Ask Slashdot: Best Way To Block Noise In a Dorm?

First time accepted submitter zmitch32 writes "I live in a dorm, and I have ADHD, so every little noise distracts me. I know this annoyance isn't limited to those with ADHD, so how does everyone else block out the noise? I can't really cover my walls in soundproof foam because I live in a dorm. I can't just listen to music because I find it too interesting and just end up getting distracted by it. I use ear plugs to block out small noises, but they don't block out human voices very well at all. What do you guys/gals recommend?"

Comments

Noise canceling headphones

[Anonymous Coward]

Get a pair of noise canceling headphones. You don't even need an audio source, just some batteries to run them. A good pair of those will give you dead silence in all but the noisiest environments.

No such thing as 'soundproof foam'...

[MarcoAtWork]

as the subject says, if 'soundproof foam' existed folks building recording studios, vocal booths, practice rooms and so on would have a lot less issues!

As somebody that is also easily annoyed by noises and especially by people talking, the only things I can suggest are noise isolation headphones and a suitable source of noise (pink noise or something like raindrops, running water, etc.), the noise isolation headphones to lower the outside noise as much as possible, and the pink noise to mask it (otherwise you'd have to have the volume in your headphones way too loud).

You will find that pink noise or water noise masks voices pretty well if in tandem with the above, I sometimes even have to use isolation headphones (similar to the headphones that pit crews use on racing tracks) AND foam earplugs AND http://rain.simplynoise.com/ (with thunder disabled) to be able to concentrate in my current work environment.

Re:No such thing as 'soundproof foam'...

[Solandri]

It's not the mass per se which blocks sound. It's the density change. Going from low density to high density or vice versa (assuming speed of sound in the medium is proportional to density) reflects a large portion of sound wave back.
http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Ultrasonics/Physics/reflectiontransmission.htm

So if you and the noise source are separated by a one-inch thick solid concrete wall, splitting it into two half-inch concrete walls and putting a layer of foam in the middle would reduce the amount of sound transmitted. (The foam tends to absorb the reflected sound energy, so less of the reflection does a second bounce.)

Re:I covered my dorm room with Pink Floyd...

[Anonymous Coward]

he's fucking hilarious, but seriously, tapestries work fabulously. Wool blankets from the army navy store, if they're cheap right now, work well. Used carpet works wonders. White noise generator helps substantially for some (but not all) ADD folks. I've only used ANR headsets flying, but that might help as well. You're also likely to find that certain types of music are uninteresting enough to help you tune out. Goa and Rasputina (don't ask, I'm me and you're not) helped me substantially. And, rum. Lots of rum.

Move

[Alex Pennace]

Move. I mean that seriously. Not all dorms are alike, and chances are there is a quieter room available. You will have to approach your student services office or similar about your situation, and bring documentation. They may not be able to accommodate you entirely but they may find some arrangement that would be of benefit. For example, they may make a triple in a quiet dorm into a double with a known-quiet roommate.

If you want further information, give us the name of the school. Maybe someone here knows about a quieter dorm on your campus.

Re:Move

[RyoShin]

You're making the assumption that the submitter has a choice in the matter; this may not be the case. The college I went to had one set of dorms (set up in an "8" format with two middle areas no one ever used) and all freshmen were required to live it in it unless they lived within a certain mile range of the campus. Even if we had been able to change rooms (which seemed possible, but only for when you returned from work term), you wouldn't notice much of a change unless you went from one extreme end of the dorms to the other.

Now, if they go to a state or large and popular college/uni, they might have options.

As to submitter, is this self-diagnosed ADHD or do you have a clinical diagnoses?

If clinical: are you taking medication to help with it? If so, perhaps its worth talking to your provider about a change in prescription/dose. If you're not taking meds, perhaps talking with your doctor or a school counselor and trying some might be helpful. Even if you could sound-proof your room, you're going to get tons of distractions all over college, so it's something to look into.

If self-diagnosed: Talk to a college counselor (my small one had two, though it could be hard to get ahold of them) or doctor if you don't have your own to get references to those who can officially diagnose you. This will make your college stay far, far easier. They can help you to control it, maybe do some of the aforementioned medication.

In either case, distractions like the ones you mention are a part of life, and you will have situations where you will be completely unable to use foam, ear plugs, white noise through headphones, or what have you, so working now to deal with these distractions instead of just trying to block them out is in your interest. (I know nothing about ADHD except the very general notion, which is another good reason to talk to university counselors (which can be cheap or free) or doctors.)

Re:White Noise

[Anonymous Coward]

www.simplynoise.com/ is an excellent white/pink/brown noise generator.

Library

[Anonymous Coward]

Do what everyone else who lives in a dorm does when they need quiet. Go to the library.

