There is something about being in the Virtual Reality space where it is yours to be creative, to be who you want to be, and as artistic as one sees fit to be. But if you had the space to create the music, what do you think you would create? What do you see that music being as a representation of who you are? So do publisher Fast Travel Games and developer Really Interactive give us the tools for creating the music in the Virtual Reality space? let’s find out with Virtuoso for the Quest/2 and PCVR.
Virtuoso is a VR musical sandbox that lets anyone play and perform music in new, immersive ways. Allowing you to grab an instrument, play, and share your tracks with the world. So before you become the next big thing, there are a few things that you should know about. First, don’t be afraid to just get into the experience and create. That’s what it’s there for. Second, even if you don’t think you might be creative, give it a try. And finally, make sure those controllers are charged, because you don’t want to be in the middle of that next hit to have them go out and mess up your rhythm. With all that said, let’s continue…
I will say that when I first started Virtuoso, there was something that I wasn’t sure about. I don’t know if I would have the ability to create, much less share what I created. It wasn’t not wanting to try as much as just giving it my all and just seeing what I could do. Maybe I shouldn’t have started to listen to what different players shared, but it gave me an idea of what was ahead of me. Regardless, the very first thing you will want to do is go through the tutorial. Trust me, once you start to see how things work within mere minutes, you will start to say to yourself, “you got this”. But starting on something that many may think would be difficult as the Oorgan, just started to show how easy things can become.
At the time of the review, there are six instruments to be creative with. You have the Board, Clustr, Empads, Oorgan, Wavemin, and the Wharp. If you want that bass and drum experience you will want to use the Empads while the Wharp gives you that almost harp-like experience. Keep in mind this is all digital instruments. So you can change the sound, the temp sync, the Octave, and even have options if you want to Sync late hits.
You can have all the instruments out at one time and have them anywhere you want. So if you have a chair that can move around in a circle or stand, you can be surrounded by them. However, you don’t have to have everything out. In fact, let’s say you want to access the Empads and only use a few of them, you can do that. It’s really up to you how you want to create. When you have your instrument up and have everything from the sound to the position that you would like, all you need to do is tap the Looper that will listen for the sound and play like there is no tomorrow. Then hit the Looper again and it will save it. Pick another instrument and do the same thing and now you start to have tracks for your creation. But it is really fun to start and hear the different sounds you can make from everything.
As you start and stop with each of the Looper recordings, you can do everything from changing the volume of each one to moving them around to deciding that sound didn’t exactly fit what you were going for start deleting. Of course, to add to everything, there is the microphone aspect where you can just sing, hum, and make annoying sounds if you want. It really is up to you to experiment on how things sound which really is part of the fun of it all.
Now, of course, once you make your song, you may feel that you want to share it with the rest of the world which is very easy to do. Once you have your song saved, you just need to name it, add some tags if you would like, and share it. Then everyone can listen to it. You can search from the newest, A – Z, most popular, and even search. If you want to export your songs, you can do so in various ways such as using the Tape Recorder, browser from within the Quest/2, email it, or if on the Quest/2, connecting your headset to your PC. It really is fun to listen to what people have created and help make it your own or become an inspiration for someone else.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. When playing Virtuoso, I started to pay attention more to the instruments than really anything else. Yes, there are different environments to be immersed in, but it’s really about the different instruments. Words were very clear which is always important when trying to figure thing things out, but the instruments, much like the environments just had this visual appeal that makes you want to keep creating. When it comes to the sound it really comes down to how you want to tailor the experience for you. Do you want all the levels to be at the highest that they can be or do you want lower some so you can hear different instruments and how you adjust them to really have that balance? And then, the community and you can hear something new every time you play.
There are a few things that I hope to see updated. For one, more instruments. You do have a variety with the ones that are here, but I would just love to see more such as a cowbell. Cause you know, you gotta have more cowbell. Second, more environments. Maybe even have some that could be interactive with the sounds. And finally, I would love to see an online multiplayer or co-op mode. Just think how awesome people would sound when mixing and adding their own vocals. The content and replayability could be even more endless.
Virtuoso allows anyone to pick up an instrument to create with ease. It doesn’t need to put too much emphasis on how to play but allows for the creative freedom of your own musical artist to come through. If listening to music can get us through whatever mood that we are in, then being part of the creation of that music can only help set us free. But if the music is your special friend, shouldn’t we dance on fire as it intends until the end?
Virtuoso is out now for the Oculus Rift/S and Quest/Quest 2 on the Oculus Store and Steam VR. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Fast Travel Games, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
To learn more about Really Interactive, please visit the site, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.
Also, check out the Virtuoso interview.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I have more to create.
