Sound design for exhibitions
Sound design for exhibitions starts with the room and how visitors move through it. We compose the music and design the sounds for that space, then mix them for the speakers you have, from one listening spot to speakers all around the room.
- For
- Museums, exhibitions, installations, and more
- Starts from
- Your floor plan and the works on show
- Agencies we work with
- AddiktSchbang, Boldly-XR, and others
Fabrique des Lumières is Amsterdam's digital art center.
A few things that change when sound plays in a room
Visitors walk in at any moment
Visitors come in halfway through and stand in different places. So the music has to work from any point, and the mix has to sound right wherever someone stands.
The music follows the works
When an exhibition moves from old to new work, the music can move with it. In the Fabrique des Lumières video at the top, artists' own versions of Girl with a Pearl Earring go from classic to experimental, and the music moves from classical piano to electronic. The original painting hangs in the Mauritshuis, the museum in The Hague.
Rooms next to each other
Sound carries from one room to the next. Tell us which rooms are open to each other, and we work out with you where each sound stops, so one installation doesn't play over another and visitors can still read in quiet spots.
Every kind of space
Whether it's one room or a whole building, indoors or out, we start from the space you have. A floor plan is enough to begin.
More of our work
Work for and contributions to projects involving these brands.
-
Fabrique des Lumières × Mauritshuis Girl with a Pearl Earring in 360-degree sound View case
- Xpeng Music for a virtual flight over Shanghai View case
-
Harman Kardon × Montreux Jazz Festival Lang Lang's Chopin, remixed for a speaker demo View case
-
Adyen Walk-on music for the speakers at Adyen Connect 2026 View case
Questions about sound for exhibitions
How much does sound design for an exhibition cost?
It depends on the size of the space, the number of speakers, and how many minutes of music and sound the exhibition needs. Send a floor plan and the works on show, and we base the proposal on that room and its speakers. For budget planning, our rate card is available by email.
How do you integrate sound into exhibition design?
Start from the route visitors take, and decide per room what they should hear and where it stays quiet. Then design the sound for that room and its speakers, not for headphones or a laptop. Send us the floor plan, and we'll show you where we'd place the sound.
Is immersive sound worth it for an exhibition?
When the images surround visitors, yes. Sound from one direction pulls attention to one wall, while speakers around the room let the sound follow the images. For Fabrique des Lumières and the Mauritshuis we made a mix for speakers all around the room. If your exhibition uses screens on one wall, a good stereo mix is often enough, and we'll tell you so.
Who makes the best sound design for exhibitions?
Look for work made for a real room, and listen to it. For the Fabrique des Lumières projection we mixed the music for the whole room. We also work with the studios that build exhibitions and launches, such as AddiktSchbang, an Amsterdam design agency that made the visuals for that projection. Boldly-XR, a studio for virtual reality, built a VR flight for the Chinese electric car brand Xpeng, and we made its audio. See our work.
What is the best background music for an exhibition opening?
Music that fits the exhibition and stays under the conversation. We can make a version of the exhibition music for the opening, so guests hear the same sound they'll hear in the rooms. Tell us the date and the space.