# adjust/mute background music. (Let's achieve it)



## JeffKrenz (Feb 2, 2021)

I've started a change.org petition for players with disabilities as well as the rest of us. *Many disabilities including those that occur on the autism spectrum have difficulty with sound & it can cause extreme discomfort*. We are asking Nintendo add audio options to the game so we have the freedom of choice to adjust the volume to or mute the background music

-
*Petition:* *http://chng.it/9pb4KMfP6K*
-

I apologize if this isn't allowed here. My agent has asked that I reach out to the community to get more supporters for this issue.

If you do choose to sign the petition, or even if you wish not to, please help me out by sharing it with your friends. *We cannot reach Nintendo without working together to raise awareness.

Nearly every game ever made (old and new) allow players access to audio settings* so they can adjust how loud the music is in comparison to other sounds in the game. *New Horizons*, as popular as it is,* has no such option.*

One player writes



> I'm having serious issues with the music in Animal Crossing. Its very loud and the tones are incredibly grating.* I am disabled* and part of that is having *sensory sensitivities*. The music was fine until the resident upgrade with Isabella. Now *the music makes the game essentially unbearable*. I've looked everywhere for a solution and have found none but have found many forums upset about this very same issue. I'm sure Nintendo's intent is not to make the game inaccessible to disabled people. Do you plan to fix this issue?
> 
> The music is extremely loud if you want to also be able to hear the sound effects to get items like balloons and fish and there is no way to just control the music volume.




And another player writes



> *I am Autistic so I have sensory issues* and certain sounds and or music can be quite distracting and triggering, the overworld music in the the game is so loud it makes it really hard to focus on what I'm doing, plus it makes it hard to hear things like balloons and the k.k songs that I like to play on my island. If you could add a way to either remove the music and or allow the volume of it to be changed that would be great.* I love playing this game and I want to have a calm, relaxing time playing it*.




Thank you for taking the time to sign if you have. While we will be helping those with sensory sensitivities, I believe we could all benefit in the end from such a game feature.


----------



## SpaceTokki77 (Feb 2, 2021)

JeffKrenz said:


> I've started a change.org petition for players with disabilities as well as the rest of us. *Many disabilities including those that occur on the autism spectrum have difficulty with sound & it can cause extreme discomfort*. We are asking Nintendo add audio options to the game so we have the freedom of choice to adjust the volume to or mute the background music
> 
> -
> *Petition:* *http://chng.it/9pb4KMfP6K*
> ...


I think this is an excellent idea! Nintendo should have taken every players’ needs into account sooner. While there are other things like this in the AC community, I think this is a great start. I signed your petition, btw!


----------



## Grom (Feb 2, 2021)

You have my sympathy.

 ...not trying to minimize your suffering but I play with deaf friends and a lot of my hearing friends crank tunes while muting the game. Itʻs easy to play with sound off so Nintendo may shrug a bit on your petition.


----------



## JeffKrenz (Feb 2, 2021)

Grom said:


> Nintendo may shrug a bit on your petition.



Thank you. It is the most likely scenario, unfortunately. At the end of the day, I just want to know I have atleast tried rather than let it linger. My only regret is I didn't start this early last year when the player interest was at its peak.


----------



## Grom (Feb 2, 2021)

I signed it and you only need few more to hit your goal


----------



## Feraligator (Feb 2, 2021)

You have my sympathy as well. I saw some complaints about people with hearing disabilities unable to enjoy the game because of the forced soundtrack in April, and it's unfortunate that it's almost been a year with no response. I don't really think that puts Nintendo in a good position if they ignore that, and an option to adjust the audio affects no one negatively.

I just wish Nintendo paid attention more to feedback like this. I'll definitely sign it.


----------



## JeffKrenz (Feb 2, 2021)

Grom said:


> I signed it and you only need few more to hit your goal



Thanks. Those goals are milestones set by the petition site. It will set a larger goal once the current one is met. There is no set number of signatures required for this as Nintendo will still get to make the ultimate decision. My hope is that we can get the petition popular enough so that Nintendo will at least see this and know that the idea exists. As I understand, no Animal Crossing game has had options for audio, so it may be something that never crossed their minds as being needed or useful.


