How will next year sound? Here are four audio trends you should expect to hear in 2021.

Brand Voice

At the end of 2018, more than 1.35 million Australian households had a smart speaker in their home.

In 2021, industry experts suggest we will see a surge in the number of brands investing in voice technology to create a distinctive brand voice or voices. As such, brand voices will become increasingly sophisticated, blending real human voices with synthetic and AI resources. 

Sound UX and UI

User experience (UX) and user interface (UI), is largely dominated by visual or physical design. In 2021, audio UX will become part of this broader user experience strategy as an integral aspect of audio branding and digital commerce.

Security and speed is also becoming increasingly important, with brands like Mastercard, Visa and Amex adding sound to point-of-sale transactions to create feelings of safety and security.

360 Degree Audio

While 360 degree audio is commonplace in the movie and gaming industry, industry experts suggest 2021 will see a growing number of brands begin to create 360 audio to enhance digital brand interactions.

In fact, the foundations have already been laid with the technology in headphones, smart speakers and laptops, which create the feeling that we are being directly spoken to.

AI generated music

AI generated music isn’t new however, 2021 could see the technology head in a brand-new direction.

While AI projects such as Jukebox, have learned to produce original music in the recognisable style of famous artists, we may not see brands look to create music from the likes of Elvis Presley, but we may see AI music tailored to our preferences and potentially fit with our moods and contextual experiences.