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

Length: 293 pages
Edition: 1
Language: English
Publisher: Apress
Publication Date: 2022-10-23
ISBN-10: 148428660X
ISBN-13: 9781484286609
Sales Rank: #0 (See Top 100 Books)

Grasp the fundamentals of digital audio work in the context of video games, including the basics of middleware such as Fmod and Wwise. We will review software such as Apple’s Logic and Garageband, Paul Davis’s Ardour, and many other popular digital audio workstations.

We will start with an introduction to the basic terminology of digital audio work while also getting acquainted with current generation audio hardware. We will then discuss the basics of the venerable Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) and how it relates to music composition as well as the tools and techniques for writing tracker music/chiptunes. The book also covers plug-in software, soundproofing at home, and voice work.

The book takes a practical approach while tackling both hardware and software components used in cutting edge audio engineering, composition, and audio monitoring.

What You Will Learn

Understand the fundamentals of digital audio production in the context of video games
Learn about audio integration with popular middleware solutions and APIs
Leverage plugin effects software to sculpt your audio to professional levels
Identify modern audio file formats and how and when to use them
Learn best practices when mixing sound effects and music for video games

Who Is This Book For

The intended readership includes beginners in digital audio engineering who use Windows, macOS, or Linux.

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

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