Add some sound to the scene to bring it alive.
Training Notes
In this article, we will work with catalogs and media. Before we start, please review these two resources:
One of the most important aspects of an impactful VR experience is well-used sound. In this tutorial, we will add some localized sound to the speaker in the workshop
To keep all the music organized in our scenario, we are going to create and use an "Ambience Script".
Step 1: Create an "Ambience" Script
Click on the Script icon
Click on your script catalog
Click on Add New Script
Name the script Ambience
Click on the checkmark to save
Collapse the script catalog by using the > icon
Click on the Ambience script to open it on your screen:
Step 2: Add Scene Objects
If your learners will be interacting with objects in the scene, you need to add those objects to the script. In this script, we are going to be adding some music playing on a speaker, so we need to add the speaker object to the script.
As usual, we will ensure we are in the correct script by looking to see it is the active script
Click the Catalog Icon
Open the Workshop Objects catalog.
Drag and Drop the Speaker into the first frame of the script
Use the > icon to collapse the menu
Rename the frame Scene Objects
Click outside of the text box to save the changes
Save:
Step 3: Add Background Sound
Click + on the main frame to create a new frame at the top level:
Open Media Catalog by clicking on the media icon on the far right:
Click on Workshop Music (you can preview the audio files by clicking on the play button)
Drag and Drop one of the songs into the Resource area
Click > to collapse the music catalog:
Select Loop to continue music throughout the scenario
Select the Ambient track. This means that this sound is the lowest priority if there are several sounds playing at once.
Save the Script
Re-name the frame with the music Background Sound
Before you test you need to launch this "Ambience" script from the Director Script:
Open the Director Script
Create a new top-level frame and name it Ambience
Drag and drop the Ambience script from the script catalog into the frame
Save
Note that the welcome message and the ambient music will start at the same time - when you launch the experience.
STOP: Save and Test. Play the scenario now. You will notice that the background sound is playing. It is too loud. We will adjust this in the next step.
Step 4: Adjust Volume of Background Sound
In order to make the background sound quieter, use the "Volume" field on the audio resource in the frame. Volume is set from 0 to 1 with 0 being silent and 1 being maximum volume.
Open the Ambience script
Open the Background Sound frame
Adjust the volume until it seems right to you. In this tutorial we have set it to 0.1:
STOP: Save and Test. The sound should now be quieter.
Step 5: Add Music Coming from the Speaker
We want the learner to hear the music coming directly from the speaker in the scene.
Open Ambience script
Create a new frame Speaker Music:
Click on the Media Items icon
Click on Workshop Music
Choose a song
Drag and drop the music into the Resources area
Collapse the Media catalog by using the > icon
In order to make it sound like the music is coming from the speaker, we give the sound an anchor.
In the Speaker Music frame, choose Speaker from the anchor dropdown on the resource
Loop the track so that it plays continuously
Choose the Ambient track so that it has the lowest priority of sounds
Save
STOP: Save and Test. You should now hear the ambient background noise and the sound coming from the speaker on the workshop floor. You might also want to adjust the volume once you've tested it.
You will notice that you are now hearing two types of music. Let's fix this.
In the Ambience script, click on the Background Sound frame
Change the Volume to 0
Save
STOP: Save and Test. You should now hear only the sound coming from the speaker on the workshop floor.
While you are in the workshop you can move around the scene by clicking on the green arrows using the laser pointer. As you move around the workshop, notice that the volume changes based on your distance from the speaker.
Challenge: instead of looping the speaker music, you could create a playlist that starts the next song when the previous one has finished playing. You could use subframes and object event conditions to play a new song when the last one finishes or "closes". Try to cue up a few songs using this pattern.
The music files used in the tutorial are from Bensound: https://www.bensound.com/ . They are free to use for non-commercial purposes when attribution is given. If you would like to use any of the music in a commercial setting, you can license the music on the above website.
In the Headset
This is what your scenario will look like so far:
Training Notes
Key Takeaways from Tutorial 2
If learners will be interacting with objects in the scene, you need to add those objects to a script via the Catalog.
Always test audio files to ensure optimal sound levels.
Any audio on Ambient Track will have the lowest priority if there are several sounds playing at once.
When you anchor sounds to an object the sound will change based on your location in the scene.
Within the VR scene, use the green arrows to move around.