Project Challenge

This 180-seat independent comedy club in central Leeds hosts stand-up shows, open mic nights, small sketch performances and Q&A events. Housed in a converted historic stone building with a high vaulted ceiling, the space creates strong mid-low frequency standing waves and uneven sound distribution. Spoken word sounds muddy, punchlines get lost in reverb, and audience members at the back complain they can’t follow the set. Microphone feedback is also a frequent issue during shows. The club needed acoustic tuning optimized for spoken word clarity, while respecting the building’s listed historic status and avoiding structural damage to walls.

Our Solution

On side and rear walls we installed a grooved and perforated resonant acoustic panel system, paired with mineral wool infill and rear air cavities. We ran acoustic simulation on the room’s volume and vaulted geometry, then precisely tuned the slot and perforation ratios to target the 250–1000Hz mid-low frequency standing waves causing most of the clarity issues. The whole system hits NRC 0.90, delivering balanced full-band sound absorption optimized for spoken word performance. Panels were mounted using a reversible hanging system that does not penetrate or damage the historic stone walls. On the ceiling perimeter we used high-density fiberglass acoustic tiles, NRC 0.90–0.95, to control overhead reflections and even out sound coverage across all seats.

All panels meet EN 13501 Class A fire safety for UK public assembly venues. We used a dark matte finish that blends into the club’s intimate low-light atmosphere, with no visible industrial look.

Project Results

Speech intelligibility improved by an estimated 46% across all seating areas, with punchlines now clear even from the back row. Microphone feedback issues were almost entirely eliminated, and show audio quality improved dramatically. Audience satisfaction scores for show quality are up 31%, and community event booking volume is up 29%.