🎶 How Music Transforms and Transforms Us🎶

lautaro Dichio
Apr 28
12 min read

Hello again!

Before diving fully into today’s topic, I want to do a quick recap of the previous entry. We explored the hybrids between ambient sound and foley: those blurry zones where ambient sound and concrete action sounds intertwine until they become impossible to separate. We saw that not all ambient sound is strictly implemented and programmed: sometimes, it is the player (through active perception) who completes and reconfigures the soundscape.

Today, we’re going to take it a step further. We’ll talk about musical hybrids: cases where music, that great emotional engine of the gaming experience, does not appear as a separate layer, but instead blends with other sound elements of the game. And in doing so, it transforms them—and transforms us.

🎧 What Are Musical Hybrids?

Music in video games serves many functions: setting the atmosphere, evoking emotions, marking gameplay timing, reinforcing the narrative, informing the player about the game state, among others. But sometimes, it does not act in isolation; instead, it intertwines with other sound elements such as foley effects, ambient sounds, or even the characters’ voice acting. From this blending, sound hybrids emerge, creating new ways of perceiving and experiencing gameplay.

Something fundamental to review: each hybrid can appear in three ways:

Balanced version: both elements maintain a similar perceptual weight.
Preponderance of music: music dominates perception and structures the other element.
Preponderance of the other element: foley, ambient sound, or voice acting take over and shape the music.

This analysis is not about "which element sounds louder," but about how the player's sound perception is articulated, and how each decision impacts gameplay, narrative, and immersion.

🎧 1. Music–Foley Hybrid

In this type of hybrid, music and the sound effects derived from actions (steps, gunshots, impacts) intertwine, redefining the relationship between movement and sound impact in the experience of the player.

Sounds that would normally serve purely mechanical functions here acquire a musical value: each gesture and each action not only affect the physical environment but also shape the musical landscape.

This integration produces several effects:

It reinforces the sense of agency, meaning the ability of the player to act within the game world and immediately perceive the impact of their actions on the sound environment.
It generates emerging rhythms, building musicality in real time through interaction, without being fully precomposed.
It affirms the identity of the gameplay, making the way the player interacts define how the music is constructed during the session.

The design of this hybrid requires precise control of the balance between music and sound effects, always subordinated to the mechanical needs of the game: the sound–action relationship must be clear, immediate, and functional to sustain the gameplay dynamics. However, it is also necessary to incorporate aesthetic criteria, ensuring that the integration between actions and music maintains sonic coherence and respects the stylistic identity of the game's universe.

➔ Balanced version

Here, both music and foley have an active and perceptible role. Music establishes a base structure, but the sounds generated by actions integrate as instruments without losing their identity as concrete actions.

What does it create? A sense of harmonic flow between gameplay and musicality. The player feels that each action not only impacts the world but also becomes part of a coherent sonic fabric.

Example: Rez (2001), where interacting with the world builds sonic layers in real time. It becomes impossible to separate music from sound effects, creating a new type of sound experience.

🎥Rez Infinite – First Level – In this fragment, you can notice how each shot generates a musical layer that naturally integrates with the base soundscape of the environment.

➔ Preponderance of music

In this variant, music organizes and dominates the sonic experience, setting the emotional rhythm and intensity of the gameplay. Foley effects (gunshots, impacts, physical actions) do not disappear, but they subordinate to the musical discourse, acting as timbral accents that reinforce the dynamic imposed by the music.

Here, the musical structure remains stable and preexisting: the player's actions accompany it but do not alter its continuity or direction.

What happens in perception? The player continues to act actively, but it is the music that guides the energy and flow of the experience, shaping the timing of actions.

Example:Doom Eternal (2016), where blows, gunshots, and movements are chained over a base of extreme metal that sustains the scene. The music imposes the rhythm of the gameplay and amplifies the brutality of the actions, which function as sonic reinforcements within an already preestablished musical framework.

🎥 Doom (2016) – Combat to the Rhythm of the Music – You can notice how the extreme music guides the entire energy of the combat, while the foley effects reinforce the intensity of the scene without altering the musical continuity.

➔ Preponderance of foley

In this variant, foley does not merely accompany the music—it creates it directly. There is no precomposed musical track guiding the action. Musicality emerges from the very gestures of the player, dynamically constructed through each interaction.

The musical sound depends on precision, rhythm, and real-time performance: each sonic action defines the existence and continuity of the music.

What does this imply? The player does not just listen to music; they become its active interpreter. The sense of sonic agency is complete, as without intervention there is no music, and the sonic flow adapts to the success or failure of the execution.This type of hybrid reinforces a direct connection between physical action, sound, and musical perception, dissolving the traditional separation between playing, acting, and creating.

Example:Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Osu!, where the precise execution of rhythmic actions not only sustains the music but also determines its continuity and quality. Without the active participation of the player, the music either disappears or fragments, highlighting the leading role of foley in musical construction.

