Is the DS/DST music diegetic or non-diegetic?(bit rambly)

[Qwerty_K]

So the other day, I was just playing dst, and a thought came across me whilst ‘spring cleaning’ played. can the survivors hear the music that’s being played? It seems, in a universe full of nightmare creatures, teleportation, gestalts and strange human like pigs with houses far too small (seriously like how do they fit?), that it is entirely possible the music Is diegetic (heard by the survivors). I read through some old posts, which suggested that since the characters don’t comment on the music at all, they can’t hear it - which suggests the music in non-diegetic. if anybody else has any insight or theories they could share, I’d be grateful!

[Aquaticbutter7]

Since the Gramophone was added recently, a bunch of records of music from the in-game soundtrack were added with it. When examining the records, the survivors don't mention hearing the tracks before, only for Ragtime, which we know some of them canonically heard. So no, they probably can't actually hear the soundtrack.

[Qwerty_K]

Thanks dude

[NPCMaxwell]

It would be hillarious if they could hear it though, I must admit though in my AU version of the world (the whole universe) every nature-sound has a musical-sound playing parallel (that‘s why the characters SPEAK human / monkey / etc. but we HEAR them do musical instrument sounds) so when I imagine my non-in-game AU scenaries I usually hear this with ALL nature scenarious. E.g. when I imagine a beefalo, I hear it‘s in-game moo-sounds together with cow-bell sounds playing (basically they just like all organisms or sentient beings like Lucy have an „instrument voice“ too.) So when I imagine scenarious inside the cave or ruins I actually inagine the surroundings making EXACTLY the music of the ambience / soundtracks or that activities that have an soundtrack actually DO make those noises when the characters experience those. So in my AU they ARE actually happening and noticable by the characters (such as also background music in the video animations by Klei) but since it is /normal/ in their universe nobody blinks an eye at it. The ragtime is an exception because it appears as coming from an object that can be turned on and off and it was placed by THEM on purpose.

[Anis5240]

I think for most parts, it's how the survivors 'feel' when doing chores, entering combat, etc. Like how autumn work sounds so mundane yet safe, spring feels both lively and hectic, and so on.