Sound travels through air in waves. When these waves hit a reflective surface such as walls, ceilings, or floors, they rebound and create a collection of reflected sounds – this is known as reverberation.

What is Reverberation Time?

Reverberation is the collection of reflected sounds; reverberation time is how long it takes for these reflected sounds to lose energy and disappear. Whenever a sound wave reflects off a surface, it loses energy - the sound will continue reflecting until all that energy has been used up. The time it takes for the energy to be used and the sound to dissipate is your reverb time.

"Reverberation"

How is Reverberation Time Measured?

Reverb time is measured using RT60 (Reverberation Time 60). This essentially refers to how long it takes the sound pressure levels to reduce by 60db after the source of sound has been created.

What Affects Reverberation Time?

Reverberation time is easily affected and can be increased or decreased by several internal factors. This includes…

• Room size and shape
• Ceiling height
• Amount of soft furnishings
• Amount of hard surfaces
• Wall, ceiling, and floor material
• Number of people in the room
• Activities taking place within the space

"Empty room affects reverberation time"

Is Reverberation Bad?

Reverberation itself is neither good or bad, it depends entirely on the context and purpose of the room. Some environments will benefit from prolonged reverberation time, whereas other, quieter environments (such as those that require high levels of speech intelligibility) will need a shorter reverb time.

Without being an acoustician, music producer, or other sound expert, it can be difficult to tell when too much or too little reverb is present. Most people will notice the lack of sound quality or poor speech clarity but knowing why isn’t always obvious. The good news is reverberation is easy to control!

How to Control Reverberation

Reverberation times can be controlled in a variety of different ways from using everyday household items to top quality acoustic solutions. We recommend installing quality acoustic solutions from reputable brands that have plenty of acoustic knowledge. Acoustic solutions such as acoustic wall panels, rafts, baffles, and more can all be used to increase the amount of sound absorbed within the space, leading to a reduction in sound reflection and reverberation times.

"Acoustic solutions to control reverberation"

If you need a hand solving your reverberation issues, we’re always on stand-by to help! Feel free to contact a member of the Muffle team and we’ll use our extensive acoustic knowledge to provide the best solution for your unique situation.