Approximately 50 million Americans work in open plan offices. Open plan offices are environments in which workers do their job in closely-grouped cubicles. Though these cubicles are more space-efficient and improve the communication between workers, they are an acoustic challenge.

Conventional walls have now given way to modular workstations, more workers are making use of the same space, and everybody is seated near one another. But you will also see that, the latest building methods, absorptive actions, and quieter office equipment have considerably lowered the surrounding sound level and office noise has been reduced considerably.

An answer to the problem which has proven to be especially effective is to mask the sound with what is termed "white noise". Sound masking systems consist of speakers which emit unstructured sound throughout a factory or office. This is often described as sounding like the humming of a gentle breeze.

Sound masking has the advantage of decreasing disturbances and providing a comfortable working atmosphere. It is easy to set up a sound masking system in new or existing facilities of any size and it offers a better way of resolving acoustic troubles at low cost without requiring any structural changes.

If you have ever tried running the water in the sink while attempting to talk with someone in an adjoining room, you are aware of the phenomenon of sound masking. Though you know that the other person is talking, it is very difficult to understand what they are saying because of the increased amount of sound in your area produced by the running water.

At this point, we should discuss the definition of a "noise floor". This term is used by sound engineers to describe the ambient sound level in your environment. If it is too high, you might be annoyed by the "background noise". Conversely, if it is too low, typical sounds such as people talking in the distance might become a nuisance.

Privacy can be achieved via masking, which establishes a noise level sufficient to hide intrusive noises, but sufficiently low so as not to be bothersome, usually in the range of 42-48 dBA. Thus these systems can successfully drown out irritating sounds while not being disruptive themselves.

It is said that about 50 million Americans do their job in open plan offices, and suffer considerable interruption as a result. Cubicles usually make better use of space and improve communication flow, but they are an acoustic challenge. The main benefit of sound masking includes reduced conversational distractions, and a more relaxed working atmosphere. Thus, privacy can be achieved via masking, which establishes a noise level sufficient to hide intrusive noises, but sufficiently low so as not to be bothersome. Modern buildings with absorptive walls and quiet machines have decreased the ambient level of office noise, reducing interruptions considerably.