🎥 Guitar Hero III – "Livin' On A Prayer" – In this fragment, you can notice how the music depends directly on each hit: without precise execution, the musical flow is interrupted.

🌌 2. Music–Ambient Hybrid

In this type of hybrid, music and ambient sound intertwine, forming a sonic fabric that redefines the way the player perceives the game's space.

Often, the player can no longer precisely determine which sound belongs to the soundscape and which to a musical structure: the environment itself becomes musicalized, and the music blends into the environment.

This integration is not merely aesthetic. It has profound effects:

It amplifies immersion: The world sounds coherent and natural, avoiding the sensation of artificial layers being superimposed.
It reinforces environmental storytelling: Music does not simply serve as emotional background; it also builds moods, tensions, and cultural atmospheres.
It guides the experience without imposing rigid directions: It allows for the accompaniment of situational or emotional changes while respecting the player's freedom to explore.

Designing this type of hybrid requires meticulous control of the sonic balance, carefully managing the melodic identity and its integration with the environment.This balance must not only be audibly credible but also align with the game's narrative goals and mechanics: music and ambient sound must act in coherence with the emotional tone of the story, the rhythms of exploration or action, and the specific needs of gameplay.

Let’s take a closer look (or listen) at the different versions of this hybrid.

➔ Balanced version

Music and ambient sound intertwine in a stable perceptual balance. The player does not experience an overlaid "background music" but rather a sonic atmosphere where both elements interact.

What does it produce? A subtle, immersive experience, where emotions arise both from the soundscape and from the musicality that permeates it.

Example:The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where piano chords appear and fade with the wind, footsteps, and environment, without imposing a rigid musical structure.

🎥 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Open World Exploration – In this fragment, you can notice how musical interventions subtly emerge among the environmental sounds, blending with the soundscape and accompanying the experience without imposing an external rhythm.

➔ Preponderance of Music

In this modality, music not only accompanies the environment: it organizes, defines, and redefines it.Music plays a dominant role in shaping the experience, providing spatial, temporal, and emotional information that guides the interpretation of the game world.

Although environmental sounds may be present, it is the music that guides the perception of the player, reinforcing moods, eras, and contexts that go beyond visuals or natural ambient sounds.In this way, the hybrid contributes to the narrative sense, offering a contextual framework that facilitates the understanding of the story and the characteristics of the fictional world, even before or beyond explicit storytelling.Environmental sounds do not necessarily have to be heard; music itself can fulfill the function traditionally associated with ambient sound.

How is it perceived? The player interprets space and time based on the musical codes that dominate the soundscape.

Example:Red Dead Redemption 2, where country music not only sets the atmosphere but clearly situates the player in the historical and geographical context of the American Old West, beyond visual or ambient clues.

🎥 Red Dead Redemption 2 – You can notice how the country music takes precedence over the environment, situating the player in the space and time of the American Old West, beyond visual references.

➔ Preponderance of the Environment

In this type of configuration, the ambient sound absorbs the music, incorporating it as part of its own texture.

Music is presented diegetically: it emerges from objects within the environment (such as radios, speakers, or devices), blending into the space as just another element rather than serving as an external accompaniment.

This type of hybrid fulfills key functions:

It situates the player spatially and temporally, providing contextual information indirectly.
It reinforces narrative immersion, by consolidating the cultural and emotional atmosphere of the game world.
It contributes to the construction of the fictional universe, characterizing eras, lifestyles, and emotional states without the need for explicit explanations.

How is it perceived? The player does not hear the music as an external addition, but as a natural component of the environment they inhabit, enriching the interpretation of the space and the narrative.

Example:Bioshock, where old jazz songs, such as La Mer by Django Reinhardt, play from environmental sources scattered throughout Rapture, reinforcing the atmosphere of a decaying world caught between American modernity and the melancholy of an idealized past.

🎥 Bioshock – Rapture – You can notice how the music emerges from diegetic objects within the environment, naturally blending into the soundscape and reinforcing the temporal and emotional atmosphere of the city.

🎤 3. Music–Voice Acting Hybrid

In this type of hybrid, music and character voices intertwine, building an experience where the sonic, narrative, and emotional dimensions mutually enhance one another.

Music does not act as an indifferent background, nor do voices function merely as a channel for information; instead, both elements are strategically combined, creating moments where vocal interpretation and the musical environment dialogue and reinforce each other.

This integration produces several effects:

It enhances the emotional expressiveness of the characters, adding nuances that could not be conveyed through dialogue or music alone.
It sustains narrative immersion, making the player perceive the game world as a living and emotionally coherent space.
It modulates attention, directing the player’s focus according to the needs of the narrative: in some cases prioritizing the voice, in others allowing the music to take the lead.
The design of this hybrid requires precise synchronization between music and the flow of spoken discourse, ensuring that emotions, tonal shifts, and key moments are naturally and effectively aligned.