From someone studying acoustics

[rwhealey]

The only thing "soundproof foam" is good for is burning down the building and killing everyone in it. There is no such thing as "soundproof foam."

There are basically two ways airborne sound travels between two rooms: 1) air leaks between the rooms. 2) through a mechanism where the sound wiggles the wall surface on one side, which wiggles the surface on the other side and re-transmits the sound back into the air.

You can stop air leaks with attention to detail during construction - the partitions should go all the way up to the ceiling, and the floor and ceiling joints should be caulked. The only way to stop the second problem is making the wall more difficult to wiggle - or increasing it's mass. Most modern dormitories have moved away from concrete and concrete block construction which is much better at stopping sound to a gypsum wall board on metal stud construction, which is lighter and therefore transmits sound much better.

Unless you want to pour a new 6" concrete wall or line the room in thick lead, you are unlikely to be able to stop the sound transmission. Having maintenance seal the door and windows better may help if there is a leak problem. You can tell by listening around the door. If the sound is much louder near the bottom of the door than elsewhere in the room, you've found the leak.

The best way to approach this problem is to go to audiologist and get fitted for custom earplugs. They will make a mold of your ear and send it to a company like http://www.etymotic.com/hp/erme.html. You can select the filter up to a maximum of -25dB over a much more even bandwidth than cheap earplugs. It will likely solve the problem without introducing masking noise willy-nilly.

That being said, a loudspeaker playing white or pink noise could mask the problem, if you don't mind listening to it. I dislike constant noise, but that would be up to you.

If you're hearing "thumping" of footsteps or feeling the noise problem, that's a different ballgame: structure borne transmission. Buy your upstairs neighbors a thick rug so they don't impact the floor as hard or replace the ceiling with something more rigid...

Re:Or White Noise

[Wizarth]

I'm not a fan of white noise, but at various times and moods I've found other noise types (pink and brown in particular) to be effective. I've used http://simplynoise.com/ in the past as the generator - combined with a set of good headphones, it will block out most sound.

Another alternative I use is orchestral music - specifically, no vocals. This makes it less attention grabbing. But I can't use it when I am trying to be creative/problem solving, for some reason.

Two suggestions that will give you PEACE

[Sir Holo]

Your solution is almost in-hand!

I long-ago created a solution that you will find useful, although created for my own self at the time, in a similar situation.

Play the MP3 "Gray-brown noise.mp3," found at the following public link, on repeat: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/84396909/Gray-Brown%20Noise.mp3

You see, the problem with noise-cancelling headphones is that they cancel repetetive noises. That results in a situation in which human conversation is easier to hear. For an ADHD, ithat's backwards. Right? You need a mask.

In reality, what you want to do is to raise the background level of ambient noise across the entire frequency spectrum, to obscure incidental noises (talking, music, etc.). Play my MP3. Whether you use headphones or speakers, your brain will get used to the monotonous (patternless) broad-band "noise," and will quickly adapt to a base level of "even" noise, so that it will ignore many transients (talking, music, etc.).

I call it gray-brown noise because, well, actually, just see Wikipedia. Anyways, gray noise is equalized to have the same perceived-energy-intensity across all of the octaves of the human range of hearing. So, unlike white noise, which is harsh and high-pitched, this MP3 is gray––it is even. Second, I used a Brownian noise-generator to generate the original 5-miunute sound file. (See Wikipedia, but basically Brownian=random walk vs random distribution of frequency energies––>more natural.) It is gray for me because I have adjusted the equalization to match the response of my over-earbuds (from Brookstone) and my iPod. To attain gray, you may have to play with your equalizer. (But hey, even playing this MP3 " straight" totally kills TONS of distracting ambient noise, as you will easily hear. So, don't sweat the perfection of the "gray" part).

You will have to adjust the equalization to your own computer speakers, or to your chosen type of earphones, to achieve the optimal gray. But, after that, you will be in heaven.

Once adjustments are done, you're set; your brain will quickly get bored of the pattern-less "noise," letting you ignore any spurious auditory input, and just get to work. A bonus is that it covers up lots of ambient and transient noises. That is, it raises the signal floor,the floor above which your brain says, "Hey, what's that noise all about?!?

People can blather, play music, and so on, but if you have your "WALL OF GRAY-BROWN NOISE PRESSURE" up in defense, then you are golden. The BONUS is that NO ONE really hears it. It's background to them; sounds like an airplane engine from inside the cabine). :) Add to that the straight blockage that a pair of earlpugs (from an Audioogist) will provide you, and you will be completely oblivious to all that is around you.

Sincerely,
Sir Holo
sirholo@mac.com

Any thanks from you or other ADHDs (etc.) will make me feel good, knowing that I have helped someone. Feel free to re-post the (unedited) MP3 anywhere (with credit included in meta-data). (

Enjoy!