In the pre-holiday update from No Man’s Sky, Hello Games surprised the players with a new, fully functional synthesizer. The studio calls the computer the ByteBeat device and can create new songs for the game.
As part of the game’s extensive base build system, players can now create a ByteBeat device in their base using “module blueprints from the space anomaly,” said Hello Games. As soon as the device is connected to a power source, music sounds in the area. With the ByteBeat, players can play around with the music as much or as little as they want.
“Building bases is a big part of what people do in our game, and a common requirement is the ability to add sounds and music to their construction,” wrote a Hello Games representative in the announcement. “Our team always likes creative challenges, and audio is one of our great passions. In the past few weeks, one of our encoders has been obsessed with developing an audio creation tool for the community. We were so excited that we thought it would be a nice surprise to get it out. “
The first song of each ByteBeat is generated procedurally when it is created. Players can play the randomly created music or interact with the device to set the tempo, octave, key, melody and drums. Players who really want to get into the system and create their own jams can change the math equation of the music to produce a truly unique sound.
Players can also link multiple ByteBeats together to create a symphony of synthesized melodies in their bases. The ByteBeat has settings with which it can also connect to other objects. This means that players can create a light show that syncs with their own music tracks.