----------



## ForeverSoaring (Feb 2, 2021)

JeffKrenz said:


> Thanks. Those goals are milestones set by the petition site. It will set a larger goal once the current one is met. There is no set number of signatures required for this as Nintendo will still get to make the ultimate decision. My hope is that we can get the petition popular enough so that Nintendo will at least see this and know that the idea exists. As I understand, no Animal Crossing game has had options for audio, so it may be something that never crossed their minds as being needed or useful.


I don’t know about the mainline games, but pocket camp lets you separately turn off music and sound effects.
(I really want at least this much in acnh, both for personal sensory sensitivity reasons, and because I got bored of the soundtrack very quickly. Signed!)


----------



## tessa grace (Feb 2, 2021)

Only a few more! Good luck!


----------



## JKDOS (Feb 2, 2021)

ForeverSoaring said:


> pocket camp lets you separately turn off music and sound effects.



Maybe there's hope for us all. With the invention of the Nook Phone, I'm not sure why we don't have a options menu yet for anything. Whereas past games didn't really have anywhere to put an options menu, it would fit nicely in New Horizons. In Wild Word I remember the closest we got was that we could use the telephone in the attic to change from animalese or something of the sort.


----------



## jefflomacy (Feb 2, 2021)

I don't have strong negative opinions on the music in this game, but I am in favor of additional configuration options in many Nintendo titles for disability reasons. In particular, larger fonts. Thankfully New Horizons has large fonts out of the box.


----------



## Jacob (Feb 2, 2021)

Signed, it might be harder than we think for them to mix the sound design to match variant music volumes when it was perfected without this idea really in mind, but I think it's an idea worth supporting


----------



## LambdaDelta (Feb 2, 2021)

honstly, with how much stuff nowadays has separate audio toggles for music, sfx, and voice, it's amazing this wasn't a thing to begin with

hell, I'm pretty sure I saw this with smash ultimate. which was another nintendo game that came out just a bit under 2 years before new horizons. even nintendo one-ups themselves in terms of basic video game qol features


----------



## LeenaM (Feb 3, 2021)

This is a great idea! I am fine with most of the sounds in the game but waterfalls are deafeningly loud. I've restrained from terraforming or kept all my waterfalls very small because the sound drowns out everything, it's like tv static in my brain  .

I understand it's meant to mimic a real waterfall but it's a bummer that I can't have more fun terraforming with water because any waterfall wider than 1 square makes me physically cringe in discomfort. I can't imagine how much worse it is for players with sensory issues.


----------



## NatsumiSummer (Feb 3, 2021)

I signed the petition. I don't have many issues with sound (unless there is loud bass in music), but I have always wanted to be able to mute the in-game hourly music from time-to-time whenever I hunt for bugs or go fishing, so I can better focus on those tasks. It would be awesome if Nintendo adds in a feature to adjust the audio in-game. They could do it by introducing a new app to the Nook Phone that allows the player to adjust audio related stuff, and maybe while they are at it they could always let us choose different soundtracks to play to (mainly from different Animal Crossing game)


----------



## Feraligator (Feb 3, 2021)

NatsumiSummer said:


> I signed the petition. I don't have many issues with sound (unless there is loud bass in music), but I have always wanted to be able to mute the in-game hourly music from time-to-time whenever I hunt for bugs or go fishing, so I can better focus on those tasks. It would be awesome if Nintendo adds in a feature to adjust the audio in-game. They could do it by introducing a new app to the Nook Phone that allows the player to adjust audio related stuff, and maybe while they are at it *they could always let us choose different soundtracks to play to (mainly from different Animal Crossing game)*


I have been pleading for this since the game came out  I don't think it would ever happen, but I do hope muting the music can be added at some point


----------



## SkyA (Feb 4, 2021)

Turn off option for sound effects also would be nice. Especially that one with catching/crafting items, really too loud and annoying...
+1 signed )


----------



## xara (Feb 5, 2021)

while i’m personally alright with the noise, i can definitely understand where your and others’ discomfort comes from. signed!


----------



## Jaco (Feb 5, 2021)

I signed it. I'm personally OK with the sound levels but it seems like a pretty basic thing to add. I'd love if they added a jukebox feature that could even swap out music, maybe from past games too?