➔ Balanced version

In this case, music and voice acting are integrated without one perceptually dominating the other.The character’s voice and the musical line intertwine, together building an expressive unit that reinforces both emotional immersion and narrative meaning.

It is not just about listening: the player actively participates in the interpretation, becoming a fundamental part of the musical execution and the construction of meaning.

What does it generate?A deep experience of empathy, where emotion is not only observed but lived, and where music and voice simultaneously act as carriers of emotional and narrative information.

Example: The Last of Us Part II, in the scene where Ellie performs Future Days by Pearl Jam: the player executes the guitar performance while the character sings. The song’s lyrics synthesize the game's central theme (the construction of humanity through emotional bonds), while the act of playing and singing strengthens the emotional connection and active participation in the story.

🎥 The Last of Us Part II – Future Days Performance – Music and voice are integrated in balance, and the player actively participates in the emotional construction of the scene.

➔ Preponderance of Music

In this type of hybrid, music takes control of the sonic scene, displacing the voice acting or reducing its direct participation.Music assumes a narrative function, providing specific information about the world, the characters, or the events of the story.

Even without explicit vocal intervention, music conveys key narrative elements: it situates the player in time, suggests social or emotional states, and anticipates or summarizes conflicts.

What does it generate? A form of sonic storytelling where the player receives essential information through musical codes, without the need for dialogue.

Example: Bioshock, in the use of La Mer, which we analyzed in the music–ambient hybrid, interpreted by Django Reinhardt.It is a song that, beyond its melancholic tone, situates the player within the historical and social context of Rapture, conveying the decay of a world that once dreamed of perfection. The music does not merely provide information about time and space (as happens in the music–ambient hybrid); instead, it offers deeper narrative clues about the nature of the place:Rapture is not a living city, but a space anchored to an idealized past, unable to fully inhabit its present.

➔ Preponderance of Voice Acting

In this type of hybrid, voice acting takes control of the sonic scene, relegating music to a secondary role.The character’s voice (its rhythm, inflections, and emotional weight) becomes the center of the auditory experience, while music remains a subtle background presence that does not interfere with the main focus.

Here, the sound design seeks to ensure that verbal narrative and explicit emotions are what guide the player’s perception.The spoken word not only transmits information: it structures the rhythm of the scene, sustains immersion, and, in some cases, replaces traditional action or combat mechanics.

What effect does it have? The voice becomes a direct narrative engine, leading the player to make decisions, interpret feelings, or resolve situations.

Example: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, during the flyting battles, where the character must compose clever responses to increase their charisma. In these scenes, the rhythm and tone of the voice guide the experience, while music is relegated to a discreet accompaniment that sustains the tension without diverting attention from the words.

🎥 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – Flyting – You can notice how the voice and its musicality structure the scene, turning the verbal exchange into the main focus of the experience.

📜Closing: A Balance That Builds Worlds

Each musical hybrid (whether in its balanced version or in its forms of preponderance) reveals something essential about sound design in video games: sound is not decoration. It is an active force that shapes gameplay, narrative, and emotional experience.

Designers do not just choose what sounds; they decide how everything that sounds intertwines. And in that decision, they build worlds we feel, live in, and inhabit not just with our sight, but above all, with our hearing.

The next time you play, I invite you to ask yourself: Who leads the soundtrack of this world? Am I hearing music? Actions? Emotions? Or all of them at once?

🚀 Coming Up: Voice and Voice Acting Hybrids – The Final Part of the Hybrids

So far, we have explored the main hybrids where music intertwines with foley, ambient sound, and voice acting, building different forms of sonic immersion.

But there is still much more to explore.

In the next entry, we will dive into new types of hybrids, where voice or voice acting combines directly with ambient sound and foley. Hybrids that challenge the traditional boundaries of voice in games, integrating it not just as a carrier of dialogue, but as an active part of the environment or the action.

What happens when the voice merges with the soundscape?

Or when the actions of the player transform fragments of voice into sonic material?

Very soon, we will continue expanding the universe of hybrids in Sound Respawn. 🚀🎶

📚To Keep Thinking📚

🎧 Questions to Keep the Conversation Going

Have you ever experienced a moment where the music and the sounds of the game fused so seamlessly that you couldn't tell them apart?
Which hybrid impacted you the most when you played, even if at the time you didn't realize something like that was happening?
Would you like us to explore in a future post how to design different types of hybrids depending on the game type or narrative genre?

✨ Tell me in the comments!

Your experience, your favorite game, that unforgettable moment when music was the world you were exploring. I would love to hear from you and keep building this space for critical and passionate listening.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it with colleagues, friends, or simply with someone who also believes that sound can change everything.

See you in the next Sound Respawn ! 🚀🎶