62. XR, AI and Game Audio Design with Larry Yucheng Chang⁠

Check out the XReality Podcast #62: XR, AI, and Game Audio Design

🎧 From piano keys to virtual worlds 🎮

I had an inspiring conversation with Larry Yucheng Chang:

🔊 VR audio is not 2D audio with depth sprinkled on top.

In VR, sound is the world. It is spatial. It is emotional. It is brutally honest. Every footstep, every interaction needs feedback that feels right. Miss it, and the spell breaks. Get it right, and suddenly the world breathes back at you.

🤖 AI in music is a collaborator, not the boss.

We discussed tools like Suno and the legal and ethical gray areas we are all navigating. My takeaway is simple. AI is great at opening doors. It can spark ideas and remix directions. But music theory, taste, restraint, and intention still belong to humans. The soul does not autocomplete.

🎹 The journey shapes the sound.

Larry shared his path from classical piano training in Taiwan to becoming an audio director in VR. Moving from linear film timelines to interactive systems like The Price of Freedom or the Van Gogh immersive experience changes everything. Sometimes audio is about realism. Sometimes it is about poetry. Sometimes it is not explaining the world, but reshaping how you feel inside it.

🌱 Design empathy is everything.

We talked about VR accessibility and non-gamers. How easy it is for designers to forget what it feels like to be new.

✨ AI will not replace artists. But it will expose the lazy ones.

The future belongs to creators who supervise, curate, and tell stories with care. Tools will keep changing. Meaning still requires humans.

This conversation felt less like an interview and more like a reminder.

Sound is space.

Code is rhythm.

Story is still king.

And the future?

It already sounds interesting.

💡 Connect with Larry: https://lnkd.in/gE8sPBQf

💡 Check out his current work: https://lnkd.in/gZm7Wpsr

Listen to XReality Podcast: 

📽 YT: https://www.youtube.com/@XRealityPro

🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xreality-podcast-uncover-opportunities-for-spatial/id1738791992

🎙 Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dominique-wu

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#XR #VR #Game #Audio #SoundDesign #Composer #Music #Piano #Education #Coding #GameDesign #Entertainment #UX