Metaverse is a term generally associated with Ready Player One and The Matrix. However, the metaverse isn’t an alternate dimension of our reality. It’s a phygital ecosystem that functions as a digital blueprint – one that blends the physical world with a digital one. It also opens the door to a virtual future, leading to an entirely new avenue of influencer marketing, entertainment, branding, voice overs, and much more.
From digital products and virtual concerts to games and lifelike avatars, the metaverse is a place where anything digital is possible. Users can experience various physical world elements but in an immersive digital environment. This could be trying out an Armani custom-designed suit, or even driving your very own Ferrari. You can also create an avatar to represent you at virtual office meetings or decide if your digital home should look as chaotic as your physical one. With a predicted worth of around $800 billion by the year 2024, life in the metaverse could eventually envelop life in the future.
What is the Metaverse?
The metaverse is a platform provided by developers but created by users. Essentially, these users have the power to construct a completely virtual world. The metaverse also blends augmented and virtual reality – and you can use it for almost anything. And gaining entrance is simple, all a user needs to have is a 3D avatar, to access conference rooms, concerts, games, or even a moment of relaxation on a sunbed at the sea. Although visual effects and color appeal enhance the metaverse experience, sound also plays an important role in this digital environment. As a medium for content delivery sound effectively builds on the ambiance of a digital atmosphere.
Why is vocal sound important in the metaverse?
Since users can define what their avatars will sound like, voice is a key component in virtual environments. The Metaverse places a great deal of attention on voice over. Authentic voices help to convey ideas and even express feelings to other users. Fundamentally, the metaverse aims to create a parallel reality for users and the best way to achieve this is by blending visual and audio components to achieve realism. To this effect, vocal sound has a direct impact on a virtual atmosphere. Note that Spatial audio and AI voice avatars are two ways in which authentic sound travels through the metaverse.
Spatial audio enhances quality
There are no two ways about it: spatial audio is an integral part of the metaverse. Tech giants, Microsoft and Meta have invested vast amounts in 3D audio technology to further enhance their virtual reality platforms. Spatial audio, for example, contributes to the quality a company experiences when conducting group business meetings. It helps attendees to focus better and improves their concentration. In short, spatial audio minimizes meeting fatigue. This is what listeners experience when the sound they hear at every meeting comes from the same location.
As if floating in stagnant water, attendees can feel purposeless because there’s no differentiation from person to person. This can negatively affect productivity and employee participation. Spatial audio, on the other hand, is a meeting saver in that it provides an in-person experience for video conferencing. Users are no longer trapped by single-source audio quality and can focus more fully on the meeting content.
AI voice avatars reinforce realism
AI voices can also personalize a user’s metaverse experience. Google wears the crown when it comes to personalized voices. Unafraid to experiment, the company has diversified the range of voices it offers to include celebs like singer John Legend and actress Issa Rae.
Advancing technology can also play a part in the realism of AI voices and avatars. An example of this is the current project Star labs is working on with Samsung’s financial backing. Their project, the Neon assistant, is an AI-powered lifeform created to reach various avenues of human life. Eventually, users can customize their AI or avatar to look and sound like a well-known artist or even a close relative who passed away. These virtual creations can even be addressed by human names like Sam or Sally. This builds an emotional and interactive link between the user and the avatar focusing on how we could eventually interact with realistic AI forms in the future.
Voice modification improves the experience.
Synthetic voices are often used for virtual humans, but users are now flocking toward something different. In the metaverse, users have the option to sound however they want such as, modifying your own voice.
Voice modification technology has been utilized by gamers for years. Instead of a simple robot-style voice, or mimicking the rasp of Darth Vader, some companies have redirected their machine learning software to generate entire synthetic voices from the ground up. At present, users don’t sound like completely different people, rather the technology improves the sound of their own voices. However, in the future, as both software and hardware evolve, users may be able to sound like another person entirely in the metaverse.
Final thoughts on metaverse voices
The metaverse, although still in its beginning phase, has unlimited potential. You can promote your brand, experiment with marketing strategies, hold concerts, or even sell products. The possibilities are endless. And this is where voice makes all the difference. An authentic voice can completely alter the metaverse experience for users through avatars, branding, or even promotional videos. But when it comes to avatars, the best part is that you can give it just about any voice you like. This gives you the power to bring an online persona to life with its own unique voice.
And using a professional voice actor is the most life-like option there is. So, we’d like to take a moment to wish you all the best as your business adapts to the evolving world of the metaverse. Whether you need a voice for a marketing campaign, avatar, or voice assistant, Voice123 is your one-stop shop. We have a vast selection of some of the finest professional voice actors in the world for you to choose from. Why not start by posting a project, to find the best voice actor for your metaverse experience?
