Effects of sound-masking on the soundscape of urban public spaces with multiple noises

복합소음 공간의 Soundscape에 대한 사운드 마스킹의 효과

A sound-masking technique was applied to the urban public spaces with multiple noises in order to reduce the annoyance of the construction and traffic noise. In addition, the effects of masking system were investigated in order to improve the soundscape. In several urban spaces, building construction and nearby road traffic noise were recorded using a head and torso simulator and sound quality (SQ) system which specifies the spectral and temporal aspects of the noises. The sound-masking system which consists of the distributed speakers and control devices was applied to the boundaries of the construction sites. Synthesized masking sounds were produced with consideration of SQ characteristics of the multiple noise. Subjective evaluations on the soundscape were conducted to verify effectiveness of the system under the conditions with and without the masker sounds.