Glossary

This is a list of concise definitions for terms popular in videogames and music, with an example of a song or game that utilizes the term. Click on the word for a link to the Wikipedia article.

A

Aria

An aria is usually a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger work. They are usually found in operas. An example can be heard in Aria di Mezzo Carattere when Celes sings in the opera house scene in Final Fantasy III (SNES).

F

Foley

Foley is the process of creating sound effects for film and games. While this process is usually a post-production event in film and cut-scenes within games, sound effects are usually actively worked on throughout the development of the more interactive parts of a game.

L

Leitmotif

A song, fanfare, or jingle associated with a particular person, though also a place or idea. An example of it used for a person is Locke's Theme which plays in Final Fantasy III (SNES) whenever focus is on the character Locke. An example of when it used for a place can be heard in Kakariko Village from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES). An example used for an idea is the Fellowship Theme from Ultima VII: The Black Gate (DOS) which plays whenever you speak to key members of cult, when you enter Fellowship buildings, and when major events relating to the cult occur.

M

Mambo

Mambo is a musical form that developed originally in Cuba, with further significant developments by Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians in Mexico and the USA. A dance style, also referred to as mambo developed along with it. An example can be heard in the Final Fantasy V (SPC) song, Mambo de Chocobo.

P

Pulse Wave

A pulse wave is a programmable waveform that most early video game music used. A wave could be modified to make the instrument sound different. For example, a square wave has the classic "boop" sound everybody knows (and loves), whereas a saw wave has a more "behp" sound. The names of the waveforms are named after their appearance when viewed in a sound editor.

R

Ragtime

A musical genre with a ragged (syncopated) rhythm. It gained prominence in the African-American culture before seeing mainstream popularity between 1895 and 1918. Many examples can be found in soundtrack of The Yukon Trail (W16), like The Mississippi Rag.

S

Sound Card

A sound card is a circuit board that can be inserted into a computer to provide additional audio capabilities through the use of on-board synthesizers, digital signal processors, and digital-to-analog converts. Sound cards were especially popular in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, but at the end of the decade, they started to be built-in to the mother boards, and sales dropped dramatically. While they can still be purchased to provide high-end audio like Dolby 7.1 surround sound, most general consumers don't bother with them.

Square Wave

Square waves are wave forms shaped like squares. They produce a very artificial-sounding tone, but are easily made. By definition, a square wave must have equal times between maximum and minimum values. If the values are not symmetrical, the wave is a pulse wave and yields a different tone. Most early 8-bit videogames used pulse waves rather than square waves.

Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic device that converts an electronic signal into audio in an attempt to synthesize a musical instrument. While the term is often used for an entire instrument like a keyboard, the actual device that performs the synthesizing is usually an integrated circuit microchip.

T

Triangle Wave

Triangle waves are shaped like triangles and produce a deep tone similar to that of a regular sine wave. They were often used instead of sine waves in early synthesizers because they were much easier to produce, but the advent of low ocst synthesizers capable of complex sine wave production through FM Synthesis in the 1990s made them obsolete. An example of triangle waves can be heard in the bass line of most Nintendo Entertainment System games like Title BGM from Metroid (NES).

W

Waltz

A genre of music and associated ballroom dance usually performed in triple time. Example songs include Waltz of the Demons from Doom (DOS) and Wedding Waltz ~ Duel from Final Fantasy III (SNES).