Music in Virtual Reality
an entry for the tech future partnership competition
by hannah watson
Introduction
introduction
existing vr technology
my idea
introduction
Everyone loves listening to their favourite songs. Often, while listening
through headphones, people close their eyes and imagine a tranquil beach
while listening to a relaxing song, or dance when they hear a party anthem or
lively tune. However, for some people, this is not enough – they want to be
able to see the beach properly, or dance in a club full of people. My idea will
make this possible.
existing vr technology
In the world today, there is already a huge amount of Virtual Reality
technology available. Sony (PlayStation VR), HTC (HTC Vive), Samsung
(Samsung Gear VR), Google (Google Cardboard) and Facebook (Oculus Rift)
have all developed VR headsets for home use, and they’re affordable for most
people. However, most of these are used for gaming and TV streaming, and
there is less musical VR technology available.
my idea
Put simply, my idea is to create a piece of VR software, named “Music VR” (as
well as a company to support and update it), compatible with all VR systems
and headsets, that allows the user to experience music fully, in three main
ways. The following slides will explore these ways – music videos, music
composition and music experience – and also cover the compatibility of my
idea, and
Playing Music
compatibility
compatibility
Music VR would be compatible with iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play (currently
the three most common music streaming/purchasing services) at first,
possibly branching out to other services later. The user would be able to log
into their account on any of these within Music VR, and all songs they could
access would be available within the software.
Music Videos
music videos
vr videos
viability
music videos
Ever since the first music video was shown on MTV in 1979, almost every song
made has had a music video produced in conjunction with it. But what if the
music videos were available to experience in immersive, three-dimensional
virtual reality? You could dance along with the singer of your new favourite
song, or walk around the set of the video.
vr videos
This first aspect of my idea is to make music videos available in VR. The
user of the VR software could play a song and be fully immersed in the
music video, as previously described, experiencing the video while listening
to the song through headphones. An option would also be available to give
the user a virtual lyric sheet, so they could sing along if they didn’t know
the words.
viability
Owners of a song with a music video would allow my company to turn their
video into a VR video, and it would be available to anyone who could legally
access the song and owned any VR headset with Music VR installed. This would
gain fame/popularity for the owners, as they could advertise their video being
available in VR, and more people would become interested in their songs, and
for Music VR, as there would be a wider range of videos available, and more
people would be attracted to my product and buy it. This benefits both parties,
even without the exchange of money, so artists would be eager to transform
their videos into VR.
Music Composition
music composition
surroundings
instruments
music composition
Software like Apple’s Garageband or Nintendo’s Wii Music are very popular
with users who want to compose music or play a virtual instrument,
respectively. Music VR’s composition element would run along a similar line to
these, and allow the user to do both – compose music by playing on a virtual
instrument.
surroundings
The user would be able to select their surroundings while composing, ranging
from an amateur band garage to a professional recording studio. There would
be an option to have a table with hardware on it in each scene, to eliminate
the use of menus and immerse the user more fully – for instance, to start
recording, instead of tapping a button on a screen they could press a physical
(virtual) button to begin. They would be able to change the tempo through a
metronome, and see their composition being written on sheet music in front
of them as they play. Of course, the option would also be available to use a
simpler menu-like interface, similar to Garageband.
instruments
There would be a wide range of instruments available to compose with,
ranging from piano to guitar to drums to violin. Each would be played in a
different manner, using the controllers of the VR hardware. Popular
instruments would be available to buy in physical form, compatible with the
controllers (the user would put the controllers in holders on the instrument),
so as to immerse the user even more – for instance, a fake guitar, or a pair of
drumsticks. These would obviously not be real, but made of plastic, so quite
cheap.
Music Experience
music experience
locations
equalizer experience
music experience
The final aspect of Music VR is the experience of music. As previously
mentioned, often when listening to music people love to imagine themselves
in other places. The music experience function of my software would do this
for them, and allow them to freely enjoy music in any location.
locations
Music VR would include several locations to start with, including:
• a dance club full of people
• a tranquil beach
• a scenic sunset
These three locations do not seem like many, and I will touch on that later.
