Audio Consultancy, London
Architectural sound design
We design sound systems, acoustic strategy and integrated audio environments for hospitality, residential and cultural spaces.
Sound designed in, not added on.
Architectural sound design means the acoustics and the system are resolved from the first drawing, coordinated to the room rather than retrofitted into a finished one. We work for hospitality operators, private clients, and the architects and designers building for them.
Sound is a measurable line on the P&L.
Revenue lift when music fits the brand, versus a generic playlist
HUI Research and Soundtrack Your Brand, controlled field experiment, 2017Longer at the table under slower tempo music, 56 minutes versus 45
Milliman, Journal of Consumer Research, 1986Above this level sweetness perception is suppressed and umami is enhanced, changing how food tastes
Yan and Dando, Cornell University, 2015The Lombard effect
As room noise rises, guests raise their voices, which raises room noise again. The loop is broken by controlling reverberation with placed absorption, not by specifying louder loudspeakers. This is why volume is a symptom and the room is the cause.
Sources are independent published research. Figures describe the studies cited and are not projections for any individual venue.
Their team combines deep technical expertise with a genuine passion for delivering high-quality audio-visual solutions, and it truly shows in every detail of their work.
Loved working with Tariq. He's always gone the extra mile for us. Highly recommend.
Professional, transparent, courteous, and really crunched the job in a timely manner. The speakers sound, and look, incredible. Tariq was available throughout the install to answer any queries we had.
Reviews published on Google. Some predate the studio's current name and were left for Sonic Installations Ltd, trading as Sonic Design Studios.
Why rooms get loud, and how they are fixed
A room is making a sound whether or not anyone designed it. Hard finishes hold energy, energy raises the noise floor, and the noise floor raises every voice in the room. By the time an operator hears the complaint, the cause is in the ceiling, the glazing and the floor, not in the sound system.
The fix is decided at drawing stage. Absorption placed against the reflected ceiling plan, materials chosen against the finishes schedule, and zoning set against how the room actually trades across a service. Specified late, the same result costs three times as much and looks like it was added afterwards, because it was.
Clients and collaborators
Ben Adams Architects · Superfutures Design Studio · MASSLAB · Pequod Acoustics · Void Acoustics · K-array · 1 Sound USA · Powersoft · Apex Audio
Three areas of practice
Projects where the room and the system were resolved together.
How an engagement works
Most projects reach us at RIBA Stage 2 or 3. Earlier is better, later is workable.
Acoustic blueprint
Site survey, material guidance against the finishes schedule, CAD layouts, DSP signal paths and infrastructure requirements issued to the design team.
Engineered procurement
Component level specification chosen on performance and appearance, tender ready documentation, contractor coordination.
Precision commissioning
Installation oversight, room tuning and DSP alignment by measurement microphone, as built documentation and handover.
Completed projects typically run between £20,000 and £120,000 across design, specification, hardware and commissioning. Design and consultancy can be engaged on their own.
What it costs
Sound belongs in the operating strategy, designed in from the first drawing.
Sound left to chance
A room that is uncomfortable to talk in shortens visits, suppresses spend, discourages return and surfaces in the reviews that decide whether the next guest books at all.
Sound designed early
Designed early and well, sound lengthens stays, lifts spend, protects your reviews and makes the room unmistakably yours.
Mondo-DR · Architecture Magazine · The World of Interiors
Ready to make audio a design feature?
Book a 30 minute audio integration review to identify early acoustic risks in your layout and explore the path to an effortless, high performance environment.
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