Bonnie Schnitta
President / Owner
Dr. Bonnie Schnitta has used her degrees in Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, and Signal Processing to pioneer vast improvements in residential and commercial acoustics. Since 1981 she has worked to combine her experience in acoustical engineering, academic research in signal processing (inclusive of active noise cancellation), and patented concepts to create a unique design-build acoustical engineering firm, SoundSense, LLC. Additionally, Dr. Schnitta has researched and patented a line of proprietary acoustical products and created an installation division to guarantee the optimum client-tailored acoustic environment.
Dr. Schnitta has authored numerous articles on such topics as signal processing and acoustics management, inclusive of the Harvard award winning theory on semantic data compression. Dr. Schnitta holds several patents, including an acoustical plumbing trap system, a method for analyzing activity in a signal, and the Paradise Effect™, a proprietary algorithm for the creation of an acoustically correct and soothing environment.
In 2011/2012 Dr. Bonnie Schnitta was awarded three additional patents. The first patent was the “Sound Focusing Mechanism and Method of Estimating Acoustic Leakage of an Object and Method of Estimating Transmission Loss of an Object”, also known as the dB Focus Tube. The dB Focus Tube is a small, portable acoustic testing mechanism designed to help determine the presence of construction or design deficiencies in ceiling/floor assemblies, wall partitions, etc. These deficiencies compromise acoustical efficacy and lead to unwanted “sound leakage.” SoundSense engineers use the device in a variety of applications, such as home theaters, media rooms, mechanical enclosures, single-family residences, luxury condominiums, multi-family dwellings, windows, doors, and more.
The final [two] patents awarded the end of 2011 to Dr. Bonnie and two pending patents cover the following new SoundSense products:
- Tuning tubes that can be used to correct the acoustic environment of a room. They are washable so they can be used in schools and hospitals, as well as commercial and residential applications. The tuning tubes are typically hidden in unique architectural elements, such as molding, beams, and baseboards, that improve the acoustics of the room and allow the room design to be released from the standard design constraints of fabric wrapped panels, subwoofers, or diffusers,
- A speaker back with a fire rating of more than 1-1/2 hours that inhibits sound from going to adjacent rooms, or apartments, while simultaneously enhancing the resultant sound of the speaker, a ceiling treatment with a fire rating that when used in conjunction with lighting or other holes in a ceiling can convert a ceiling into a Helmholtz resonator, and
- A recessed light acoustic enclosure which prevents sound that has entered into a ceiling or wall by means of a fixture from traveling to the room, or apartment above, and a muffler used to allow airflow in and out of a mechanical unit or enclosure, while simultaneously reducing or eliminating the noise emanating from the unit.
SoundSense provides acoustic consulting and design services, integrated delivery solutions, efficacy and compliance testing, site inspection services, and innovative acoustical products. Through over 30 years of extensive research, development, and collaboration, SoundSense has developed an expansive portfolio of acoustical products and project experience.