Video Notes: Music, Rhythm Games, and Film Scores – 500 Vocabulary Flashcards

A comprehensive set of 500 vocabulary flashcards drawn from the lecture transcript. Each card presents a term and a concise, factual definition related to video game music history, audio hardware, composer contributions, rhythm games, and notable songs and scores.

Space Invaders

First arcade game to feature a continuous soundtrack using a complex sound generator (TI SN76477).

SN76477

Texas Instruments complex sound generator used to create noises and tones in Space Invaders.

Rally-X

Arcade game noted for using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to produce sampled tones.

DAC

Digital-to-Analog Converter; converts digital audio into analog signals for playback.

PSG

Programmable Sound Generator; foundational audio hardware for early game sound.

2A03

Ricoh audio chip used in the NES; 5 mono channels: two pulse, one triangle, one noise, one DPCM.

Ricoh 2A07

PAL NES variant of the 2A03 used for audio in European systems.

NES

Nintendo Entertainment System; 8-bit console with iconic audio via the 2A03/2A07.

MOS 6581 SID

C64 sound chip with three mono channels capable of multiple waveforms; pivotal in retro sound design.

Commodore 64

8-bit computer famed for SID-based music and ‘hacking’ waveforms.

SID hacking

Reassigning waveforms on a SID channel to craft more intricate compositions.

M.U.L.E.

C64 game whose soundtrack demonstrates SID waveform flexibility (square, saw, noise).

Commando (C64)

C64 soundtrack notable for reassigning noise waveforms to square waves mid‑playback.

Aquatic Ambience

David Wise’s Donkey Kong Country track; iconic example of game music artistry.

Patch of the Week

Modern synth practice highlighting notable patches, exemplified by Aquatic Ambience.

8-bit revolution

Transition to music creation on 8-bit sound chips, enabling game music era.

Donkey Kong Country

SNES game renowned for its high-quality, synth-driven soundtrack.

SPC-700

SNES audio processing unit; 8 channels, 64KB RAM, used for SNES music.

S-SMP

SNES sound processor family (Sony-based) enabling more flexible audio in games.

64KB RAM

Memory limit shaping SNES audio and sample usage.

Korg Wavestation

Wave sequencing inspiration for game music; David Wise used its concept for Aquatic Ambience.

Wave sequencing

Technique of sequencing multiple waveforms to generate evolving timbres.

8-bit era

Period when 8-bit sound hardware defined game music capabilities.

8-bit synthesizers

Chiptune-style sound generation via limited channels and waveforms.

Donkey Kong Country Aquatic Ambience patch

Iconic patch cited for its rich underwater timbre in retro sound design.

David Wise

Composer known for Donkey Kong Country and signature use of wave sequencing.

8-bit revolution patching

Creative workarounds to expand small hardware capabilities.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) sound

2A03/2A07 chips creating distinctive 5-channel audio.

YM3812 (OPL2)

Yamaha FM synthesis chip used in AdLib PC sound cards.

AdLib

Early PC sound card using the YM3812 FM chip; popular in PC gaming sound.

Sound Blaster

Creative Labs’ DSP-based sound card standard; became gaming audio baseline.

DSP

Digital Signal Processor; core to modern PC sound systems.

Roland MT-32

External MIDI module historically used in PC sound setups.

MIDI

Musical Instrument Digital Interface; standard for electronic music hardware.

Hex code programming (video game music)

Low-level programming approach used by composers to drive sound hardware.

Pro 24

Steinberg’s early MIDI/recording software; precursor to Cubase for game music work.

Cubase

Steinberg’s DAW; widely used in music production, including game scores.

Logic (Emagic)

DAW used in music production; later evolved into Apple’s Logic Pro.

Music 2000

Sony’s DAW-for-PlayStation allowing developers to create music in a game‑centered environment.

ELIAS (middleware)

Audio middleware cited for evolving game audio workflows.

Wwise

Audio middleware that enhances game sound design and integration.

MIDI 2.0

Next-gen MIDI standard expanding data and control for music tech workflows.

HRTF

Head-Related Transfer Function; used to simulate 3D audio audio in VR/AR/MR contexts.

Waves Nx

Technology creating virtual acoustic spaces for immersive sound.

Sound Particles

3D audio software enabling realistic spatial sound environments.

VR rhythm games

Rhythm games designed for virtual reality, e.g., Beat Saber.

