Sound masking in a large open-plan office
Acoustics & Sound

Sound Masking for Speech Privacy

Sound masking adds a low, tuned background sound that keeps conversations from carrying. We design, install, and commission the VoiceArrest system by MPS Acoustics for projects across the country. Site review comes before any price.

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Site Review & Field Measurement Specification & Quoting Delivery & Installation
What It Is

The problem isn't noise. It's intelligibility.

Open offices distract because they're quiet enough to understand every conversation around you. Sound masking raises the background level with a spectrum tuned to cover speech, so nearby talk blurs into the room. The office feels calmer, not louder.

We install VoiceArrest by MPS Acoustics. Rackmount smart controllers power every speaker and sensor, sensors adjust the masking level to the room as it changes, and a patented setup process equalizes each zone faster and more accurately than manual tuning. It's built for open plan and hybrid offices, and it's why the site review comes first.

Open workspace with sound masking coverage
Sound masking in an open workspace · MPS Acoustics
Where It Works

Where masking is the right tool.

Open Offices

Cut conversation-carry across the floor so headphones stop being office equipment.

Hybrid Offices

Adaptive volume tracks the room, so half-full days sound as good as busy ones.

Healthcare

Speech privacy in waiting rooms, corridors, and consult areas.

Banks & Financial

Protect client conversations where confidentiality is the product.

Law & Professional Services

Keep privileged conversations from traveling past the door.

HR & Private Offices

Fix walls that look private but leak every word.

Quiet zone in an open-plan office
Quiet zone in an open plan · Autex Acoustics
Options & Systems

The VoiceArrest system, configured to your floor.

One networked platform, specified to your ceiling types, zones, and privacy targets.

Open-plan workplace with even masking coverage

Adaptive Volume

Sensors read ambient noise and adjust the masking level automatically. Changes happen too gradually to notice.

Tuned open workspace

Automatic Equalization

A patented setup process tunes each zone faster and more accurately than manual calibration.

Multi-zone office and common area

Networkable Multi-Zone Control

Independent zones put the right volume in the right space, all managed from one controller.

VoiceArrest sound masking speaker

Five Speaker Types

Grid, drywall, or open deck. Speakers typically hang above the ceiling tiles, with options for every condition.

Open exposed-ceiling workspace

Open & Exposed Ceilings

Surface and pendant options keep coverage even in spaces without a grid.

Hospitality lobby with background audio

Paging & Music Integration

Overhead paging and background audio can ride the same infrastructure.

Why This Is Quoted

No two projects price the same.

Masking is priced by design, not by speaker count alone. These variables set the quote, so we verify them on site first.

01
Coverage areaSquare footage sets speaker counts and cabling runs.
02
Ceiling typeGrid, drywall, open deck, and mixed ceilings each need a different speaker strategy.
03
Zoning complexityMore independent zones means more control hardware and tuning time.
04
Private office treatmentMasking inside offices and at doors is its own design decision.
05
IntegrationPaging, music, and network control add components and configuration.
06
Building conditionsPlenum contents, cable pathways, and access affect installation labor.
07
Commissioning scopeMeasurement and tuning time scales with zones and privacy targets.
08
Phasing & occupied workCeiling work over occupied floors gets scheduled and protected.
How We Work

From first conversation to final walkthrough.

One team owns the project end to end. A single point of contact from consultation through punch list.

01

Consultation

We walk the space, find where privacy and distraction problems live, and set targets by zone.

02

Site Review & Field Measure

Ceiling types, plenum conditions, and cable pathways. The details that decide the design.

03

Design & Specification

Speaker layout, zoning, and controls, plus any paging or audio integration.

04

Quote & Approval

One complete quote covering equipment, installation, and commissioning.

05

Delivery & Installation

We install, tune every zone, and adjust after your team has lived with it.

Worth Thinking Through

What separates good masking from regretted masking.

Commissioning makes the system

An untuned system is either ineffective or annoying. There is no third outcome. Every system we install is measured, tuned, and verified zone by zone.

Ramp up in occupied space

Switch on at full level and you get complaints. We bring levels up gradually over days so the sound arrives unnoticed, which is the whole point.

Masking complements, it doesn't replace

Masking handles speech privacy. It won't fix echo or a bad layout. Absorption and sensible planning often belong in the same scope, and we'll tell you when they do.

Design the quiet zones too

Not everywhere should be masked equally. Focus rooms, wellness rooms, and AV-heavy spaces get their own zone decisions, not one level everywhere.

Manufacturer Partner

We install the VoiceArrest sound masking system by MPS Acoustics. Their engineering and hardware, our design, installation, and commissioning.

MPS Acoustics VoiceArrest
Questions We Hear

Sound Masking FAQ

How much does sound masking cost?+
It's priced by design: coverage area, ceiling types, zoning, and commissioning scope all move the number, which is why we quote rather than publish a price. Send a floor plan and we'll return a budget range quickly.
Will it make our office louder?+
The background level rises slightly, but perception goes the other way. Speech stops carrying, so the space feels calmer. Well-tuned masking is something people only notice when it's off.
Can it be installed in an occupied office?+
Yes. Most of the work happens above the ceiling and can run after hours or in phases, and we ramp the level in gradually so the change goes unnoticed.
Does masking work in private offices?+
Yes, and offices are often where it's needed most, since standard walls leak speech. Office and corridor zones get designed deliberately, not as an afterthought to the open plan.
How is this different from white noise machines?+
Consumer machines make an untuned hiss in one spot. VoiceArrest delivers a speech-frequency spectrum evenly across zones, with sensors that keep the level right as the room changes. Different product, different result.
What do you need to quote a system?+
A floor plan, ceiling types by area, and a walk-through. We'll map the zones, note the conditions, and return a complete design-and-install quote.
Often Part of the Same Project

Related solutions.

Acoustic Wall Panels

Acoustic Wall Panels

Wall-mounted absorption that cuts echo and looks intentional.

 Ceiling Baffles

Ceiling Baffles

Suspended acoustic fins that treat noise from above without touching walls.

 Office Pods

Office Pods

Phone booths, focus pods, and meeting pods that drop into open plans.
Layered acoustic environment
Start Your Project

If everyone can hear everything, let's fix that.

Send plans, photos, or project goals. Based in Upstate NY, supporting projects nationwide.

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Photography courtesy of Parlor City Furniture manufacturer partners: MPS Acoustics · Autex Acoustics · CARVART.

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