----------



## Starboard (Feb 5, 2021)

I'd be happy to be able to mute the music 

Nintendo's a bit weird with this, I recently got Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart, and I couldn't find audio setting for those either. Maybe I just didn't look hard enough? Otherwise I don't know why some Nintendo games have them and some don't.


----------



## Plainbluetees (Feb 5, 2021)

JeffKrenz said:


> I've started a change.org petition for players with disabilities as well as the rest of us. *Many disabilities including those that occur on the autism spectrum have difficulty with sound & it can cause extreme discomfort*. We are asking Nintendo add audio options to the game so we have the freedom of choice to adjust the volume to or mute the background music
> 
> -
> *Petition:* *http://chng.it/9pb4KMfP6K*
> ...


This is such a good idea! I’m definitely going to sign this. While I don’t have any disabilities, I understand the frustration from the people who do and I’d like to still hear background noise with no music.


----------



## MiniPocketWorld (Feb 5, 2021)

Yeah, I am not sure why this wasn't in the game to begin with. Perhaps it was an honest oversight. Though this game does not bother me normally, I do understand sensory overload and it can really suck. Having the ability to adjust sounds is necessary.


----------



## Mezzanine (Feb 5, 2021)

Deleted


----------



## TxAnt (Feb 5, 2021)

I'm not at all trying to be negative, but I guess I don't understand the purpose of the in game option?  
I don't like the sounds so I just mute the whole Switch.


----------



## -Lumi- (Feb 5, 2021)

TxAnt said:


> I'm not at all trying to be negative, but I guess I don't understand the purpose of the in game option?
> I don't like the sounds so I just mute the whole Switch.



Having all the sounds as a whole is overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean every player wants a completely silent experience. Being able to customize/adjust the volume of the music and/or background noise can help make the game easier to play! 

For example the waterfall noises are obnoxious but maybe the player still wants to hear the soundtrack - if they’re able to mute or turn down _just _the ambient noises that would make a huge difference in enjoyability. 

Muting the entire game is definitely an option but it would be really nice to also just be able to adjust the settings to make the game playable and still enjoy some in game sound effects & music. Hopefully this makes sense!


----------



## TxAnt (Feb 5, 2021)

-Lumi- said:


> Having all the sounds as a whole is overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean every player wants a completely silent experience. Being able to customize/adjust the volume of the music and/or background noise can help make the game easier to play!
> 
> For example the waterfall noises are obnoxious but maybe the player still wants to hear the soundtrack - if they’re able to mute or turn down _just _the ambient noises that would make a huge difference in enjoyability.
> 
> Muting the entire game is definitely an option but it would be really nice to also just be able to adjust the settings to make the game playable and still enjoy some in game sound effects & music. Hopefully this makes sense!



Thank you for explaining the difference.  I haven't really played any other games so was unaware that in game options were even a thing.

It makes sense to say mute the music but leave the sound affects on.

I will go sign the petition now.


----------



## Starboard (Feb 5, 2021)

In addition to what -Lumi- said, when playing on mute you can't hear balloons going by! So it's an option but comes at a cost.


----------



## -Lumi- (Feb 5, 2021)

Starboard said:


> In addition to what -Lumi- said, when playing on mute you can't hear balloons going by! So it's an option but comes at a cost.



This is a good point! I forgot to mention it. Plus the little mole crickets - I think you can only find them by sound? So without sound you wouldn’t be able to catch them.



TxAnt said:


> Thank you for explaining the difference.  I haven't really played any other games so was unaware that in game options were even a thing.
> 
> It makes sense to say mute the music but leave the sound affects on.
> 
> I will go sign the petition now.



I’m glad I could help!  It’s not available in every game (it is in a lot of them, though!) but I think it should be. Hopefully the petition makes a difference because not being able to control the sounds in Animal Crossing was a bother in New Leaf as well.


----------



## mermaidshelf (Feb 5, 2021)

I'm on the spectrum and I do find the sound levels way off. I'm really surprised they didn't include it as the majority of modern games have some kind of audio controls (maybe not a slider). 
In addition to the petition, I encourage people to send tickets directly to Nintendo! That way it's brought to their immediate attention.


