How we work
Targets first. Drawings next. Then the system, tuned.
Every project runs the same way: the room gets written targets from published standards, the design is worked out and drawn in full, and the system is calibrated to the finished room.
Where a standard is named on this page, it is a design reference — the source of a target — not a claim of certification or a test result.
- Background noise — NC criterion (ANSI/ASA S12.2; SMPTE RP 141 for screening rooms)
- Reverberation — EBU Tech 3276 / ITU-R BS.1116 for critical listening; DIN 18041 and BB93 for speech rooms
- Isolation — STC / Rw ratings (ASTM E413, ISO 717-1)
- Loudspeaker layout — ITU-R BS.775 / BS.2051 and the format makers’ installation guides
- Screen and seating — viewing angle, resolution distance and sightlines
- Level calibration — Dolby’s home guidance (79–82 dB SPL(C) for −20 dBFS pink noise) and SMPTE RP 200 for cinema reference
- Bass management — 80 Hz crossover default, LFE +10 dB in band (ATSC A/52)
Brief
What the room is for, who uses it and how, the experience you want, the budget and the constraints. For a theatre: screen format, number of seats and the audio format the system will play.
You receive
Scope note
Room information
Dimensions, construction, openings, what is above, below and beside the room, and the building services — taken from your architectural drawings, photographs and the brief.
You receive
Design basis
Targets
Before anything is drawn, the room gets written targets — how quiet it must be, how much sound must be kept in or out, how long it should ring, and where every seat and loudspeaker sits. Each target comes from a published reference.
Learn: RT60 and reverberation →References
You receive
Target sheet
Design and calculation
The room is worked out on paper first: room modes from the dimensions, reverberation from the planned treatment, riser heights from the sightlines, loudspeaker angles from the reference seat, and the level each loudspeaker can deliver at the farthest seat.
Learn: Room modes and room dimensions →You receive
Calculations
CAD drawing set
Everything the builder, the interior designer and the installer need, drawn to scale: plans and sections, screen and seating with sightlines, loudspeaker layout with angles and heights, treatment layout with a material and thickness schedule, isolation details for walls, ceiling, floor and door, and notes for air-conditioning and every penetration.
Learn: Construction details for isolation →You receive
CAD drawings
Build
The room is built from the drawings. Site questions, substitutions and clashes are resolved with the builder and the designer as the work happens, and details are revised where the site needs it. Where we supply the system, we install it.
You receive
Revised details
Calibration at handover
With the room finished and the system in its designed positions, every channel is set at the seats: levels, distances and delays, crossovers, subwoofer level and alignment, and room correction applied where it helps. The settings are documented and saved.
Learn: Calibrating a home theatre →References
You receive
Settings file
Learn
The physics behind every step is public.
The Learn section explains each decision above in plain language, with the figures and their sources — with reading paths for homeowners, AV integrators, architects and builders.
Go to Learn →Questions
Common questions
Do you need to visit the room?
Not always. For a room that is still on drawings, the architectural drawings, the construction build-ups and a good brief are enough to design from. For an existing room, photographs, dimensions and a clear description of the problem get us most of the way; we say when a visit is worth it.
What does “designed against a standard” mean here?
It means the target comes from that standard’s published figures and the design is worked out to meet it. It is not a certificate or a test result, and we never claim compliance with something that hasn’t been tested.
Can you work with our architect, interior designer or AV integrator?
Yes, and usually we do. The drawings are made to be used by them: the interior designer finishes over the treatment, the builder builds the isolation, and the integrator installs to the loudspeaker layout.
Do I have to buy equipment from you?
No. Equipment is chosen for the room and the targets, not by brand. We can supply and install a system, or design the room for a system you or your integrator are supplying.
Start a project
Start with the brief.
Tell us what the room is for, its size and where it is. We'll reply with the next step and what we'd need from you.