SoundSelf
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| SoundSelf | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Developer | Robin Arnott (original prototype); Andromeda Entertainment (2020 release) |
| Publisher | Andromeda Entertainment (2020 release) |
| Director | Robin Arnott |
| Platform | Oculus Rift (Platform), SteamVR |
| Device | Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index |
| Operating System | Windows, Mac |
| Type | Experience |
| Genre | Simulation, Exploration |
| Input Device | Microphone |
| Game Mode | Single Player |
| Release Date | 2020-04-22 (commercial release) |
| Price | US$29.95 (announced 2020 launch price) |
| App Store | Steam (historical listing); Viveport (2020 festival platform) |
| Website | https://soundself.com/pages/download-classic-version |
SoundSelf is a voice-responsive audiovisual Virtual Reality experience created by Robin Arnott. Sustained vocal tones influence its music and abstract imagery.[1]
The commercial version, SoundSelf: A Technodelic, was released on April 22, 2020.[2] Andromeda announced versions for PC, Mac and PC VR, with a launch price of US$29.95.[3]
The original desktop and VR experience is distinct from the later SoundSelf system sold with light-stimulation glasses and optional vibroacoustic equipment. The vendor's download page separates its current PC/tablet software from the Mac and Windows version labeled "classic".[4][5]
Features
SoundSelf uses a Microphone to listen to vocal input. Its launch description specifies headphones as well as a computer, with a screen or VR headset for the imagery.[3] In a 2016 interview, Arnott explained that it records the participant's tones, adds resonating instrumental sound and allows sounds to continue after the participant stops vocalizing. Subsequent tones contribute to a changing soundscape and its associated visuals.[6]
Arnott described the relationship between input and output as a balance: a response that was entirely predictable would behave like an instrument, while one that was too disconnected would stop feeling responsive. He identified generative visuals and variation between sessions as parts of the design. These statements describe the creator's approach to interaction, rather than a measured psychological outcome.[6]
In the 2020 festival presentation, a spoken introduction guides vocal toning. Sustained tones accompany an ascent from a tree into outer space, followed by fractal imagery and harmonizing audio. The listed running time was 20 minutes.[1]
In an April 2020 interview, Arnott described longer sessions, with the experience eventually returning the participant from the abstract sequence. The festival's running time describes that presentation, rather than every available session.[7]
Development and release
A public desktop prototype accompanied the 2013 crowdfunding campaign. Contemporary reporting described a planned PC, Mac and Linux release; this was a development promise, rather than confirmation of a later Linux release.[8] In a March 22, 2013 interview, Arnott said that the prototype detected tone and duration, with vocal texture and breath rhythm among the intended additions. Programmer Evan Balster worked on the audio-response tools. Rift integration was still described as planned at that point.[9]
By June 2013, Arnott had shown a Rift build at E3. His account of that demonstration discussed using immersive hardware for experimental audiovisual experiences that did not organize play primarily around a story or external goals.[10] SoundSelf became a finalist for the Independent Games Festival's 2014 Nuovo Award.[11]
In a September 13, 2014 development update, Arnott reported work on an introductory sequence and a new geometric visual approach. He also described an alpha vertical slice and plans for a shorter Gear VR version. The update's proposed mobile release and desktop launch timing were plans, rather than evidence of finished releases.[12]
| Date or period | Documented stage |
|---|---|
| March 2013 | Public prototype and crowdfunding campaign; Rift support described as a development plan.[8][9] |
| June 2013 | Creator's account confirms an E3 Rift demonstration.[10] |
| 2014 | Nuovo Award finalist.[11] |
| September 13, 2014 | Alpha development update and proposed Gear VR version.[12] |
| December 2016 | A beta was available; contemporary coverage anticipated a full release in 2017.[6] |
| April 22, 2020 | Commercial release date recorded by Steam, following the April 7 announcement.[2][3] |
| 2020 | Presented in Venice VR Expanded through HTC Viveport.[1] |
In his 2020 interview, Arnott described approximately eight years of work on the project and explained his use of the term "technodelic" for experiences designed around contemplative or altered-state aims.[7]
2020 production credits
| Role | Credit |
|---|---|
| Production | Andromeda Entertainment, Robin Arnott and Heather Ray.[1] |
| Chief engineer | Evan Balster.[1] |
| Design and programming | Aequitas Luck.[1] |
| Music | Siddhartha Barnhoorn.[1] |
| Art director | Topher Sipes.[1] |
System requirements
Steam lists Windows and macOS desktop requirements. Its Windows entry specifies SteamVR or Oculus PC for VR. The table gives selected minimum requirements retained in the listing.[2]
| Component | Windows minimum | macOS minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 | MacOS 10.9 |
| Processor | Intel i5 2500 equivalent or better | 2.5GHz Intel Core i7 or better |
| Memory | 6 GB RAM | 6 GB RAM |
| Storage | 3 GB available space | 3 GB available space |
