Our services
Acoustic Directions offers a wide range of acoustical and electro-acoustical services. Click on the service icons below to learn more:
Acoustic Assessments & Reports
Noise and vibration design and assessments for commercial, industrial, entertainment and residential sectors according to council requirements and EPA guidelines. Includes aircraft, floor impact, mechanical, road/rail and music noise.
Architectural & Building Acoustics
Comprehensive advice, design and documentation for all aspects of the built environment. Our design process emphasises acoustic comfort and functionality.
Noise Control & Monitoring
Noise modelling and design for corporate, industrial, construction and entertainment situations. Short and long-term monitoring of noise/vibration to assess compliance with statutory codes, industrial noise exposure or indoor acoustic comfort.
Sound Systems
Award-winning independent design, advice and specification for all types of situations in which quality and clarity are vital. Site commissioning and testing to optimise listeners’ experience and exacting performance standards.
Residential Floor Assessments
Floor impact noise testing and advice to meet building codes and strata by-laws. Comprehensive service to determine achievable acoustic ratings in apartment buildings for strata managers and owners corporation.
Expert Witness & Audio Forensics
Accurate and thorough acoustic assessments for government, commercial, and strata entities to provide robust legal arguments for court and tribunal hearings. Processing of audio recordings to enhance speech clarity and minimise unwanted noise.
Audio Induction Loops
Independent design and advice for optimal speech clarity tailored for each situation. Site commissioning and testing of loops systems to ensure high-quality sound and standards are met.
Product Development & Testing
Tailored assistance to acoustic and audio manufacturers with development of sound absorption and noise isolation products, headphones, loudspeakers and audio electronics.
Equipment Hire
Tapping machine, noise logger and sound level meters and 3D impulse-response analyser for field and laboratory applications.
About us
High level expertise meets holism-in-design
Acoustic Directions is a firm of acoustic consultants based in Sydney, Australia.
Our passion for good sound, physics, music and performance are hallmarks of Acoustic Directions’ approach to projects.
Our strong theoretical and experiential platforms give us the confidence to innovate effectively. We take pride in fully understanding our clients’ needs and the associated issues. With absolute attention to detail, solutions are custom designed to the specific needs of each situation. This gives our clients the security of knowing the solution has been well considered and is optimum.
Our tools for developing acoustic solutions are acoustical and electro-acoustical theory, mathematical precision, computer modelling, and complex acoustic measurements.
Our holism-in-design approach is a key part of finding solution for problems in which architecture, sound clarity and operational issues are important. By understanding the interdependence of these domains, we can generate solutions that address a wide range of problems.
Selected Projects by Acoustic Directions
Acoustic Directions is an Award-winning AAAC member firm
Our team
Latest news
Peter Barnett Memorial Award
We are proud to announce that Glenn Leembruggen (Principal of Acoustic Directions) was awarded the 2021 Peter Barnett Memorial Award for his contributions to the acoustics and electro-acoustics industries.Presented by the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) in the United Kingdom, this award recognises advancements and technical excellence in the fields of electro-acoustics, speech intelligibility, and education […]
Supawood Certified Compliance Webinar
Osborn Fong recently presented a section for Supawood’s webinar “Certified Compliance for Peace of Mind”. He addressed the importance of acoustic compliance when designing and specifying internal lining and framing products. He also delved into the potential pitfalls of using a single number rating when describing the performance of an acoustic product, the benefits of […]
AAAC Hugh Vivian Taylor award
We are delighted to announce that Acoustic Directions and PKA Acoustic Consulting have been awarded the winners of the 2021 Hugh Vivian Taylor Award for their work on The Passive Noise Guide for the City of Sydney. This guide was developed to explore how natural ventilation in apartment buildings could be achieved, while also providing […]
Predicting Patron Noise Levels in Restaurants and Bars. An Extension to the J.H Rindel’s Method.
Glenn Leembruggen recently gave a presentation at the Australian Acoustical Society (AAS) Making Waves 2021 Acoustic Conference in Wollongong. His presentation delved into the process of accurately predicting patron noise levels in restaurants and bars using an extension to J.H Rindels’ calculation method. Glenn’s study explored both small to medium sized restaurants, and large bistro […]
Food for thought while you’re stuck in isolation
While we are missing the social dining-out experience and have to make do with limited take-away-only menus and higher prices, let us take a minute to consider one of the things that we do not miss so much about some dining out experiences. Noise. We are extremely fortunate that we are usually spoilt for choice […]
Strata By-Laws, NCAT and hard flooring in apartments
What to consider when installing hard floors in Stata Building: Strata By-Laws: Each apartment building will have its own strata plan and associated by-laws. Often older by-laws may have a simple clause such as “any new floor should be covered or otherwise treated to an extent sufficient to prevent the transmission from the floor space […]
IOA – Reproduced Sound 2019 Conference – Creating engagement in sound
Glenn recently presented a paper to the Institute of Acoustics in Bristol, United Kingdom at the Reproduced Sound Conference on the relationship between frequency response and the speech transmission index. The key point to take away from our research and presentation is that when specifying or commissioning an emergency sound system in a road tunnel, […]
Acoustical difficulties within Open Plan Learning Environments
Proper acoustic design in educational facilities is ever more crucial as open-plan, technology-filled “innovative learning environments” (ILEs) become increasing commonplace. Proponents of this current trend laud the flexibility provided by these open spaces, but sceptics doubt the effectiveness of these spaces due to various reasons, including the lack of consultation with teachers before implementation and […]
Three key acoustic issues to consider when designing for primary classrooms
There are many different factors which affect the acoustic design of a classroom. Current research undertaken by Macquarie University and National Acoustic Laboratories Australia1 indicates that: Students spend approximately 45-60 % of their time listening and comprehending their teachers’ instructions. High levels of noise which mask and distort the teacher’s voice dramatically reduce speech intelligibility. […]
Neil Armstrong’s famous words misinterpretation highlights importance of speech intelligibility in video conferencing
How many people are missing out on key bits of information in daily communication? We thought we heard Neil Armstrong’s famous words “one small step for man” where as Neil is adamant he said, “one small step for A man”. Poor intelligibly is how problems begin in video conferencing situations. Key bits of information just […]