Thevenuespeopleremembersoundasgoodastheylook.
We work with architects and interior designers to integrate audio at design stage, so the sonic layer of your venue is resolved before compromises are forced.
Claude's at Chotto Matte
An intimate basement members' lounge beneath Chotto Matte in Soho, designed by Nadia Sousa of Superfutures. The interior layers sculptural seating, saturated colour and muralled surfaces within a tightly controlled lighting scheme.
We designed and integrated a complete audio system aligned to the architectural intent, with sound carrying weight and physicality while remaining visually and perceptually discreet.
View full case study“Sound was treated not as an overlay, but as an embedded spatial component.”
Tariq Ibrahim, Director, Sonic Design Studios
Most hospitality venues get sound wrong. Not because of the equipment. Because it is addressed too late.
Audio is typically the last line item, specified after the interior is fixed and the ceiling is closed. By that point, the best options are already off the table. Speakers are positioned for convenience rather than coverage. Acoustic problems get patched rather than prevented. The system works, but it never quite feels right.
The result is a venue that looks exceptional and sounds ordinary. Guests notice it even when they cannot name it. Staff turn the volume up to compensate. The atmosphere the design team intended is quietly undermined.
We exist to prevent that. Our consultancy brings audio into the design conversation at schematic stage, alongside lighting, materials and spatial planning, so sound is resolved as architecture, not added as an afterthought.
Every venue type has a different sonic brief
Fine Dining & Restaurants
Acoustic comfort, discreet speaker placement, and zoning that shifts energy from lunch through to late evening service. We work with the interior scheme so audio supports the atmosphere at every cover.
Restaurant sound designMembers’ Clubs & Lounges
Immersive, intimate sound that carries physicality without volume. Concealed systems that align with bespoke interiors, often across multiple rooms with distinct identities and independently controlled zones.
Bars, Late Night & Events
Systems that perform under pressure with real headroom, energy and tonal quality. From rooftop cocktail bars to nightclub-grade installations, designed for long operational hours and high SPL without fatigue.
Hotels & Spa
Lobby to suite, pool to restaurant. Multi-zone systems with centralised control, designed around guest experience and operational simplicity. Sound that reinforces the brand identity of the property.
Flagship Retail & Experiential
Audio as brand expression. Sculptural speaker systems, immersive soundscapes and precisely controlled zones that shape how customers experience a space and linger within it.
Co-Working & Creative
Acoustic separation, ambient sound design and presentation-grade systems for meeting spaces. Designed to support focus, privacy and collaboration without the clinical feel of conventional office AV.
Three stages. One principle: resolve sound before the ceiling closes.
We join the design team at schematic stage and remain through to commissioning. The process is collaborative, structured around the project timeline, and designed to prevent the costly rework that happens when audio is left until fit-out.
Acoustic Blueprint
Sonic strategy, system concept and spatial analysis. We define what the venue needs to sound like and map that against the architectural intent, materials schedule and MEP coordination.
Engineered Procurement
Detailed specification, product selection and sourcing. Every component is chosen for the project, not from a template. We coordinate directly with contractors and the design team.
Precision Commissioning
On-site installation oversight, system calibration and final tuning. We stay until the venue sounds exactly as intended, and we hand over a system the operators can actually use.
Bisushima, Covent Garden
A design-forward Japanese restaurant where the audio system needed to match the precision of the interior. We specified and integrated a concealed system delivering clear, warm coverage across multiple dining zones, from the intimate sushi counter through to the main floor.
The system transitions seamlessly from daytime ambience through to a higher-energy evening service without any manual intervention.
View project
The Designer's Guide to Cognitive Load
Designing for Neurological Comfort
and Human Performance.
Is Your Space Fatiguing
Your Guests?
Our guide to Cognitive Load explains the science
behind guest exhaustion, the Lombard Effect, and how
to maintain the energy band that drives dwell time,
spend, and return visits.
Introducing the Cognitive Load Index (CLI),
a framework for measuring what people feel,
not just what the equipment records.
“From the initial consultation through to final installation, the process was smooth, professional, and impressively efficient. The end result exceeded expectations, not only in performance but in aesthetic integration.”
Danio Domingues
Porto Arts Club / Carbone London
What venue teams ask us
Open-plan venues present specific challenges around reverberation, speech intelligibility and zone separation. We model the acoustic behaviour of the space early in the design process, specifying absorption, diffusion and speaker placement to create distinct sonic zones within a single open volume.
Yes. Most hospitality projects require independent zones, for example a bar, dining room, private dining area and terrace. Each zone can be controlled separately for volume, source and scheduling, while the system remains cohesive across the venue as a whole.
We focus on the physical audio system and acoustic environment rather than playlist curation. However, we ensure the system is specified to reproduce the genre and energy level the operator intends, and we can advise on streaming platforms and source quality.
Design changes are normal. Because we work alongside the design team from schematic stage, we adapt our specification as the layout evolves. Speaker positions, zone boundaries and infrastructure routes are updated in coordination with the wider drawing set.
Commissioning typically takes one to three days depending on the size and complexity of the venue. This includes system calibration, acoustic measurement, zone tuning and handover to the operations team.
Let'sresolvethesoniclayerofyournextproject.
Whether you are at concept stage or approaching fit-out, a conversation now can prevent the compromises that come from addressing audio too late.