Professional Studio Design, Acoustic Spaces Engineered for Accurate Translation and Controlled Recording
Acoustic design and sound isolation systems shaped by data, refined through experience, and built for creators who want their room to perform at the highest level.
Integral Studio Design (ISD)™
Our Acoustic Design Philosophy
Our design philosophy is built on the understanding that a world-class studio must do more than simply sound accurate, it must support your body, your creativity, and your identity. ISD brings together three inseparable elements that together create a studio that feels as good as it sounds.
Our studio design philosophy, Integral Studio Design (ISD), has 3 components:
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Truth in sound. Confidence in every decision.
We engineer rooms where translation is predictable, reliable, and effortless. From low-frequency control to listening-position accuracy, every detail is designed to remove guesswork and allow your work to travel exactly as intended. This is the technical foundation your studio is built upon.
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A studio that feels like a deep breath.
Great work happens when your mind, body and spirit are grounded. We design environments that support the nervous system through mechanical quiet, material choices, airflow, lighting design, and spatial calm. The result is a room you can work in all day, focused, steady, and free of fatigue.
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A space that reflects who you are.
Every studio should feel unmistakably yours. We shape the aesthetic, layout, and sensory qualities of the space around your creative rhythm, taste, and workflow. The studio becomes a sanctuary, a place that inspires the moment you walk in and supports your best creative work.
Is This the Right Path for You?
Acoustic Design Services are ideal for producers, artists, engineers, podcasters, composers, and commercial studios who want their space professionally designed from the ground up. If you want predictable performance, exceptional isolation, and a room that sounds right without guesswork…this is your path.
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You want a professionally designed studio that performs at a high level and fits your unique style
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You’re building new construction or renovating a room/space
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You want sound isolation engineered correctly the first time
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You want your room to have accurate monitoring and translation
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You value a collaborative process, clear drawings, and data-driven decisions
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You want oversight and guidance during the build
“A studio should be the place you retreat to for your most honest work. It should be shaped by your aesthetic style, built for your workflow, and accurate enough to trust every sound. When a room is designed to get out of the way, artists feel safe, engineers hear the truth, and the work moves, like magic, without resistance.”
— Zac Marcengill (founder + acoustician)
A Complete Acoustic Design Experience
Every studio space and ground-up build is unique, but the fundamentals remain the same: understanding how isolation, modal behavior, reflection control, diffusion, and HVAC/electrical/audio integration function as an integrated system to create predictable, controlled acoustics. We handle every detail, translating complex technical requirements into clear, build-ready drawings, so you and your contractor can execute with confidence and achieve the intended acoustic performance, aesthetic vision, and the effortless day-to-day workflow that allows you to create freely without distraction.
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We develop the full acoustic profile of your room, predicting modal behavior, optimizing speaker and listener positions, and designing a balanced combination of absorption, diffusion, and reflection control. Every recommendation is based on measured data, simulation results, and the unique acoustic goals of your space, ensuring the room performs predictably and translates accurately.
Modal modeling and frequency-response prediction
Reflection-path analysis and timing control
Speaker and listener position optimization
Absorption and diffusion strategy development
Custom acoustic treatment design or manufactured treatment design (prebuilt treatment shipped to you)
Data-based layout and detailed specification drawings for custom acoustic treatment design or manufactured treatment design
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We design complete sound isolation systems that control airborne and structure-borne noise between rooms, floors, and adjacent spaces. Isolation performance depends on the correct combination of mass, damping, decoupling, air sealing, and mechanical integration. We engineer every assembly and connection point, from walls and ceilings to doors, windows, and penetrations, so your studio achieves the isolation it was designed for, not just what the contractor hopes for.
Walls, ceilings, and floor isolation assemblies
Airborne + structure-borne noise control
Decoupling strategy (clips, channels, or full structures) based on the level of isolation required and the type of structure
Mass, damping, and membrane selection
Door, window, and penetration detailing
Flanking path mitigation
Construction-ready isolation drawings
Coordination with HVAC, electrical, and mechanical systems
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We design isolated electrical and lighting systems specifically for recording studios, ensuring clean power delivery, stable grounding, and noise-free lighting that supports critical listening environments. This includes power distribution planning, circuit isolation, grounding strategy, fixture selection, and lighting layout design based on accurate color temperature and dimming behavior. We coordinate directly with your electrician and provide studio-specific electrical and lighting specifications so the system is installed correctly, reducing or preventing hum, buzz, interference, and lighting noise before they occur. The result is a reliable, quiet/silent, and visually comfortable workspace that supports both technical accuracy and creative flow.