| Audio input/output | Microphone and headphones required | Microphone and headphones required |
The distributor's Windows entry additionally requires a 64-bit processor and operating system.[2]
The 2020 Venice presentation listed HTC Vive, HTC Vive Pro, HTC Vive Cosmos, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. This is a dated exhibition compatibility list, not a claim that those platforms remain supported today.[1]
Setup and input
The 2020 launch materials describe a computer, microphone and headphones, with VR optional for the desktop version.[3] Arnott's demonstration instructions favor lying down.[6] The festival's director statement cautions about seizures and migraine.[1]
Research context
A pilot report by Jeff Tarrant, published by the International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association in March 2020, examined six adults aged 22-42 with prior meditation experience. Each tried SoundSelf and Guided Meditation VR in counterbalanced sessions using an Oculus Rift, with EEG recordings, questionnaires and interviews. The active SoundSelf portion lasted ten minutes, followed by two minutes of eyes-closed rest.[13]
The report described differences in EEG and self-reported altered-state measures, while mood changes were broadly similar in both conditions. Its single-subject EEG discussion acknowledges possible muscle-tension contributions to gamma activity. The psychedelic comparison used previously published questionnaires, with no drug-administration arm. This exploratory report does not establish clinical effectiveness or drug equivalence, and gives no software build number for applying its findings to later versions.[13]
Andromeda promoted the report in its launch announcement.[3]
Distribution and later versions
As checked on October 13, 2026, Steam app 590510 is titled The VR Voice Experience, retains the SoundSelf EULA link and says it is no longer available on the store.[2]
The current vendor site provides a separate "classic" download page for Mac and PC computers. That landing page does not itself establish installation success, the build version or continued compatibility of the old VR paths.[14] Its newer setup documentation describes a Surface tablet, headphones with a microphone, a Limina interface and light-stimulation glasses, with an optional vibroacoustic system. Those instructions concern the later hardware package and should not be read as the original Rift application's installation manual.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "Sound Self: A Technodelic". La Biennale di Venezia. https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2020/venice-vr-expanded/sound-self-technodelic. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "The VR Voice Experience". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/590510/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Andromeda Entertainment (2020-04-07). "SoundSelf: A Technodelic - A New Way to Cope with Confinement Stress - Digital Meditation is About to be Revolutionized". GlobeNewswire. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/04/07/2012758/0/en/SoundSelf-A-Technodelic-A-New-Way-to-Cope-with-Confinement-Stress-Digital-Meditation-is-About-to-be-Revolutionized.html. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "download". SoundSelf. https://soundself.com/pages/download. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "🚀 Setup Instructions". SoundSelf Help Center. https://soundself.super.site/getting-started/setup-instructions. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Kent Bye (2016-12-17). "#484: Creating a Synthetic Peak Experience in VR with SoundSelf". Voices of VR. https://voicesofvr.com/484-creating-a-synthetic-peak-experience-in-vr-with-soundself/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kent Bye (2020-04-15). "#906: “SoundSelf” & The Technodelic Manifesto: Using VR to Transform Consciousness". Voices of VR. https://voicesofvr.com/906-sound-self-the-technodelic-manifesto-using-vr-to-transform-consciousness/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Alice O'Connor (2013-03-19). "Chant 'em up SoundSelf hits Kickstarter". Shacknews. https://www.shacknews.com/article/78290/chant-em-up-soundself-hits-kickstarter. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Leigh Alexander (2013-03-22). "The intimacy of sound: Robin Arnott's mysterious SoundSelf". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-intimacy-of-sound-robin-arnott-s-mysterious-i-soundself-i-. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Robin Arnott (2013-06-20). "The Dream and the Rift". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-dream-and-the-rift. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "2014 Finalists & Winners". Independent Games Festival. https://igf.com/archive-2014/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Robin Arnott (2014-09-13). "New Alpha Build + Gear VR". Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/soundself/soundself/posts/984017. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Jeff Tarrant (2020-03-23). "Can Virtual Reality be Psychedelic? A Comparison of SoundSelf VR with Guided Meditation VR on Quantitative EEG, Altered States, and Mood". International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association. https://ivrha.org/can-virtual-reality-be-psychedelic-a-comparison-of-soundself-vr-with-guided-meditation-vr-on-quantitative-eeg-altered-states-and-mood/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "Download Classic Version". SoundSelf. https://soundself.com/pages/download-classic-version. Retrieved 2026-10-13.