Chen Ruolan - CircleMic

Overview

CircleMic is a VR social karaoke platform built for Meta Quest 3, enabling real-time multiplayer singing experiences in immersive virtual rooms. Users perform together regardless of physical location, with AI-powered three-part harmony generation and live vocal processing.

As founder and technical program lead, I drove the full product lifecycle — from initial concept and market positioning through architecture design, cross-platform delivery, and investor materials. The project involved managing three parallel workstreams: Unity VR client, Azure cloud backend, and AI audio processing pipeline.

System Architecture

CircleMic is built across three tightly coupled layers, each with independent development tracks that required careful dependency management:

🥽 VR Client (Unity / Quest 3)
Real-time multiplayer room system, avatar interaction, microphone input capture, XR Interaction Toolkit integration, and .cmic file playback.

☁️ Cloud Backend (Azure)
Device pairing via 6-digit code, WebSocket-based real-time session management, user auth, and .cmic file storage and retrieval.

🎵 Audio Pipeline (AI)
Vocal separation via Spleeter, pitch and rhythm analysis via Librosa, three-part harmony generation, and custom .cmic format for synchronized playback.

Program Challenges & Decisions

Scope Reduction Decision
Originally designed as a complex AI performance platform with MIDI-driven orchestra visualization. Made the deliberate call to reduce scope to a focused "VR social karaoke" product — significantly reducing technical risk while sharpening market positioning.

Custom File Format (.cmic)
Designed a proprietary file format to bundle audio stems, harmony data, and sync metadata — enabling offline playback and reducing real-time bandwidth requirements.

Real-Time Sync Across Platforms
Managing latency between Unity VR client and Azure WebSocket backend required careful protocol design — resolved through delta-based state sync and client-side prediction.

Device Pairing UX
Designed a 6-digit code pairing system to connect mobile companion app with VR headset without requiring account login — reducing onboarding friction for new users.

Deliverables

🎮 VR App
Unity / Quest 3 multiplayer client with real-time audio sync

🌐 Web Frontend
React / TypeScript companion app with device pairing and session management

📄 Technical Whitepaper
Full system architecture documentation and API specification

📊 Investor Materials
Business plan, competitive analysis, and pitch deck