HoloKart

When Ian Charnas set out to bring the thrill of Super Mario Kart into the physical world, he imagined a racetrack where go‑karts and holograms collided. The result was HoloKart—an AR racing prototype that pairs real‑world karts with Microsoft’s HoloLens, letting drivers see power‑ups, obstacles and rival racers projected onto the track as they speed around the circuit.

I was brought on board in 2019 to give HoloKart a sonic identity as vivid as its visual one. The brief was simple yet ambitious: craft a full‑game score that felt instantly recognizable as a Mario Kart -style soundtrack, but entirely original, and supply the kinetic sound effects that would make every virtual banana peel, rocket booster and bowling-pin wipeout feel tangible.

Over the course of several weeks I composed a dozen tracks, each built around the bright, upbeat melodies and tight, looping structures that define the classic Mario Kart feel. To keep the music fresh across laps, I created and layered original synthetic textures that resembled the original  MArio Kart sonic palette with orchestral and rock instruments to give it an authentic Nintendo feel.

When the gameplay demanded more than music, I designed a palette of hybrid sound effects to accompany the games action items, including a jet pack booster, a crash into bowling pins, shooting a grappling hook, the purr of the kart’s engine, and more. By merging field recordings with meticulously programmed digital synths, the effects feel realistically silly and fun, reinforcing the Nintendo-like augmented‑reality experience.

The final product gave HoloKart a soundtrack that rides alongside the racers, amplifying the joy of the race while never pulling the player out of the physical world; a perfect auditory counterpart to a racing experience that lives both on‑track and in the holographic overlay.