Example of SoundSetSoundSet Mixing Demo
Click here to download .FLA source file of interface below - 2.1 Mb download (zipped Flash® file)
What makes SoundSets so powerful is that, in addition to two premixed tracks included, every SoundSet is delivered in components or parts. The number of parts vary with each SoundSet. In this example, there are 4 components or parts contained in the SoundSet:
1) bass
2) drums
3) electronic
4) synth
Click on the name of each component in the interface below to hear how they sound by themselves.
Now click on the play button at the top of the interface to play the example.
All of the sound files are perfectly equal and/or proportionate to each other and loop seamlessly. These characteristics make it easy to layer and loop and arrange the components in any way desired. Many applications, whether for digital video, web or other multimedia have layering capabilities over a timeline. Here, we are using Adobe Flash to demonstrate this example.
As you can see, we have layered the four parts in a timeline and have looped them a number of times. The lengths of the Bass, Electronic and Drums components are equal to each. All three are 1 measure in length. The Synth component is 4 measures long and therefore is 4 times as long as the other components.
You have the freedom to arrange or mix the components in whichever way you like. For this example, we chose to begin our score with the Electronic component. After 4 loops of that component, we bring in the Synth component and then the Bass component. Finally we bring in the Drums component. You can follow the playhead, the moving line, and as it crosses each added component, it flashes for an instant in a green color.
Perhaps the greatest benefit for those using music on the web is that SoundSets have the power to create an illusion of an unfolding, varied music track over the web without taking up precious file size. An audio file need only be loaded once on the viewer's computer. After that, no matter how many times you re-use that particular piece of audio, it does not add file size to the presentation.
For this example, we have applied different compression settings for the components. Before compression, the combined file size of the components was about 2,114 Kb! After compression, the total file size at output for the audio and that is downloaded to the viewer's computer is 44.4 Kb. Each component can be reused as many times as desired in a particular web presentation without adding file size. And the resulting quality of the sound is quite good because we are able to impose different compression settings on the components as indicated below:
Bass - 302 Kb compressed @ MP3 16Kbps = 3.4 Kb
Drums - 302 Kb compressed @ MP3 32 Kbps = 6.8 Kb
Electronic - 302 Kb compressed @ MP3 32 Kbps = 6.8 Kb
Synth - 1,208 Kb compressed @ MP3 32 Kbps = 27.4 Kb
Sounds with low frequencies can be compressed quite a bit without affecting fidelity. In this case, we compressed the Bass component a lot without affecting the fidelity much. Sounds with high frequencies, such as a drum loop with hit hats, should be compressed less. However, you can always adjust the compression and fidelity to fit your project requirements or constraints.
To summarize, Soundsets:
1) allow for flexibility and creativity for the designer to arrange or mix the music to fit a specific project.
2) spare viewers from monotonous looping music, especially for those presentations delivered over the web.
3) use minimal file space, especially when delivered over the web.
