A Sussex firm has been making music for the web.
The use of sound in multi-media has been slow to take off but with extra bandwidth becoming more available for the general consumer, the market has grown.
Hove-based Inhouse Music composes original music and has been adding audio to projects such as promotions for Cussons soap products, the Science Museum in London and the official Roald Dahl web site.
The company is run by Mike Corrigan, a classically-trained pianist, and Neil Mannifield, a bass player.
The pair use their keyboard and guitar skills, combined with sampling, to create tracks which are then converted into digital formats such as WAV, AIFF or MP3.
Neil said: "Music maximises the impact of a company's visual creations and allows web sites to be seen and heard in another dimension.
"The main issue for the use of audio has got to be file size and download times. After all, who wants to wait a minute for a site to load?
"Recent breakthroughs in new software technologies that utilise high-compression ratios but maintain quality, means that file size can be kept to a minimum and usage is now much more practicable.
"The music we produce can be seen as an aid to branding or corporate image building. Effective use of music can maintain consumer interest, making them stay on a particular site for longer and, by creating the appropriate mood, it can be used to entice them to buy."
Inhouse Music has composed scores in many genres, classical, rock, hip hop and house to name a few, since starting out two years ago.
Neil added: "One reason why music has not been used much on the web until now is the price. With the technologies we use, we can create music quickly in any style people want and maintain a high standard which is cost-effective.
"We have seen demand for our work increase rapidly and expect this to continue as sound on the web, in its many forms, becomes commonplace. After all, who watches the TV with the sound turned down?"
The company also provides a production service, voice-over facilities, an editing suite and audio consultation.
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