{"id":544,"date":"2017-01-22T00:34:48","date_gmt":"2017-01-22T00:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bradleymeyer.com\/wp-core\/?p=544"},"modified":"2017-01-15T00:35:16","modified_gmt":"2017-01-15T00:35:16","slug":"the-feels-of-interactive-audio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bradleymeyer.com\/wp-core\/2017\/01\/22\/the-feels-of-interactive-audio\/","title":{"rendered":"The Feels of Interactive Audio"},"content":{"rendered":"
(this post originally appeared on designingsound.org<\/a>)<\/em><\/h6>\n

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[Author\u2019s note: much of what I describe below could be construed as \u201creactive audio,\u201d not \u201cinteractive\u201d because sound is most often reacting to other systems and world parameters rather than directly affecting them in a feedback loop. For the sake of brevity and sanity I will refer to both reactive and interactive sounds below using the widely accepted and used term of \u201cinteractive audio.\u201d] \u00a0<\/em><\/h6>\n

The sculpting of the relationship between sound and an environment or world state is perhaps one of the greatest powers we hold as sound professionals. Obviously this is often conveyed in linear media via music. Think of Bernard Herrmann\u2019s strings in the shower scene of Psycho<\/em>, Wendy Carlos\u2019 score in The Shining<\/em>, or the \u201cch-ch-ch ha-ha-ha\u201d foreshadowing a grisly Jason Vorhees splatterfest. Even the subtle, otherworldly sound design within a surreal tale like David Lynch\u2019s Lost Highway<\/em> grounds the inexplicability of the plot into the strange world in which it occurs. In each of these examples, the sound is at least as critical as the visuals to make the audience feel something. But the sound and visuals are the same every time, meaning we get the same experience with every replay.<\/p>\n

With technology, we have the ability to extend the power of audio into interactive mediums, and we\u2019ve been doing it for years. It is this direct relation between user actions and sonic changes that provide feedback to a user that something is happening and this is the kernel of effectiveness which we call interactive audio. Let’s explore some examples of interactive audio across a few different mediums and look at how these examples affect the user and what responses they evoke.<\/p>\n

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Games<\/h2>\n

Video games have been kicking around the term \u201cinteractive audio\u201d for years, most frequently in the realm of music. While this is usually a means of \u201caction changes, so the music responds to these changes,\u201d there are several examples where audio has a more tightly integrated, and thus effective, approach to interacting with player control.<\/p>\n

The quintessential example of interactive audio for most people is Guitar Hero<\/em> and its spiritual successor, Rock Band<\/em>. These are also prime examples of music being the driving force of interactivity because these games are, in fact, music simulators. You play along with a song performing similar-ish actions to musicians. Pressing buttons in rhythm to the music rewards you with points and a successful round. If you mess up, you hear your error through sound effects and music dropouts which simulate flubbing a song while playing it live. Even Harmonix\u2019 earlier games, Amplitude<\/em> and Frequency<\/em> used a similar gameplay mechanic with a similar reward\/failure loop tied directly into music performance. Interestingly, while audio interactivity is ingrained into this style of gameplay, we see most of the unique bending of the sound to player actions when the player performs poorly. Only in failure does the song sound different than if it were playing outside of the game space. From the standpoint of the game’s directive (make the user feel like they’re actually playing these songs), it makes sense. Play perfectly and you’ll be rewarded with the feel of “I did it! I played Stairway to Heaven<\/em>!” Fail, and you get the feeling that you need more practice.<\/p>\n

Parappa the Rapper<\/h3>\n

Before Guitar Hero<\/em> there was Parappa the Rapper,\u00a0<\/em>the Playstation rhythm rapping game that was all about pressing a button to the rhythm. But even something as simple as Parappa <\/em>introduced the ability to \u201cfreestyle\u201d your rap by pressing buttons in rhythm beyond what the game instructed you to do. Doing so would give you bonus points and also transform the soundtrack into something with a new, remixed feel. This interactivity provides several layers to the game: it adds a new dynamic to the soundtrack, which is normally the same 2 minute song played over and over until you move on to the next level. It enhances the difficulty and player satisfaction by challenging players to try and be creative in how they press buttons in a game whose main mechanic is to follow onscreen instructions. And it promotes replayability by giving users a chance to do something new and different in each playthrough. Not bad for a simple sample trigger!<\/p>\n