KDEvibes: sounds and jingles for KDE

[Wade Olson]

Thanks for all of the input Frans.

I agree with your insights.

Since kde-artists shouldn't necessarily be limited to 'visual' artists, and an icon style guide
has recently been released, is it time for an acoustic style guide as well?


--- Frans Englich <frans.englich at telia.com> wrote:
> On Tuesday 02 March 2004 07:55, Artemio wrote:
> 
> This sounds of course ridiculus but I actually tried keeping the text small..
> 
> > Hello dear K developers!
> >
> > My name is Artemio. I'm a sound designer and music composer since 1994. And
> > yes I'm a Linux user and hopeless KDE lover :-)
> 
> :)
> 
> >
> > I have just started a project that aims at creating brand new jingles and
> > event effects for KDE. It is located at http://kdevibes.artemio.net/. I'm
> > planning creating several 'sound themes' for KDE and I'm really up for it,
> > you know what I mean.
> 
> Enthusiastic, compentent people like you, is exactly what KDE needs.
> 
> >
> > Please don't judge all material too cruel. The work is always in progress
> > and I will often come up with new and different stuff.
> >
> > Any non-bashing feedback would be appreciated. :-)
> 
> I have actually plans myself to go into the studio and make a sound theme("It 
> is on my TODO").
> 
> I think it is very easy to forget the purpose of system notifications and 
> doing an (excessive) over-design, afterall, it is very fun to do this kind of 
> things.
> The purpose of system notifications is to be yet another communication 
> "channel" to the user - when something happens a signal reaches the user, in 
> the form of a sound. This sounds simple(ka dum bing), but is easily forgotten 
> - the communication must be successful. Any communication overhead should be 
> avoided - we want the user to think about the actual content of the KWord 
> Document or whatever, not the sounds, the user just wants the work done(which 
> can be applied in a lot of other cases in KDE...).
> 
> 
> System notifications (for Desktop Environments) are tricky to do because the 
> premises are not fun:
> 
> Problem: Usually they will be played on crappy and cheap built in speakers(as 
> opposed to those fancy monitors/headphones)
> Solution: Avoid much energy in the low frequencies(makes them burr/vibrate). 
> Avoid transient sounds(not reproduced properly).
> 
> * Problem: The sounds must work in an office landscape and similar situations
> Solution: The sounds must be discrete since other people will have it in their 
> ambiance.
> 
> * They can't be (too) time/fashion bound. KDE's sound themes will stay for a 
> long time. As a side note, if a sound is "characteristic" or has a certain 
> fashion that could mean it is over elaborated - people's ears will get tired 
> of it.
> Solution: Simply avoid excessive effects/filters. Reverb, and other 
> effects(for example, the typical Olsen Brothers/Daft Punk lead voice).
> 
> * Problem: They must communicate properly.
> Solution: If a sound is too short people wont be able to identify it(so one 
> can't say "small/simple" is the best). Similarly, if the sound contains too 
> many quick tones that also makes it harder to identify(and people will have 
> to think more).
> 
> * Problem: It should be possible to hear them -->many<-- times per day without 
> finding them distracting, annoying or getting tired.
> Solution: Though. The more complex(the longer, more instruments, faster 
> melodies, effects) a sound is the more attention we must pay(we can't 
> choose). Avoid transients. Much energy in low frequencies is often tiresome. 
> Sounds which are too focus stealing also doesn't hold in the long run(for 
> example, a quick sweep of high frequent tones). Another method is to create a 
> consistency( a theme in all its aspects) so the sounds sound somewhat 
> similar/have the same style, then people doesn't need to think so much.
> 
> 
> As a sound engineer(and as tester) it is easily to focus too much on the 
> sound(yes :) - something might sound very nice but users really don't care - 
> they would get annoyed if an orchestra played for a minute every time one 
> clicked the mouse(to get the point through). In other words, when that uber 
> cool sound is created question:
> * Will I bear to here that played XXXXX times ever day?
> * Will it make the baby cry? :)
> * Are the dog going to attack the computer?
> * Will those hopeless speakers on the laptop handle it?
> * Will my grand father/mother accept the sounds or reject them as too "moern"? 
> (you get the point)
> 
> Further, one should keep in mind that 10/20% of adults(don't got the number at 
> hand) have hearing problems - that simply must be taken into account. 
> Fortunately, this is rather easily solved by aiming at a range of 
> 2000-3000Hz(tones in that range are usually rather painful but it should go 
> in that direction) and avoiding keeping important/communicative parts in the 
> low frequencies. Further, one should extra keep in mind to make the sounds 
> easy to identify(above).
> Perhaps one should not think "composing" but rather "usability engineering".
> 
> Food for thought :)
> 
> (FYI, new sound themes will very likely not be accepted before KDE4, the 
> change is too big usability wise.)
> 
> > P.S. I'm not subscribed to the mailing lists I've sent this message to.
> > Please mail me to artemio at artemio.net or tell me how to subscribe. Thanks!
> 
> If you like, visit:
> http://www.kde.org/mailinglists/
> 
> I would go for announce, kde-core-devel, kde-artists
> 
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> 		Frans
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> kde-artists at mail.kde.org
> https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-artists


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