However, all three would be fully explorable, with hidden features and secrets
such as treasure chests and caves on the beach. Again, there would be lyrics
sheets available to use within the scenario, like in the music videos feature.
equalizer experience
Another way to experience songs in Music VR would be equalizer experiences.
The user would be able to visualise the song in equalizer form, and see the
music in an entirely different way. They would be able to interact with the
equalizer, muting, increasing or cancelling out different layers and instruments
in the song, and be able to customise their equalizer with different colours and
styles, as well as to walk around the equalizer and view it from many angles in
an immersive 360° experience.
Below are some examples of the potential different equalizer styles.
Rhythm Dream
rhythm dream
mood
rhythm
key
final chorus
rhythm dream
A lot of people love just relaxing when listening to music, and thinking of
nothing in particular. The key feature of music experience in Music VR would
be “Rhythm Dream”: an environment allowing the user to just be, in a space
that changes very subtly according to the music. The space would change
according to two factors: mood, rhythm and key.
mood
Current colour psychology theorises that different colours can induce or
encourage different moods, and Music VR would utilise this. For a relaxing
song, the prominent colour would be relaxing blue. An exciting, upbeat song
would produce happy yellow and exciting red colours. A sad song would have
darker colours, perhaps with some grieving black. This would enhance the
effect of the song on the user, and heighten their experience of the music.
rhythm
The surroundings in the Rhythm Dream software would change and pulse
according to the song’s rhythm. On key beats, the area would flash, and on
lesser beats it would pulse or glow slightly. For instance, on beats 1 and 3 of a
4-beat bar, it would flash, and pulse on beats 2 and 4, as well as any drum
beats in-between. Of course, this aspect could cause problems for epileptic
users, so there would be an option available to enter epilepsy-friendly mode
without any rhythm effects.
key
With what I have already outlined about colours, you may be wondering what
effect key could have. I have said that colour psychology would be used to
enhance the user’s experience, but what if there was a key change in the song?
There would have to be something happening in the Rhythm Dream to
acknowledge and emphasise the change. Therefore, if a song changed key, the
background would change its hue and shade, and the flashes and pulses would
brighten and increase.
final chorus
In each song, once it reached its climax/final chorus fireworks would be set off
within the Rhythm Dream; soundless, but emphasising the change/the
resolution. This would enhance the user’s experience fully, and make the final
effect of the song all the greater.
Community
community
sharing compositions
creating new locations
social experiences
community
Many, many popular applications have social and community aspects. Music
VR would be among these, as it would have a big focus on creating and sharing
within the Community, as well as sharing joint experiences with Friends.
sharing compositions
Users would be able to upload their compositions to Music VR, and other users
would be able to access and play them, just as they would a normal song. All
Community compositions would be available to all users, and there would be a
What’s Hot feature (featuring current popular Community songs) and a system
for requesting to be ShowCased. The ShowCase would be a collection of
compositions, selected by Music VR. Musicians would request to have their
song ShowCased, and, if accepted, would get more exposition and popularity
around their song. To promote as many compositions as possible, it would not
be possible to be in the ShowCase and the What’s Hot feature simultaneously.
creating new locations
As I said earlier, three is not a big number for explorable locations to listen to
music in. Therefore, anyone who creates a virtual scenario would be able to
upload it to Music VR, and people all over the world with the software would
be able to enter and experience their locations.
social experiences
Within Music VR, there would be a “friend” system. Users would be able to
send requests to other users, and, if accepted by the recipient, they would
become Bandmates. If two Bandmates were on at the same time, they would
be able to join a music experience together – whether a location, an equalizer
experience, or a Rhythm Dream. This would encourage real-life friends of
Music VR users to also buy the software, and experience music virtually with
their Bandmates.
Thank You
thank you very much for reading this presentation. i hope you
enjoyed it! thank you for hosting this competition.