Key Considerations for Duo Singing in Virtual Reality and Videoconferencing: An Exploratory Study with Bigscreen and Zoom

This study investigates the key considerations of duo singing in virtual reality (VR) and videoconferencing (VC) settings. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person musical collaborations, leading performers to explore online alternatives. While VR offers a novel visual medium for musical collaboration, its potential in networked music performance (NMP) has been underexplored compared to VC. In this study, ten participants from Australia and the United States, equipped with internet access and VR headsets, engaged in leader-follower singing sessions in both VR (Bigscreen) and VC (Zoom) environments. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed five key themes: presence, performance, affect, usability, and usefulness. Participants reported feeling more co-present and less inhibited in VR, fostering a greater sense of enjoyment and creativity, despite issues with facial expression fidelity and physical comfort. Conversely, while VC offered more realistic visual cues, it heightened self-consciousness in less experienced singers. Overall, participants favoured singing in VR, noting its ability to reduce inhibition while providing a novel environment. This study expands our understanding of visual communication in online music collaboration and offers insights for performers and designers of immersive musical experiences.