Clean power distribution strategy (dedicated circuits, isolated grounds)
Grounding and bonding design for low-noise or noise-free studio environments
Circuit load planning + breaker separation for audio, HVAC, and lighting
EMI/RFI mitigation for outlets, conduits, and audio-critical paths
Lighting layout design (fixtures, positions, zoning, dimming strategy)
Color temperature + brightness modeling for visual comfort
Flicker-free, noise-free driver + power supply specification
Backlit panels, indirect lighting, and task lighting integration
Electrical penetration coordination with isolation assemblies
Direct collaboration with your electrician for accurate installation
Studio-specific electrical + lighting specifications provided (circuits, loads, dimming, transformers, grounding requirements)
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We produce comprehensive, studio-specific construction drawings that translate every acoustic and isolation requirement into clear, buildable details. Your contractor receives wall, floor, and ceiling assemblies; door and window specifications; HVAC and electrical coordination points; material schedules; and all necessary sections, details, and keynotes to ensure the studio is built exactly as designed. These drawings eliminate ambiguity, prevent common studio construction mistakes, and protect both the acoustic performance and aesthetic intent of the project.
Full architectural-style studio plan set
Wall, ceiling, and floor isolation assemblies
Door & window isolation details + specifications
Acoustic treatment plans, layouts, and sections
Penetration + sealant details for maintaining STC
HVAC, electrical, and lighting coordination notes
Material and hardware schedules
Contractor keynotes + common-mistake prevention
Build-ready drawings for accurate construction execution
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We design HVAC systems specifically for recording studios, where noise control, vibration management, and airflow stability are essential. This includes engineering ductwork routes, airflow velocities, silencer placement, mechanical equipment isolation, and full integration with the studio’s sound isolation assemblies. We collaborate directly with your HVAC technicians and provide the studio-specific mechanical specifications they need to install the system correctly, including duct sizing, pressure requirements, velocity limits, silencer requirements, and isolation details. The result is quiet, comfortable, and predictable ventilation that preserves your isolation performance and supports the acoustic goals of each room.
Studio-specific HVAC requirements for quiet or silent operation
Low-velocity duct routing with engineered airflow paths
Silencer, plenum, and duct liner specification + placement
Mechanical vibration isolation for fans, air handlers, and mini-splits
Airflow, pressure, temperature, humidity, and fresh air control planning for multi-room studios
Penetration detailing to preserve wall, floor, and ceiling isolation assemblies
Electrical noise mitigation strategies for HVAC components
Direct collaboration with your HVAC technician to ensure system design and installation accuracy
Mechanical plans and specifications provided for the HVAC contractor (duct sizing, velocities, silencers, isolation requirements)
Construction-ready HVAC drawings tailored for studio environments
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We use advanced 3D acoustic simulation tools to study how sound behaves inside your room before anything is built, visualizing modal patterns, low-frequency pressure zones, reflection paths, and the impact of different treatment strategies. These simulations allow us to refine speaker/listener placement, geometry, and treatment layout with intention, removing guesswork from the design process. You’ll see clear visual studies that illustrate why each decision is made and how the design evolves to deliver accurate, predictable translation.
3D room modeling to study how sound behaves before construction
Low-frequency modal pattern analysis and pressure-zone mapping
Early-reflection path and energy-distribution studies
Speaker and listener position optimization based on room behavior
Evaluation of geometry, diffusion, and absorption strategies
Visualization of how treatment changes impact the room
Iterative simulation during design development to refine decisions
Clear, easy-to-understand heatmaps and ray-trace diagrams for clients
Simulation-backed acoustic treatment layout and placement recommendations
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We create detailed 3D models and photorealistic renderings of your studio so you can see exactly how the space will look and feel before construction begins. Every material, finish, and fixture is represented with real-world accuracy, including true lighting behavior based on manufacturer IES data, color temperature, and brightness levels, allowing you to make confident design decisions and visualize the final environment in advance.
