Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) develops acoustical standards concerned with terminology, measurement procedures and criteria for determining the effects of noise and vibration. Four volunteer committees divide the development of standards into acoustics, mechanical shock and vibration, bioacoustics and noise. These four committees are responsible for producing, developing a consensus for, and adopting standards in accordance with procedures approved by ANSI.

More than 100 acoustical standards have been published by ASA, representing a variety of fields related to sound such as:

• Physics 
• Engineering, including electrical, mechanical, civil and aeronautical 
• Oceanography 
• Biology 
• Architecture (e.g. concert hall design) 
• Speech and hearing 
• Music

ASA standards are used by: 

• Life scientists
• Physiologists 
• Architects 
• Neuroscientists 
• Oceanographers 
• Speech communication specialists 
• Engineers

The scope of ASA publications includes medical acoustics, ultrasonics, underwater communication and surveillance, environmental monitoring, acoustic imaging, the synthesis of speech, and many other areas that are of current and emerging societal interest. ASA publications are used in the development, design and installation of acoustical equipment and protective devices that limit the effects of noise, vibration and shock on humans and equipment.