What are the benefits and challenges of using procedural audio for adaptive music in games?

1 How procedural audio works

Procedural audio uses algorithms, rules, and parameters to synthesize sounds and music from scratch or modify existing sounds and music. For example, a procedural audio system can change the pitch, volume, timbre, or rhythm of a sound or music track based on the game variables, such as the player's speed, health, location, or mood. Procedural audio can also generate sounds and music from scratch using mathematical models, such as waveforms, noise, filters, or envelopes. Procedural audio can be implemented using code, middleware, or dedicated tools.

2 Benefits of procedural audio

Procedural audio can offer a range of advantages for game sound design, such as creating more realistic and immersive sounds and music that match the game world and the player's experience. It can also generate more varied sounds and music to prevent repetition, as well as reduce the memory, disk space, bandwidth, and loading time for streaming them. For example, procedural audio can simulate the sound of wind, rain, fire, or footsteps based on the weather, terrain, or material. Additionally, it can generate different musical themes, motifs, or instruments based on the game genre, setting, or mood. Lastly, procedural audio can synthesize sounds and music on the fly instead of loading them from files.

3 Challenges of procedural audio

Procedural audio can present some challenges for game sound design, such as complexity, quality, and feedback. Designing, implementing, and testing procedural audio can be more complex and time-consuming than traditional audio. It requires programming skills, logic, and creativity to create and control the algorithms, rules, and parameters that generate sounds and music. Ensuring the quality and consistency of sounds and music, as well as the balance and harmony between them can also be difficult with procedural audio. It can produce unexpected or undesirable sounds or music that clash with the game aesthetics or tone. Additionally, providing feedback and guidance to the player or communicating the game state and goals can be more challenging with procedural audio than traditional audio since it can be less clear or intuitive in indicating progress, status, or actions.

4 Examples of procedural audio

Procedural audio has been implemented in various games to create adaptive music that complements the gameplay and narrative. For instance, No Man's Sky uses procedural audio to create a diverse universe of planets, creatures, and environments. The game's music is composed of hundreds of musical elements that are blended and changed according to the player's location, actions, and discoveries. Spore also uses procedural audio to create a dynamic soundtrack that reflects the player's progress from a single cell to a galactic civilization. The game's music is generated from different musical layers that are added or removed based on the player's stage, actions, and choices. Lastly, Flower utilizes procedural audio to create a calming and emotional soundtrack that follows the player's movement as a petal in the wind. The game's music is composed of simple melodies that are activated and modified by the player's interaction with the environment and other petals.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?