Specialists in the design of room acoustics and technology for sound & video systems
Our Mission
To create Sound Designs that reduce the perceived acoustic distance between a talker or musician and the listener. When we can deliver this Face-to-Face listening experience, we do not just make the soundfield louder but also much clearer.
Robert Oswood
Principal Consultant
Mr. Oswood has over 40 years of experience in room acoustics and the design of sound and video systems for sports arenas, civic & performing arts centers, educational facilities, and houses of worship. Robert’s firm grasp of psychological acoustics—the human factors that affect the understanding of spoken word—and the special requirements of spaces that must support both speech and music are the focus of his designs.
Robert Oswood
Principal Consultant
Mr. Oswood has over 40 years of experience in room acoustics and the design of sound and video systems for sports arenas, civic & performing arts centers, educational facilities, and houses of worship. Robert’s firm grasp of psychological acoustics—the human factors that affect the understanding of spoken word—and the special requirements of spaces that must support both speech and music are the focus of his designs.
Our History
SDA Consulting Inc. is a consultancy specializing in the design of Technical AV systems and Room Acoustics for Performing Arts Centers, Education, Houses of Worship, and Government Facilities.
SDA was founded in 2001 by Robert Oswood. For thirteen years prior to its founding , Robert served as a managing partner and the Chief Technical Officer at Impulse Group Inc. Impulse Group was a very successful regional systems integration firm based in Minneapolis MN. During his time there, Robert was responsible for major projects including the Xcel Arena Sound System, MSP airport’s first computer managed Voice Announcement System, the Minneapolis Convention Center Expansion and hundreds of school, house of worship and government projects.
While in college Robert studied psychology and physics and developed a lifelong interest in psychoacoustics. In 2001 he sold his interest in Impulse Group to Media Technology Source (MTS), an international Cinema Systems Company. This sale provided the resources needed to realize Robert’s vision for a unique consultancy focused on an understanding of psychoacoustics and the listener’s perceptual needs, the ability to generate accurate budgets for A/V projects, and an aesthetic sensitivity for locating speakers where they need to be, while at the same time making them recede into the architectural background.
Since its founding SDA’s designs have been focused on the pursuit of speech intelligibility. In 2008 SDA was recruited to be part of the Fire Protection Research Foundation’s study group tasked with developing procedures and guidelines for testing the speech intelligibility of Fire Alarm and Emergency Communication Systems. These guidelines and procedures are now part of the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code.
SDA’s current client base includes Architects, Electrical Engineering firms, Pro sound equipment manufacturers, Design-build A/V Contractors, and End-users. SDA is committed to supporting these clients by staying current on psychoacoustic and speech intelligibility research. This includes new direct-sound -enhancement techniques and the pursuit of acoustic proximity.
