Communicating with Audio & Digital Games PDF

**Communicating with Audio** - Hertz (Hz) Is the unit of frequency, which measures the number of cycles per second; one Hertz is equal to 1 cycle per second - Frequency - Frequency refers to amount of times a sound wave oscillates per second, measured in Hz - The higher the frequenc...

**Communicating with Audio** - Hertz (Hz) Is the unit of frequency, which measures the number of cycles per second; one Hertz is equal to 1 cycle per second - Frequency - Frequency refers to amount of times a sound wave oscillates per second, measured in Hz - The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch of the sound - Standard Hertz (Hz) numbers - 20Hz - 20,000Hz theoretical range of human hearing - 80Hz -- 4000Hz Human voice range (higher for females) - 44,100Hz CD quality  - Decibles (dB) - Decibles measure the amplitude of the sound wave. - The larger the amplitude, the louder the volume - Also known as intensity - (high intensity= high volume) - (low intensity= low volume) - Standard Decible (dB) numbers - 0dB treshold of human hearing; we cannot hear anything less - 96 dB 16 bit recording - 144dB 24 bit recording - Dynamic Range The difference between the lowest and the highest sounds in recording - Tracking When we are recording audio either from a vocal source (microphone) or from instrument input - Gain, Volume and Level - Gain = the input signal/loudness that our signal is being recorded at. This is controlled from either the interface or the preamplifiers that our microphone/instrument is plugged into. - Level = the loudness in the mixer in relation to unity gain - Volume = the output signal - Equalisation (EQ) The process of adjusting the balance between different frequency components of an audio signal. EQ allows you to manipulate the frequency spectrum of an audio signal (like music, speech, or sound effects). You can boost (make louder) or cut (make lower) specific frequencies. - Compression Compression is done to control the dynamic range of our audio. It reduces the distance between the lodest and the softest sounds in our track. The compressor needs to start working at treshold level. The ratio is how much compression we want to apply to our signal..example: 1:1 = no compression 2:1 = 1dB output for every 2dB above treshold 4:1 = 1dB output for every 2dB above treshold Hard Knee = compressor comes in hard once the treshold level is reached Soft Knee = Compressor comes in more gradually Attack Time = how quickly input signal starts being compressed once it goes above the treshold level (milliseconds) Release Time = how quickly input signal stops being compressed once the signal goes below the treshold level (milliseconds) - Important terms DAW Digital Audio Workstation MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface AD/DA Analog to Digital/Digital to Analog ADSR Attack Decay Sustain Release **Digital Games** - What is a game? - "games have family resemblances"- describes different components that are in different games (Ludwig Wittgenstein) - "A game is voluntary activity, sperate in time and space, uncertain, unproductive, governed by rules, contains make-believe (Roger Caillos) - Is a winning confition necessary in games? No; animal crossing has an open structure with no clear goals, vs Tetris, which has a traditional winning condition - Digital games as a narrative media "to claim there is no difference between games and narratives is to ignore essential qualities of both categories" (Aarseth 1997) - Components of a Game In a game, we are interested in: - Its material components and objects - The game system, rules and procedures - The player experience