Hardware environment for game music production

Hardware environment for game music production

Text/figure: Xiaoxu game music production room (www.game1234567.com)

Game music design also belongs to the major category of music production. Some of the required hardware and software environments are not much different from those of professional music production rooms. Some commonly used hardware devices in the "Xiao Xu music production room" mainly include: audio interface, synthesizer, listening speaker, Capacitive microphone, Audio Mixer, etc. Game music production also has its own particularity. There are also some differences between the use of these hardware and traditional music production. In this article, we will briefly explain how these professional music hardware devices work in game music production and what specific roles they play.

Audio interface-lower noise, better combination with music production software

Audio interfaces can be simply interpreted as enhanced computer sound cards. In addition to the basic functions required by the sound card, it also features extremely high signal-to-noise ratio, multi-channel input and output, and ASIO audio specifications. In the production room of Xiaoxu, the pulsar II audio interface is used by a large number of users in the professional music production field, providing more reliable quality assurance for music production.

Figure: pulsar II audio interface for multi-angle viewing

Figure: pulsar II audio interface for multi-angle viewing

Why do audio cards instead of normal sound cards need to be used in game music production?

As mentioned above, the audio interface provides better support for some large music software and workstations than normal sound cards (mainly for ASIO professional audio standards ), in this way, we can use more audio tracks and add more sounds in the software for making game music, so that the software and hardware can be better coordinated.

Second, the audio interface has a higher signal-to-noise ratio than the normal sound card, that is, it has lower noise on the recording. In many Chinese martial arts MMORPG games, we use the playing and recording of real instruments. The sound of the instrument, such as the pipa, guzheng, and Erhu, is the input port through the audio interface, enter the computer for various processing. Therefore, low noise will be more helpful for recording the solo effects of these instruments.

The audio interface also plays an important role in polishing the effects of game music in the later stage. It provides various digital effects to facilitate our adjustment.

◆ Technical Features of the pulsar II audio interface:

Based on the VST platform, 24-bit/96 kHz HIGH-metric Sound Quality
16-channel high-quality digital-to-analog/digital conversion
Unlimited audio tracks, 16-channel simultaneous recording
Suitable for making 5.1, 7.1, and so on.
Top-level software efficient device, top-level sampling device, top-level digital/analog Synthesizer

2. synthesizer-provides various instrument tones required for game music

A synthesizer is a MIDI input keyboard that integrates audio sources. It can be used not only as a simple note input tool, but also as a synthesizer to call and modulated its own tone, it has more powerful functions than the Midi keyboard. Xiao Xu's music production room uses the powerful Yamaha motif synthesizer, which has a good reputation in the domestic music production industry. Chinese people gave him a friendly name called "Magic Flute ".

Figure: Magic Flute super Synthesizer

In addition to being used as a computer tool for inputting Music notes, synthesizer also comes with a lot of sounds, which are the various instruments we often hear in game music. Among the sounds of the magic flute, the most outstanding are drums, guitar and piano. We are making game music such as Huaxia online, Zhenfeng Shen, and three kingdoms ceiv, it uses a lot of magic flute sounds, and more game music brings more perfect interpretations.

Figure: Magic Flute super Synthesizer

In addition to being used as a computer tool for inputting Music notes, synthesizer also comes with a lot of sounds, which are the various instruments we often hear in game music. Among the sounds of the magic flute, the most outstanding are drums, guitar and piano. We are making game music such as Huaxia online, Zhenfeng Shen, and three kingdoms ceiv, it uses a lot of magic flute sounds, and more game music brings more perfect interpretations.

3. Listen to the speaker-used to adjust the audio quality of game music in the later stage

The biggest difference between a listening speaker and an ordinary computer multimedia speaker and a hifi speaker is that he attaches more importance to the loyal reproduction of the sound, that is, he does not add any modification to the sound, so that he can reproduce the sound more realistically. We know that online games generally play sound in the player's multimedia speaker. Different multimedia speakers may differ in the playback of music, how can we ensure that our game music works well in all multimedia speakers? This must be adjusted using the listening speaker, because as long as you adjust the correct sound on the listening speaker, there will be no major deviation in getting all kinds of multimedia speakers.

Xiaoxu production room uses the tr8 series listening speakers produced by event.

Figure: event company tr series listening speakers

Listening to speakers plays an important role in the later adjustments of some imposing game music. For example, when we make the background music of the Games "edge" and "The Soul of exile", we carefully adjusted the levels, spaces, and extensiveness of the music, in order to ensure the free play of the orchestra space, to achieve the expected results

4. capacitive microphones-used for collecting music from Solo National Instruments

The difference between the capacitive microphone and the microphone that we sing karaoke at ordinary times is that the sensitivity of the capacitive microphone is quite high, and the details of any sound can be captured. Of course, he also has a high requirement on the recording environment, it is generally used only in professional recording studios. The production room of Xiaoxu uses the ntk capacitive microphone produced by Rode, which features a wide range of dynamic, extremely low noise, and warm sound quality, especially for recording solo instruments, more effective.

In the production of the online game "Datang", we have widely used the real recording of Guzheng and Xiao. All the Audio reception work is completed with ntk. Its grasp of Xiao breath is particularly in place, which not only reflects the charm of the national instrument, but also does not show the phenomenon of "spray wheat", especially suitable for the recording of the solo instrument.

Figure: Capacitive microphone used for solo music recording

5. Audio console-connect various hardware

The Audio Mixer is used to connect various professional digital music devices to facilitate our connection and debugging. Many hardware devices are used in professional music production. If these devices are directly connected to the sound card, it is inconvenient to use a transit device, to connect them better and organically, you need to use the audio console.

Figure: Audio Mixer is the hub connecting various professional music devices

Xiaoxu music studio uses a sound console called behringer ub1204. Since the production room has four different types of synthesizer (larger tone selection space), as well as hardware audio sources, microphone amplifiers, and other professional equipment, to maximize the effectiveness of these hardware, it is necessary to connect them with the audio console, which makes it easier for us to call at any time. This audio console plays this role.

With the help of these hardware devices, the birth of a game music shows our understanding of the game and our creativity in music. The hardware device plays the role of "implementation path. Just as the gaming demand for music is getting higher and higher, we are also upgrading these hardware devices step by step. However, devices are dead, and ideas are active. Only by combining music innovation and deep understanding of the game can we make more beautiful game music. I believe that the development of these digital music devices will allow us to make better game music, it can bring more powerful impetus to game music production.

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