So, the idea I have set upon is to create an interactive audio experience using VR or AR and Unity. Due to my love of music and sound design, as well as my passion for games and other forms of interactive multimedia, this seems like a relatively easy choice. As a combination of the two, it is both a passion of mine personally and representative of the knowledge I have acquired here at TCNJ. Seeing how audio design or engineering are the fields that both interest me and seem viable for a career path, this project perfectly reflects my aspirations for myself going forward. Hopefully, this project will also appeal to those of similar interests. While simply composing and recording a few pieces of music for a thesis project would be lacking (both as a display of what I have learned and in interest to an audience), by combining it with additional elements I hope to catch the interest of those with passion for music like myself. Naturally the focus will be mainly on the audio portion, as that is both my bigger interest and my greater skill set; nevertheless, being able to experience the sound in virtual reality will add a layer of interest and player agency that it would otherwise be lacking.
In regards to how this project expands my already established skills and knowledge, my understanding of tempo, rhythm, melody, harmony, and other aspects of music is already quite well established; however, my knowledge of Unity and C# is limited when compared to many of my classmates. This project will not only require me to expand on many of the weaker parts of my IMM skills, but cause me to go even further beyond. Working with virtual reality is something not taught as part of this department’s required curriculum, and thus will need a good amount of leg-work from me to understand and be able to use competently. Finally, while I’m sure other developers have already experimented in creating “toys” like mine using virtual reality, it is still a budding field and I am eager to experience it more and gain as much knowledge as I can as it blossoms.
On the more technical side, what tools I will be working with are relatively limited. I will be composing most likely using either pen and paper and a piano, or within a DAW like Reaper or Pro Tools, and I will be recording with acoustic instruments in the AIMM recording studio. When considering the development of the VR portion, Unity is already being used in over 60% of all current VR and AR content. It has plenty of documentation and tool sets to work with. If I were to pick any program to use to create this experience, Unity is both the easiest and most professional option available to me.
Finally, considering the projects “a e s t h e t i c s,” there are many ways I could take it. My original thought, given my lack of experience with any modelling or rigging, was to have the player in a nearly pitch black space with the sound of each instrument emanating from assorted lights/particle effects. This way the player can tell direction by mainly relying on their own hearing. However, this is something that can only really be decided upon once the project is quite a ways into its development. What I really need to focus on is the 2 or 3 compositions. That is needed to be done before just about anything else can be started. Kinda hard to create a painting when all you have is a bunch of dry brushes and a canvas.