Noise Action Week - April 2010

Noise Action Week 2010 will take place from 26th - 30th April 2010 and is held to raise awareness of issues caused by neighbour noise. Neighbour noise is very much an on-going problem faced by many people and the purpose of this week is to raise awareness of solutions available and the best way of dealing with the problem.
During this week International Noise Awareness day also coincides on the 29th April.
Further information can be found at http://www.environmental-protection.org.uk/noiseactionweek/

For you musicians out there!

This link will be useful for any unsigned band or musician ... a great source of info
http://www.muzicindustryonline.com/

Acoustic Mirror - Malta

If you are travelling out to the island of Malta this summer and you are interested in acoustic engineering and World War II, you may find this landmark worth a visit. It is believed to be the only acoustic mirror built outside of the UK.

Built as an early warning system from enemy aircraft during 1934, the acoustic mirror is located at 'Maghtab' in between Sliema and Bugibba, a little off the beaten track but nevertheless not too hard to find. We travelled by hire car but still accessible by Malta's excellent (and renowned!!) bus service. Ask any of the 'locals' for directions, who refer to it as 'Il widna' ... Maltese for 'the ear'. Although the land now is owned by MaltaCom you can still get close enough to see the camouflage painting which is still visible blending the surrounding natural landscape.

During trials it was established that the range of the acoustic mirror was 21 to 37 miles, with an average of 25 miles, in contrast, the range of an unaided human ear was just 5 miles. It was estimated that this would provide a 6 minute warning of enemy aircraft approach at 250 mph.

Andrew Grantham has a special interest in Acoustic Mirrors and more information can be found at http://www.andrewgrantham.co.uk/soundmirrors/locations/il-widna-malta/

BAA Annual Conference 2010

The British Academy of Audiology Annual Conference to be held on 10th - 12th November 2010 at the Edinburgh International Convention Centre for Audiology Professionals and allied industries.

Soundproofing a band practice room

We very often get asked the question…. ‘We want to convert our garden shed into a music practice room for our rock band… can we effectively soundproof it so not to annoy our neighbours’? Our budget is also very limited!..... read more