Acoustics
Know how the room will behave before it is built.
Predicting room modes, reverberation and coverage from the drawings, so problems are solved on paper rather than discovered on site.
A model is a prediction, never a result. Everything from a model is labelled as such on this site and in our reports.
The problem
On site is the expensive place to find out.
Once walls are up and finishes are on, every acoustic change costs money and time. A ceiling height that traps a mode, a seating row in a null, a hard rear wall facing a hard screen wall — these are cheap to fix in a drawing and expensive to fix in a finished room.
Modelling takes the dimensions and materials you are planning and predicts how the room will behave. It doesn't replace measurement; it tells you what to expect, and where the risks are, while changes are still easy.
How we approach it
A method, not a product list.
What you receive
- Room-mode analysis
- Predicted reverberation by band
- Coverage and reflection study
- Comparison of design options
- Model report
- 01
Build the model
Room geometry, surfaces and planned materials taken from the architectural drawings.
- 02
Predict low frequencies
Room modes from the dimensions, and where they will help or hurt at the seats.
- 03
Predict reverberation
Decay times by frequency band for the planned finishes, compared with the target for the room's use.
- 04
Test alternatives
Different proportions, materials or seating positions compared, so the trade-offs are visible.
- 05
Report
What the model predicts, how confident we are, and the design decisions that follow from it.
Standing waves between two walls
IllustrationAt low frequencies, sound bouncing between parallel walls forms fixed patterns of high and low pressure. A seat at a peak hears too much bass; a seat at a null hears too little. We predict these patterns from the room's dimensions before choosing seat and subwoofer positions.
Questions
Common questions
Is modelling worth it for a small room?
Small rooms are exactly where low-frequency problems are worst, because the dimensions and the wavelengths are close in size. Even a simple modal analysis of a small room can change where the seats and subwoofers go.
How accurate is a model?
It depends on how well the inputs match reality — dimensions, construction and material properties. It predicts trends and problem areas reliably; exact values depend on what is actually built, which is why we measure afterwards.
What do you need from my architect?
Plans and sections with dimensions, the proposed construction build-ups, and the finishes schedule if it exists. We can start from outline drawings and refine as the design develops.
Can modelling fix a room that's already built?
It can help explain what's happening and test remedies before you spend on them, but for an existing room we'd measure first — the real behaviour is available, so there's no need to guess at it.
Works together with
Related services
Acoustic design
We model the room, set acoustic targets, design the treatment and measure the result — for home theatres, auditoriums, conference rooms and studios.
Acoustic measurement
Measurement of how a room actually behaves — before design, and again after the work is done — so decisions rest on data instead of opinion.
Acoustic treatment
Absorption, bass trapping and diffusion, placed where the room needs them — with the quantity and position worked out before anything is ordered.
Start a project
Ready to create a better listening space?
Tell us about the room — what it's for, its size and where the project is. We'll reply with the right next step.