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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: AE35 on November 02, 2006, 07:03:01 am

Title: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: AE35 on November 02, 2006, 07:03:01 am

Hey!

I know it differs, but are arcade games usually in the 20hz-20khz or
 thereabout?

Let's take Galaga as an example, or Robotron. They both have nice-sounding........sound. Especially Robotron would benefit from a good amp and
a good range for the BAAAAAEEEEEUUUIIIIII sounds :)

What do you think/know?

Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: Timoe on November 02, 2006, 08:03:45 am
probably 4.  Maybe 3.5.
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: Hoopz on November 02, 2006, 08:08:54 am
220, 221 whatever it takes
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: _) (V) (-) on November 02, 2006, 09:39:20 am
This amp goes to 11.
(http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/4/46/462/462565/SpinalTap_Edith_503.jpg)
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: ChadTower on November 02, 2006, 10:49:10 am

most saturdays
when kids go out and play
I would be up in my room
to let the stereo play
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: GoPodular.com on November 02, 2006, 11:00:31 am
I know it differs, but are arcade games usually in the 20hz-20khz or
 thereabout?

If you fall into the "normal human" category, your range of hearing *is* 20Hz - 20kHz.  Anything outside that range is impossible to hear.

A "dog whistle" is above 20kHz.
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: ChadTower on November 02, 2006, 11:16:04 am

I had a gf once that I swear screamed above 20khz.
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: Stingray on November 02, 2006, 12:02:37 pm

I had a gf once that I swear screamed above 20khz.

You could tell because all the windows shattered and the dog died.

-S
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: ChadTower on November 02, 2006, 12:36:14 pm

There were times her mouth was still working but there was no more sound... like gaps in an mp3.  That has to be why.  Those were the moments to savor.
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: AE35 on November 02, 2006, 12:37:37 pm
I know it differs, but are arcade games usually in the 20hz-20khz or
 thereabout?

If you fall into the "normal human" category, your range of hearing *is* 20Hz - 20kHz.  Anything outside that range is impossible to hear.

A "dog whistle" is above 20kHz.

Yes of course. So do games follow that, or are they maybe 100hz to 16KHz.

Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: MonMotha on November 02, 2006, 05:26:29 pm
Most of your older games utilizing sampled sounds (not so old as to be simple beeps and buzzes and not using things like CDs for audio) are sampled at 8kHz, maybe 16-22.01 if you're lucky.  Mr. Nyquist says that you have to sample at 2x the highest frequency component of your input band-limited signal.  So 8kHz samples get you a maximum of 4kHz out, 16 gives 8, 22 gives 11, etc.  There's usually also a high pass filter around 100-250Hz to get rid of 60Hz hum from power lines.  In other words, figure 100Hz to perhaps 8kHz.

The theme song on TMNT is sampled at 20kHz, and it's often considered something of an oddity - there's an entire ROM on that board dedicated to holding the theme song that players considered so dear.  The samples used for SFX and to create the music on Daytona are mostly sampled at 8kHz, some down at 4kHz.  This seems a bit more normal.

Note that modern arcade games use much more sophisticated sound systems often capable of CD quality audio (heck, some of them are nothing more than red book CD audio).  CD audio is sampled at 44.1kHz.
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: RayB on November 02, 2006, 05:43:02 pm
Keep in mind that arcade audio board circuitry was custom designed to make up for the low bit-rate of sound samples. That's why they sound so great on the original machines, but sound cruddy on our PCs.

But we're talking digital sampled sounds now, while the original thread creator is talking about synthesized sound effects...
Title: Re: Arcade games is in what audio range?
Post by: JustMichael on November 03, 2006, 04:55:02 pm
Also keep in mind that old arcade cabinets used awefully cheap speakers (poor sounding)...