----------



## Airysuit (Mar 24, 2021)

This is so great! I personally don't have any serious issues or anything, but I can be very sensitive to a lot of impressions sounds and images etc. So i play with sound of a lot of the time which is a bummer because i like all the environmental sounds!

So if they could make this happen that would be a dream! Especially for people who do have serious sensitivity issues this is perfect!


----------



## Bugs (Mar 24, 2021)

Signed, it should have been in the game from the start. A lot of games have background music that's too loud and in any game that isn't a Nintendo game you can turn down the music separately to all the other sounds.

Nintendo need to stop being so insistent on doing things their own special way and actually comply with normal industry standards. That goes for more things than just sound options too.

Edit: just to be clear, by "their own special way" I don't mean like, the uniqueness of their games, I mean like they need to think about game options and how every player will play differently. Most other games have options and quality of life updates to make the game more enjoyable for the fans, but Nintendo almost never do this in recent years.


----------



## Cloudandshade (Mar 24, 2021)

Good idea, OP. I'd be really interested to know why on earth this wasn't included as part of a set of accessibility options at launch, because it seems like such a glaring omission to me. Perhaps that's just because I play a lot of games, and it's so rare not to have audio options for a game like this. I'm lucky to not have any sensory issues, but I find most of the music pretty grating at this point and would love the option to turn it off. Not to mention that maddening 'woohoo!' sound that goes off whenever you craft an item, or catch a bug, or lure a fish, or do literally ANYTHING. Sure, you can mute your console/tv, but then how would you hear balloons? Or mole crickets? Super weird decision by Nintendo not to include this in the first place.


----------



## Cyku (Mar 24, 2021)

The sounds or music don't bother me at all, but I signed this, it seems like a problem you wouldn't think about at first glance, so good idea with pointing it out to Nintendo! I like when people do things like that - actions instead of ranting do make change ^^


----------



## Dreamcloud (Mar 24, 2021)

Signed. Can't believe it isn't an option already. I'd love to fish and hunt balloons without the loud background music.


----------



## watercolorwish (Mar 24, 2021)

Signed! I really want this feature and surprised they haven’t implemented it yet in an update from how simple it is


----------



## oranje (Mar 25, 2021)

mermaidshelf said:


> I'm on the spectrum and I do find the sound levels way off. I'm really surprised they didn't include it as the majority of modern games have some kind of audio controls (maybe not a slider).
> In addition to the petition, I encourage people to send tickets directly to Nintendo! That way it's brought to their immediate attention.



Yeah, I think the background music really overwhelms the sound effects. I can barely hear music on music players and it's so hard to hear the little town tune jingles from the villagers too. But then you have waterfall sounds that are super loud. The sound effects really do need a slider, at least one to turn the music down. You guys have my support.


----------



## moonolotl (Mar 25, 2021)

Obviously this isnt as severe of an issue but, as much as I love the animal crossing music, it gets very stressful listening to it for hours on end and i often want to listen to my own music but I dont want to mute the entire game. Sound settings seems like such a given but for some reason they never included it, im definitely signing!


----------



## Splinter (Mar 25, 2021)

If only they'd lower the waterfall sounds, I'd have a lot more of them on my Island. That's really my only pet peeve when it comes to sounds.


----------



## satine (Mar 25, 2021)

This is a really good idea! I could've sworn this was already a thing but it sadly is not. I just get annoyed by the repetitiveness and I'm not the biggest fan of a few of the daytime tracks of this game, but I can imagine it's very grating for those who might have disabilities that make this feel uncomfortable for them. 

I think that if you play a stereo outside, the area surrounding it will have none of the soundtrack music because the stereo will be playing. However that only replaces one with the other... But I do think that you can adjust the volume of tracks playing on record players. I'm not sure if this would work, and I think that Nintendo should still change this (I don't know why they wouldn't have implemented this already, that's kinda frustrating!) but maybe if you hid a number of record players around enough to where the music didn't really play, and you turned the volume down on those, it could help temporarily? I'm not sure if that would work though so don't take my word on it! I just noticed that the music faded when I placed a radio outside the other day so this made me think of that.


----------

