Audio Schemes

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Audio Schemes's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Audio Schemes is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.audioschemes.co.uk

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

16 | AUDIO SCHEMES

Debbie and Nick Langley

Betfred Studio for LCC Lighting at

MediaCityUK, Manchester

Audio Schemes constructs and soundproofs studios for

music, television and radio industries. Company founder

Nick Langley says that knowledge of the concept of

sound enables Audio Schemes to think outside the box in its

designs and constructions.

Audio Schemes is a culmination of previous experience that I had acquired in

soundproofing and studio building in previous companies. The way I see it, it’s a

one-man band, surrounded by skilled and capable people. Starting out as a dry

lining interior specialist more than 20 years ago went a long way to piquing my

interest in acoustics and sound. This developed further over the years at two other

companies I had a stake in, both of which were eventually sold.

It was during these times I had my first experience of building a recording studio in

an old abattoir in Manchester. This kind of experience helped further my experience

of the studio-building process – a perfect marriage of the physics of sound with

old-style construction work.

Returning to the industry

After going into semi-retirement following the sale of the previous business,

I caught the bug once again and returned to set up Audio Schemes in

2012. Initially, we started by taking on steady volumes of work in domestic

soundproofing and home studios. Through this, word gradually spread throughout

the industry. Our cause was greatly aided through recognition from consumer

trading title Which?, that designated us as a Trusted Trader – a title we’ve now

held for three years.

FACTS ABOUT

AUDIO SCHEMES

»Founded by Nick Langley

»Established in 2012

»Based in Stockport, Greater

Manchester

»Services: Construction and

soundproofing of studios for

post-production, television

and radio

»No. of employees: 15

»Worked with big industry

studios including Warner Bros.

and Sony, soundproofing

for the Royal Academy of

Music and Adidas and studio

building for bands Pendulum

and The Feeling

»Turnover: Around £3.5 million

»Endorsed by Which? as a

Trusted Trader

»www.audioschemes.co.uk

Audio Schemes

17AUDIO SCHEMES |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018

Our success in the past five years has

been made all the more remarkable

given our geographical location. Ask

any professional working in the sector

in the UK and they’d likely confirm

that it’s very much a London-centric

industry. Counteracting this meant

aligning ourselves with the right

projects and helping to generate

positive word of mouth for what Audio

Schemes could offer. Another way

we’ve set ourselves apart is through

innovating. We take our pre-existing

knowledge of sound and bend the

rules in the design and construction

phase to go beyond set regulations

and notions of what people thought

were within the limits of possibility.

Designing and building for

many industries

Not long after we were established,

bigger studio-building jobs followed

with the likes of the Royal Academy

of Music and professional recording

artists The Feeling along with

soundproofing the northern UK

headquarters of sportswear giant

Adidas in Manchester.

We completed this project in 17 days,

11 ahead of the proposed schedule

and used 19,000 carpet tiles. This

project is a real demonstration of

our “have a go” mentality, while

managing to deliver on a big scale to

prestigious names. This approach will

continue as we look to expand the size

of the company. I’m very aware that

companies like us won’t ever be huge

due to the highly specialised nature

of what we do, but nevertheless,

there are still plenty of exciting new

directions to grow the business in.

After these projects, we then moved

into the design and build of broadcast

studios, simply because we had the

pre-existing knowledge and capabilities

while the market was a larger one.

Initially starting with a London studio

for Tamil Media, this move has since

resulted in projects with Virgin Money.

Our profile was further raised in

2015 through our work with the BBC

children’s programme

The Dengineers

where we built a studio in the shape

of an amplifier. This resulted in a lot of

interest, which enhanced the company

name and standing.

As of 2018, Audio Schemes’ order

books are full until the end of next

year and there is more potential to

branch out into other sectors. One

interesting possibility is working with

National Grid, being on the tender list

Post-production studio

for Roundtable Films,

Covent Garden, London

We always

exceed client

expectations

“

Premier League set in

London for LCC/eye-

catching design

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

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18 | AUDIO SCHEMES

to soundproof their main control room

to reduce the noise damage emanating

from high decibel levels from gas

pressure explosions.

A multi-talented workforce

Making all of this great work possible

is our staff of 15, who encompass

many different talents. The team is

comprised of a mechanical engineer,

overseeing all ventilation and air

conditioning work; two joiners, who

undertake bespoke fabric fittings;

and a number of dry liners who have

served us for many years. People with

these specialist skills need to be trusted

to use them as a collective. It’s a

highly skilled sector – for instance, the

process of learning to fabric line walls

can take up to four years to become

proficient in.

Issues commonly arise during

projects and the team need an

intricate knowledge of their trade in

order to rectify them. A completed

soundproofed wall may look good to

the eye but in terms of performance, it

could still emit too much noise beyond

the client request. For cases like these,

there needs to be an understanding

of what works and what doesn’t.

Capturing images of our work step by

step has proved an effective way of

building on-site team communication.

Further recognition of our

abilities and services

A genuine area of pride and a

testament to the strengths of Audio

Schemes and its staff was being asked

by the All England Lawn Tennis Club

last year to soundproof the physio

rooms and two TV studios on the

Wimbledon Centre Court, as there

was a lack of privacy when holding

conversations in these rooms.

Looking outwards

One of these is expansion into Europe.

Despite Brexit, we don’t anticipate major

changes. This is because if the price is

right and the quality is there, people

will trade. There are also aspirations to

look further afield. Inquiries have been

made to do some work over in Dubai,

a location where word of mouth from

UK businesses can go a long way

and open up opportunities. The US,

specifically New York City, has also

been looked at. Worldwide, the British

reputation for building still prevails and

this will serve us well as we look to

move furtherforward.

The British

reputation for

building still

prevails

“

Giordano-designed set

for a studio in Africa

www.audioschemes.co.uk

This article was sponsored by Audio Schemes. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng

This year’s Parliamentary Review reflects on a tumultuous and extraordinary year, globally and nationally. As well as being an MP, I am a keen student of history, and I am conscious that 2020 would mark the end of an era. It will be remembered as the year in which we concluded Brexit negotiations and finally left the European Union. Above all, it will be remembered as the year of Covid-19.

In our fight against the pandemic, I am delighted that our vaccination programme is beginning to turn the tide – and I pay tribute to the British businesses, scientists and all those who have helped us to achieve this. But the virus has dealt enormous damage, and we now have a duty to rebuild our economy.

We must ensure that businesses are protected. We have made more than £350 billion available to that end, with grants, business rates relief and our furlough scheme supporting more than 11 million people and jobs in every corner of the country, maintaining livelihoods while easing the pressure on employers. The next step is to work with business to build back better and greener, putting the net zero carbon challenge at the heart of our recovery. This is a complex undertaking, but one which I hope will be recognised as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Through the prime minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, we can level up every region of the UK, supporting 250,000 green jobs while we accelerate our progress towards net zero carbon emissions.

With our commitment to raise R&D spending to 2.4% of GDP and the creation of the Advanced Research & Invention Agency, we are empowering our fantastic researchers to take on groundbreaking research, delivering funding with flexibility and speed. With this approach, innovators will be able to work with our traditional industrial heartlands to explore new technologies, and design and manufacture the products on which the future will be built – ready for export around the globe.

And I believe trade will flourish. We are a leading nation in the fight against climate change. As the host of COP26 this year, we have an incredible opportunity to market our low-carbon products and expertise. Our departure from the EU gives us the chance to be a champion of truly global free trade; we have already signed trade deals with more than 60 countries around the world.

As we turn the page and leave 2020 behind, I am excited about the new chapter which Britain is now writing for itself, and for the opportunities which lie ahead of us.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy