Sound and Music for Games: The Basics of Digital Audio for Video Games

Table of Contents
About the Author
About the Technical Reviewer
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Bits, Sample Rates, and Other Fundamentals of Digital Audio
	On Audio Bit Depth
	Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)
	More on Quantization
	On the Human Hearing Range
	Fundamentals, Harmonics, and Overtones
	The Audio Spectrum
	Decibels and Normalization
	Loudness Standards
	Max Headroom
		The Nyquist Theorem and Frequency
	The Perils of Aliasing
	Going Beyond 44.1 kHz
	On-the-fly Oversampling
	Delight in Dithering
	A Few Words on Word Clocks
	Common Audio File Formats
	What Exactly Is a Codec?
	Lossy vs Lossless
	WAV and AIFF, the Undefeated Duo of Mixing
	The Mighty MP3
	Xiph.org Presents: Ogg Vorbis, Ogg Opus, and FLAC
	Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)
	Apple’s ALAC
	Constant vs Variable Bitrate
	Beyond PCM: Direct Stream Digital (DSD)
	The Pest Called Phase Cancellation
	The Power of Transients
	In Closing
Chapter 2: Current Generation Audio Hardware
	Balanced vs Unbalanced Cables
	XLR and 1/4" Cables
	Dynamic and Condenser Microphones
	The Fundamentals of Vocal Microphones
	Microphone Polar Patterns
	The All-in-One Podcast Microphones
	Pops and Plosives
	More Common Audio Cables
	Digital Interfacing
	A Few Thoughts on S/PDIF and AES3
	Monitoring Hardware: Headphones
	Closed vs Open Headphones
	Active Noise Cancellation
	Studio Monitor Speakers
	Tweeters and Woofers
	Nearfield vs Farfield Speakers
	Speakers and Watts
	Connectivity Protocols: The Sweet Flow of Data
	USB 3 Specification Confusion
	Firewire: Going, But Not Gone
	Audio Interfaces and You
	Operating System Support
	Headphone Amplifiers
	Computer Matters
	RAM Affairs
	CPUs and Cores
	Core Multiplication
	Those Important CPU Extensions
	Storage Hilarity
	Computer Shopping
	Intel vs Apple M1
	In Closing
Chapter 3: Manipulating the Spectrum
	Equalization (EQ)
	Mastering
	The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)
	EQ Filter Varieties
	Implementing EQ
	EQ and Color
	More Filters: Butterworth and Chebyshev
	EQ Limitations
	The Three Universal Rules of Equalization
	Dynamics: Compressors and Limiters
	Attack and Release
	Make-Up Gain
	The Five Types of Compressors
	Serial and Parallel Compression
	The Wizardry of Magnetic Tape
	Tube Temptations
	Power Classes
	Software Saturation
	Sound Effects Best Practices
	In Closing
Chapter 4: More Effects and Digital Audio Workstations
	More on Plugin Formats
	Plugin Management
	Reverb 101
	Components in Reverb
	Reverb Parameters
	Send vs Insert
	Best Practices: Reverb in Sound Effects
	Best Practices: Reverb in Soundtracks
	Modulation Effects: Chorus, Flanger, Phaser
	Retro Sound FX Creation
	A Quickie Reminder on MIDI
	Taking Latency Seriously
	Audio Workstation Characteristics
	Garageband by Apple
	Recording Quality
	Garageband Multitracking and Effects
	Exporting Audio
	Virtual Instruments and Samples
	Virtual Amplification
	Garageband: A Summary
	Ardour by Paul Davis and Team
	Scripting in Ardour
	Recording Quality
	JACK: Virtual Cabling
	Ardour Multitracking and Effects
	Virtual Instruments and Samples
	Exporting Audio
	Ardour: A Summary
	Logic Pro by Apple
	Recording Quality
	Logic Pro Multitracking and Effects
	Virtual Instruments and Samples
	Exporting Audio
	Logic Pro: A Summary
