Sound is where

experience begins.

People watching a large digital display of cosmic or nebula-like visuals in a modern, dimly lit museum or gallery
A woman smiling outdoors wearing a virtual reality headset labeled 'VRELAK' with a mountain landscape design, surrounded by greenery.
An indoor ice skating rink with spectators seated and standing along the sides, some watching and some taking photos. The ice surface is prepared with markings and the arena is well-lit with overhead lights and a large crowd in the background.
Explore our work
Our approach

Before people understand,

they feel.

PHILOSOPHY

Sound reaches the nervous system before conscious interpretation begins.

SOUND

Experience forms when space, story, and sensation move as one.

EXPERIENCE

State determines how an environment is perceived, entered, and remembered.

STATE

What is physically felt remains longer than what is only seen.

MEMORY

Read the full philosophy behind Sound-Led Experience Design.

PROOF

Inside the A-kerk Groningen, Oorlog Dichtbij used silence, pressure, spatial unease, and sonic explosion to place visitors inside the emotional reality of wartime history.

The exhibition won two International Sound Awards in 2025. Press called it “oppressive and confrontational.” It proved the value of sound placed at the first stage of design: not as atmosphere, but as structure.

Oorlog Dichtbij - War Up Close

OorlogDichtbij Promo
Jelmer Althuis | Sphere of Sou
People viewing historical photographs and information displays inside a museum or gallery.
Gold background with white text and logo for the 2025 International Sound Awards, winner announced.
View Case Study

VRelax

Immersive audio deployed across 200+ healthcare institutions worldwide.

VRelax Theme Music
Sphere of Sound
Person wearing a VR headset with floating digital images around them, including ocean scenes, landscapes, and game interfaces.
Design showing a gold coin with text 'Prix Galien Nederland' above it.
View Case Study

Team NL / NOC*NSF

Exposure-based sonic environments for athletes preparing under Olympic-level pressure.

Example Binaural Start
Sphere of Sound
Five people standing in front of an orange wall with a Team Norway logo and Olympic rings. They are smiling and posing for the photo, with a table and a VR headset in the foreground.

Friedenstein - Gotha

Heritage sound design reconnecting historical space with emotional presence.

Friedenstein Castle
Sphere of Sound
Black and white photo of an historic courtyard seen through an arched stone gateway, with buildings and towers in the background.

Hoe Van Gogh naar Groningen kwam.

Sound shaping rhythm, intimacy, and emotional pacing inside a museum narrative.

Hoe van Gogh naar Groningen kwam - Teaser
Sphere of Sound
A display booth showcasing artwork inspired by Van Gogh, with various vintage items and furniture such as a red armchair, a wooden chair, lamps, a framed painting of flowers, a vintage telephone, and textured walls decorated with colorful banners and paintings.

The State Design Framework™

A structured approach to designing experience through sound.

  • People entering an art museum through large glass doors, with illuminated artwork displayed inside.

    Intent

    Define the state the experience must create before anything is produced.

  • A young woman with light skin and wavy, shoulder-length brown hair is wearing large black headphones with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression.

    Physiology

    Translate emotional intention into acoustic principles that influence the body.

  • People viewing artwork in a dimly-lit art gallery.

    Dramaturgy

    Build tension, silence, contrast, movement, and release across time.

  • People watching a digital art display of cosmic particles in a dark, modern exhibition space.

    Integration

    Embed sound into spatial, narrative, and interactive architecture from the beginning.

Explore the framework behind the work.

Segments

Interior of a church or cathedral with high arched windows, hanging chandelier, and a black-and-white photo of a man standing outdoors in front of a brick building.

Museums & Cultural
Experience

Visitors remember what they physically feel, not only what they learn.

Proof: Oorlog Dichtbij, 2× International Sound Awards 2025.

Empty gym or sports facility with blue flooring, exercise equipment, and large posters on the walls.

High-Performance
& Sport

Pressure, focus, and recovery are physiological states before performance outcomes.

Proof: Team NL / NOC*NSF at Thialf.

Woman experiencing virtual reality with VR headset and headphones in front of a digital dashboard display.

Premium Immersive
Environments

Atmosphere becomes memorable when sound shapes presence, scale, and expectation.

Proof: VRelax, winner Prix Galien

Digital graphic with the words 'sphere of sound' over a purple background with sound wave patterns.

The design studio where sound becomes the first layer of experiential architecture.

Proof: Award-winning cultural, healthcare, sport, and premium immersive work.

Abstract digital cityscape with tall buildings and a sky background

VRelax is the healthcare application field where immersive sound design meets clinical use.

Proof: Jelmer Althuis is co-founder and Content Director; Sphere of Sound designs the premium spatial audio environments inside the app.

The Facebook Reboot logo features a stylized human head outline in blue with concentric circles around it, and the words 'facebook reboot' beneath in blue.

rebooth is the workplace recovery venture where immersive sound becomes a tool for mental reset.

Proof: Developed by Jelmer Althuis in collaboration with Berend Otten of Linova Interior, rebooth combines spatial audio, physical design, and research-informed recovery principles to support cognitive reset during the workday.

Studio

Sphere of Sound operates from the Mediacentrale in Groningen, Netherlands, working internationally across cultural, clinical, performance, and immersive environments.

The studio treats sound as a design material that shapes state before meaning arrives.

Man with glasses working on music production in a sound studio. Behind him are large speakers, a computer monitor, a laptop, a keyboard, a virtual reality headset, and other audio equipment. The studio has a large window showing a cityscape with buildings and trees.
Work With Us

Begin with state.

Start before the experience is fixed.

A washing machine viewed through its round glass door, showing a reflection of a room with a microphone, speaker, and audio equipment.