Topic > Music in Video Games - 1362

Music in Video Games Throughout the history of the video game industry, there have been many changes regarding music in video games. Music in video games has made great progress in the life of the industry from 1972 to today. These progressions can be seen as improvements in quality that include an increase in the number of output channels, an increase in song length, a large improvement in the quality of timbres, and also a general shift from non-programmatic music to programmatic music that fits a game. If you look closely, you can see that all of these improvements are directly or indirectly the result of improvements in the technology used to produce video game music. These technological improvements include increasing the number of bits of central sound processing, increasing audio random access memory, moving from using frequency modulation to digital sampling, and using compact discs to play music during a game. By carefully examining the contribution of previous technological advances, it can be seen that technology has indeed caused great improvements for music in the video game industry. The first technological improvement that has significantly improved the quality of music in video games is the number of bits that an audio central processing unit (CPU) has. The audio CPU is a component of a video game system that controls every single sound produced by the system. This, then, obviously includes music. Specifically, the CPU controls which sounds are played at what time, their volume and dynamics, as well as the duration and tempo of each sound. In a sense, the sound CPU acts like an orchestra conductor who has absolute control over every single instrument in his orchestra. Increasing the number of bits serves to improve the quality of music by increasing the number of sound channels that can be played simultaneously. It would be like increasing the number of instruments in an orchestra. As in the Romantic period, an increase in the number of instruments can lead to a richer and more varied mixture of sounds which can be used to provoke dramatic effect and human emotion during play. This increase in emotional representation can also be seen as the first step towards the rise of programmatic music in video games. Another technological improvement in the industry that implies...... middle of paper......t infinite and unimaginable. .So, as you can now see, technological advances have actually been the cause of most of the improvements in music in the video game industry. These technological improvements, which are the increase in the number of bits of central sound processing, the increase in audio random access memory, the transition from the use of frequency modulation to digital sampling and the use of compact discs for play music during a game, have now broadened the horizons of the music industry and opened up many new possibilities. While the industry itself may not last as long as the major music or computer industries, it can be seen that it has clearly left a mark on the history of humanity's development and use of music. To conclude, the words of Tommy Tallarico, another video game music composer and programmer, perfectly sum up what is happening in the video game industry:When people think of video game music, they have always thought of little beeps and beeps. But now, in the last couple of years, the industry has changed so dramatically when it comes to music that it has evolved beyond anyone's expectations..3