By increasing some frequencies, decreasing others and adjusting various parameters, we account for things that degrade sound quality, such as reflections, sound absorbing materials, etc.
Once everything is set, no need to touch the controls again. Ever. Or at least not until someone comes along and swaps out all the wood furniture for glass or metal.
While maximizing sound quality is pretty cool…it’s the minimization capabilities of sound equalization technology that makes it a no-brainer for so many of our clients.
As noted earlier, a key aspect of improving the quality of sound is to minimize the sounds you don’t want.
Virtually every building makes sounds. Whether it’s the HVAC system, the lighting or maybe a piece of equipment running elsewhere in the building. Just a constant hum, buzz or whir. Incredibly annoying sounds in otherwise-quiet conference rooms, boardrooms and even general work areas.
Just like every other sound, that hum, buzz or whir has a set frequency. While we can’t directly take energy away from that frequency, through sound equalization, we can introduce a new sound frequency into the room. Rather than cover the sound up…we cancel it out. Basically neutralizing it.
It’s like putting a pair of noise cancellation headphones on your entire office. But, not so confining.
If quality sound is important to you, sound equalization technology is a great help.
If no sound is important to you, then sound equalization technology becomes a must.
But please, leave the controls to us.