	FL Studio by Image Line Software
	FL Studio Multitracking and Effects
	Virtual Instruments and Samples
	Exporting Audio
	FL Studio: A Summary
	LMMS
	LMMS Multitracking and Effects
	Virtual Instruments and Samples
	Exporting Audio
	LMMS: A Summary
	Waveform FREE by Tracktion
	Virtual Instruments and Samples
	Recording Quality
	Waveform-Free Multitracking and Effects
	Exporting Audio
	Waveform Free: A Summary
	In Closing
Chapter 5: Voice Acting: Hardware and Techniques
	Elements of Voice Recording
	Setting Up Your Microphone
	Microphone Impedance
	Preamps
	Some Hardware Preamps
	Dynamics Processors
	Portable Phantom Power
	Soundproofing
	Voice Material Production Essentials
	The Typical De-essing Procedure
	Software for Voice Artists
	Audacity
	Ocenaudio
	WavePad
	In Closing
Chapter 6: MIDI and Composing in the Digital Age
	Introduction: Composing for Video Games
	A Smidgeon of Music Theory
	Bars and Time Signatures
	On Notes and Rests
	The Early Days of MIDI
		Notes in MIDI
	MIDI, Dynamics, and Tempo
	Elaborating on MIDI Messages
		MIDI Channels and Modes
	Cello with Kazoo: Going Multitimbral
	MIDI Specifications
	General MIDI (GM)
	Roland MT-32
	Roland GS
		General MIDI 2
		Yamaha XG
	MIDI Connectivity
	The ADSR Envelope
		Meet the Waveforms
		Additive and Subtractive Synths
		Synths vs Controllers
		Automation
	Quantization
		The Power of Virtual Consoles
		Getting Started with Symphonic Soundtracks
		A Few Words on Samplers
		Merrymaking with Articulations
		Symphonic Soundtrack Best Practices
	In Closing
Chapter 7: Introducing MIDI 2.0
	MIDI 2.0 at a Glance
	MIDI 2.0 in Detail
	MIDI Capability Inquiry (MIDI-CI)
	Universal MIDI Packet (UMP)
	Jitter Reduction Timestamps (JRT)
	MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE)
	MIDI 2.0 and You
		In Closing
Chapter 8: Chiptunes
	Chiptunes: The Beginning
		Traversing Through the Eras
		The 8-Bit Era
	The SID Sound
	PAL vs NTSC
	Frequency Modulation (FM) Synthesis
		The 16-Bit Era
		Chipmusic Today
		On Music Trackers
		Tracker File Formats
		Module Components
		Effect Enumeration
		Milkytracker
		ModPlug Trackers: OpenMPT and Schism Tracker
		Sound Chip Emulation Trackers
		FamiStudio (NES)
		DefleMask (Multiple Systems)
		GoatTracker (C64/SID)
		SID Instrument Building Blocks
		SID Instrument Examples
		Back to GoatTracker
		In Closing
Chapter 9: Audio Solutions for Video Games
	Video Game Audio Approaches
	Sound Occlusion and Obstruction
	HRTF: 3D in Your Headphones
	Virtual vs True Surround
	Ambisonic Audio
	Dynamic Music: Horizontal vs Vertical
	On Real-Time Mixing
	Immersive Audio Elements
	The Doppler Effect
	Audio Raycasting and Hardware Acceleration
	Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
	Middleware
	Some Modern Audio Solutions
	Miles Sound System by Robert Miles
		FMOD by Firelight Technologies
	Wwise by Audiokinetic
	OpenAL/OpenAL Soft
	History Lesson: EAX and OpenAL
	irrKlang by Ambiera
		In Closing
Chapter 10: Selling and Licensing
	Copyright
	Publisher
	Music Supervisor
	Licensor vs Licensee
	Synchronization License
	Master Use License
	Public Domain Music
	Royalty-Free Music
	Performance Rights Organizations
		International Standard Recording Code (ISRC)
		Royalties
	Diegetic vs Non-diegetic Music
		Preparing Your Music
		Music Licensing Businesses
		Exclusive vs Non-exclusive Agreements
		In Closing
		Repeats and Endings