“Discussions about multimedia design sometimes refer to ‘the added value of sound’. Although it is true that sound can add important new information to a visual presentation, and strengthen the total experience, it should not be inferred that sound is merely confined to the supporting role behind the image. There are
numerous instances of software design incorporating audio in which the sound plays an auxiliary role.
However, it is also possible for sound to have importance equal with imagery, and even to carry the
majority of the experience in a multimedia design, as we shall see further on. An additive model is useful
when it allows us to analyze the independent benefits of sounds and images. But a view of multimedia
design in which auditory and visual modes are separate compartments is incomplete [1]. A more mature and
integrated model is offered in the performing arts, where sounds and images occur in concert with every
other element in the production, and where the whole experience is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Download .pdf: Sound + Image in Computer-Based Design: Learning from Sound in the Arts