Full 3D room modeling in SketchUp
Physically accurate VRay renderings
Real-world lighting simulation using IES photometric data
Material + finish visualization (woods, fabrics, metals, treatments)
Color palette + mood evaluation
Fixture, trim, and hardware preview
Layout refinement based on visual + ergonomic outcomes
Pre-construction design approval imagery
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We design the complete room-to-room audio signal infrastructure your studio needs, routing microphone, line-level, digital, and network audio between spaces while preserving isolation performance and ensuring uncompromised signal quality. This includes planning all conduit paths, specifying cable types, designing penetrations that maintain STC performance, and creating custom wall panel and patchbay layouts based on your workflow. We coordinate directly with your installer and electrician so the wiring is installed correctly, cleanly, and without introducing hum, buzz, or grounding issues. The result is a studio that feels effortless to use, where every room connects exactly the way you need it to.
Room-to-room audio + network signal path design
Conduit layouts + cable routing that preserve isolation assemblies
Microphone, line-level, speaker, and digital audio integration (AES, MADI, Dante)
Custom wall panel, floor box, and patchbay configuration
Cable type + termination specification
Balanced/unbalanced pathway design + EMI/RFI mitigation
Grounding interaction review with electrical system
Installer + electrician coordination to ensure proper installation
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We guide your contractor through the unique requirements of studio construction, ensuring the isolation systems, acoustic treatments, and mechanical details are installed correctly and perform as intended. Throughout the build, we review progress, answer contractor questions, verify critical assemblies, and provide real-time solutions when field conditions change. This oversight protects the acoustic performance you’re investing in and prevents the common mistakes that compromise isolation, introduce noise, or reduce the room’s accuracy.
Contractor coordination and interpretation of studio drawings
Review of isolation assemblies before enclosure
Verification of decoupling, mass, damping, and sealant application
Oversight of door, window, and penetration installation
HVAC, electrical, and mechanical integration checks
Field adjustments and real-time problem-solving
Weekly or milestone-based construction review (remote or on-site)
Identification and prevention of common isolation and acoustic failures
Final walkthrough of critical assemblies before closure
A Clear, Predictable Design Process
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We evaluate your goals, your space, your workflow, and your priorities.
You get clarity on feasibility, budget, and the right acoustic direction.
Deliverables:
Consultation
Scope + budget clarity
Project brief
Acoustic goals and constraints
Timeline expectations
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We model the room, identify issues before they become expensive, and engineer your isolation and room acoustic systems.
Deliverables:
Modal analysis
Isolation diagrams
HVAC/Electrical planning
Preliminary renderings
Treatment strategy
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You receive a complete set of drawings and documents your builder can follow with confidence. This is where your studio becomes a buildable plan.
Deliverables:
Drawing set
Material specs
Dimensions
Construction notes
Panel layouts
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We help ensure that your studio is built the way it was designed — fewer mistakes, fewer change orders, and better performance.
Deliverables:
In-progress reviews
Contractor coordination
Punch-list corrections
Messaging + file support
Why Clients Choose Audio Virtue?
Designing a high-performance studio isn’t about guessing, copying someone else’s build, or taking advice from forums. It requires engineering, modeling, and an understanding of how sound behaves in real spaces + how construction choices affect performance.
We bring almost two decades of experience designing studios, analyzing data, and solving isolation and room acoustic challenges in real-world projects.
What sets us apart:
Data-driven acoustic design
Real simulation + modeling (not rules of thumb)
Experience across studios, venues, and commercial spaces
Construction-ready drawings that eliminate guesswork
Clear communication and high integrity
A process shaped around your workflow and goals
Critical support during construction
Book a Studio Planning Session
Plan your dream studio with expert guidance! Book your Studio Planning Session and get the confidence to build your project right the first time.
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Our Studio Planning Sessions are built for everyone, no matter the budget or project size.
Whether you’re interested in onboarding as a design client or planning to DIY your studio’s design, build, or treatment yourself, this session gives you the confidence and expertise to plan your studio well and prevent common mistakes from the start.
Perfect for professionals, DIYers, architects, and builders who want seamless room acoustic, sound isolation, mechanical, and/or architectural integration—or need help fixing what’s not working.
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Gain expert insight into your project’s acoustic, isolation, and integration requirements. In these sessions we:
Analyze your studio plans and requirements
Identify potential challenges, common mistakes, and opportunities to maximize acoustic performance
Outline solutions for achieving optimal sound performance specific to your use case
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Your Studio Planning Session is a focused strategy call where we apply 16+ years of acoustic design expertise directly to your project. You’ll get personalized guidance on sound isolation, room acoustics, and systems integration—plus expert insight into the most effective path forward.
Not sure what level of service you need? This session brings clarity. It helps you understand your space, your options, and the smartest way to move toward your goals—efficiently and confidently.