Nautilus-shaped VR Auditorium
Matteo Tomasetti completed his two-year thesis in Electronic Music, specializing in Digital Audiovisual Composition. Professor Valerio Murat supervised his research. Matteo's thesis delved into the intersection of sound and visual elements in Virtual Reality. He explored innovative ways to combine music and visuals for a more immersive experience. Matteo's work has contributed valuable insights to the field of electronic music composition.
The practical thesis project focuses on designing an interactive and immersive composition experience in the Audio-First VR research field within a Nautilus-shaped Auditorium developed for Virtual Reality and accessible via Oculus Quest 2 HDM. The Keiron Lab team developed the Nautilus-shaped VR Auditorium in March-April 2021 for interactive audiovisual works and electronic music in VR environments. Inside the Auditorium for the thesis project, a virtual Acousmonium with 14 speakers on the floor and a set of 8 speakers at a higher level were created, totaling 22 speakers. This setup aims to enhance the immersive experience for users engaging with the interactive compositions and electronic music within the VR Auditorium.
The virtual Acousmonium in the project enhances the multisensory perception and immersiveness. It plays a crucial role in the compositional process. The primary focus lies in user interaction, specifically virtual movement within the Auditorium.
This interaction makes users active participants, influencing the musical expressiveness as the compositions directly respond to user behavior in the Auditorium space. The user's interaction brings various structural functions that change depending on each unique experience.
With the ability to move freely within the Auditorium, users can "direct" the composition, activate different sections, hidden sound objects, and various trajectories related to the immersive spatialization of sound.
This approach places the composition within a framework with many degrees of freedom, where the user plays a central role through their active participation. This dynamic involvement enriches the user experience by allowing them to shape the musical journey according to their movements and choices, creating a personalized and engaging sonic environment tailored to their preferences and exploration.