What Is Multi-Sensory Music? How Musicians Can Expand the Listening Experience

In an era of short‑form content and endless scrolling, immersive music offers a chance to pause, breathe, and truly listen. By weaving emotional narratives, field recordings, and thoughtful physical design, artists can transform sound into a full‑body experience—one that’s not just heard, but felt.

One standout example is ambient project Six Missing, the creative vision of TJ Dumser. Through his work, TJ demonstrates how intentional sound design and storytelling invite listeners into a richer, more human musical journey. Whether you’re a producer, songwriter, or sound designer, there’s inspiration to be found in his blend of emotional depth, real‑world textures, and tactile presentation—proof that music’s power lies in the details we choose to share.

What Does It Mean to Create Music That You Can Feel?

For Six Missing, music isn't just a background track—it’s an emotional and environmental experience. Every sound is chosen carefully to create a mood or memory. It could be the rumble of a storm, the quiet of a long pause, or the slow rise of a melody that feels like breathing. His compositions often defy traditional structure. Instead, they unfold in waves, designed to guide listeners into reflection, calm, and awareness.

“Music—especially ambient music—can be a way to sit with a feeling, to hold space for something you can’t name,” TJ explains. “It’s less about resolution and more about acknowledgment.”

Ambient music like this doesn’t demand attention. It invites it.

How Do Artists Create Immersive Music Experiences?

Artists build immersive experiences by engaging multiple senses, crafting a strong sense of place and emotional journey, and thinking beyond just the sonic element. Here are some broadly applicable strategies—with TJ Dumser’s work as Six Missing serving as an illustrative example:

Incorporating Field Recordings and Found Sounds

By capturing ambient noises—whether it’s rustling leaves, city traffic, or household creaks—artists anchor their tracks in a tangible world. These real‑life snippets can become narrative touchpoints, transporting listeners to a specific moment or environment. “I’ll walk around my neighborhood or even just step outside my studio and record what’s there—the wind through the trees, a car door slamming, a bird call. Then I try to make that part of the emotional arc of a track,” says TJ.

Emotion-Driven Production

Immersion deepens when music reflects genuine emotional experiences. Writing from a place of grief, joy, tension, or peace invites listeners to share in that affective space. Structural choices—dynamics, harmonic shifts, pacing—can mirror the emotional contours of real life.

TJ’s 2023 album Here For Now, inspired by grief and healing, was created in response to the death of a friend. The music carries that emotional weight, gently. “I was trying to process loss, but also hold space for presence—how short and beautiful this moment is.”

Curating the Listening Environment

Presenting music in context—through playlists, themed mixes, or interludes—guides listeners into a specific mindset. Thoughtful sequencing and pacing turn a series of tracks into a cohesive narrative or moodscape. Playlists using TJ’s songs like Meditative Wind Down and Meditative Moments aren’t just collections—they’re soundtracks for specific states of being.

Designing Physical Releases for Tactile Connection

In an age of streaming, tangible formats can heighten immersion. Gatefold artwork, textured vinyl, lyric booklets, and thoughtful packaging encourage a slower, more intentional listening ritual. TJ says of his recent 3xLP Without Mind, “I wanted this release to be something you could hold, flip through, sit with. The artwork, the vinyl—those are part of the experience, too.”

Why Do Artists Combine Sound With Other Senses?

In a world of quick content and short attention spans, multi-sensory music provides a slower, deeper way to connect. It invites listeners into a full experience—one that includes:

• Sight – through visual branding, photography, vinyl packaging, or lighting
• Touch – via physical formats and analog listening rituals
• Memory – through sound design that triggers emotion and nostalgia

“We live in a world of noise. I want to make something that clears space—not adds to the clutter,” TJ says. “Music can be a tool for mindfulness, or even just a gentle reminder to breathe.” For him, music becomes a space you enter. The result is a feeling of connection—both to the artist and to yourself.

Do Ambient or Experimental Artists Need to Think About Copyright?

Yes—and it’s important.

If you’re releasing music that consists solely of nature sounds, field recordings, or other non-musical audio, you may not be entitled to music publishing royalties. Copyright law generally recognizes “musical works” as compositions that include original lyrics, melody, harmony, or rhythm. While ambient and experimental music is absolutely creative and impactful, not all compositions or sound recordings qualify for protection—and compensation—under U.S. copyright law.

If your project relies heavily on field recordings or sound design, it’s worth doing a rights check—especially if you’re using audio you didn’t capture yourself or if your work blurs the lines between sound and music. Knowing where you stand can help you avoid confusion or complications later on.

As more artists push boundaries with instrumental, immersive, and soundscape-based music, it’s crucial to understand the business side of your creative output. That doesn’t mean compromising your process—it just means being informed about how your music is defined, protected, and paid in the wider industry.

How Can Songtrust Help Ambient and Experimental Artists?

At Songtrust, we work with artists at every stage of their careers—including those making unconventional, genre-blurring work. In line with copyright law standard, Songtrust is unable to register and administer work that is solely ambient noise or nature sounds. However, if your music contains elements that are original creative works, such as through unique lyrics and melody, and has been distributed, it might be earning music publishing royalties. 

We help creators:

• Register their songs where they’re earning globally
• Collect performance, mechanical and sync royalties 
• Maintain ownership and creative control

Six Missing uses Songtrust to handle the admin side of his work, so he can stay focused on creating immersive, emotionally rich music, incorporating both real-life found sounds, with unique original compositions and recordings.

Final Thoughts: Music as Memory and Space

Six Missing reminds us that music doesn’t have to shout to be heard. It can be quiet, patient, and deeply moving—especially when built with intention. By weaving sound into memory, space, and ritual, artists like TJ Dumser offer more than just music. They offer presence.

And when you’re creating work that is powerful, it's worth protecting.

If you create ambient or experimental music, it's important to know your rights. Make sure you collect everything you deserve.

Join Songtrust and take control of your publishing journey.