Beat Saber

VR rhythm game using glowing sabers to slice blocks in sync with music.

osu!

Freeware rhythm game emphasizing user-made beatmaps and global competition.

osu! lazer

Rewrite of osu! with new features and ongoing development.

osu! Stable

Original osu! build maintained alongside lazer version.

beatmaps

In osu!, user-created levels mapping songs to gameplay timing.

mods (osu!)

In-game settings altering gameplay (speed, circle size, etc.).

Tap Tap Revenge

Mobile rhythm game (2008–2014) centered on tapping in rhythm.

Guitar Hero

Rhythm game featuring guitar-shaped controller; helped popularize modern rhythm games.

Rock Band

Harmonix-driven rhythm game expanding to multiple instruments.

Karaoke Revolution

Rhythm game focused on singing; part of Harmonix’s rhythm game lineage.

Frequency (FreQuency)

Harmonix’s early non-arcade rhythm game predecessor to Guitar Hero era.

Amplitude

Harmonix's 2003 rhythm game that built a fan base ahead of Guitar Hero.

K‑D Lang

Artist associated with Surrender, linked to Bond score discussions.

Surrender (Bond)

Bond theme by k.d. lang later replaced by score; contrasted with Crow's Tomorrow Never Dies.

Tomorrow Never Dies (Bond)

Bond theme performed by Sheryl Crow; part of 1997 film’s soundtrack.

Sheryl Crow

Artist who performed Surrender for the Tomorrow Never Dies soundtrack.

Mulan soundtrack

Disney film score with Reflection and Written in Stone; Disney‑related musical numbers.

Reflection (Mulan)

Disney song by Lea Salonga; introspective ballad about identity.

Written in Stone

Deleted Mulan song later repurposed into stage musicals; pentatonic‑influenced.

Pentatonic scale

Five-note scale featured in Written in Stone’s musical language.

Journey in Satchidananda

Alice Coltrane album blending jazz with Indian raga influence.

Alice Coltrane

Jazz pianist/harpist whose Journey in Satchidananda reflects East/West fusion.

The Silk Road (documentary)

NHK project with Kitaro score exploring ancient trade routes.

Kitaro

New-age composer known for Silk Road soundtrack and Silk Road documentary music.

Enya

Irish musician known for Caribbean Blue and ethereal vocal textures.

Caribbean Blue

Enya track noted for its dreamlike, layered production.

Return to Innocence

Enigma hit blending traditional chant with modern production.

Enigma

German group known for fusion of ancient and electronic sounds; Return to Innocence major hit.

To the Unknown Man

Vangelis track from Spiral (1977) exploring Taoist-inspired themes.

Spiral (Vangelis)

Concept album exploring spiral universe ideas; featured To the Unknown Man.

Vangelis

Electronic composer known for Chariots of Fire and Spiral.

Chariots of Fire

Iconic Vangelis score; instrumental theme widely used in media.

Chariots of Fire (Theme)

Opening theme of the 1981 film; famous Vangelis composition.

Jean Sibelius

Finnish composer of The Origin of Fire cantata (Tulien synty) based on Kalevala.

The Origin of Fire

Sibelius cantata drawing on Kalevala; patriotic, multi-voiced work.

Kalevala

Finnish national epic; source text for Sibelius’s Origin of Fire.

Igor Stravinsky

Composer of Feu d’artifice (Fireworks) and Firebird relations; pivotal early 20th‑century figure.

Feu d’artifice

Stravinsky short orchestral fantasy; early fireworks-inspired piece.

Gustav Holst/Diaghilev pairing

Context around Stravinsky’s collaborations with Ballets Russes and Diaghilev.

Feux d’artifice (Debussy)

Debussy composition titled Feux d’artifice (Artillery of Fireworks) from 1913.

Oliver Knussen

Composer of Flourish with Fireworks; homage to Stravinsky’s Feu d’artifice.

Beethoven’s hypothetical 10th

Reference to Beethoven’s nonexistent 10th symphony discussed in notes.

Carmen (Bizet) – Trio des Cartes

Bizet piece referenced in Fireworks context; part of 1875 works.

Rudiments of Fire music (Haydn)

Haydn’s Feuer/Sinfonia nickname linked to Fire Symphony; historical naming.

O Fortuna

Opening/closing movement of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff; famous cantata chorus.

Carmina Burana

Orff cantata based on medieval tales, famous for O Fortuna.

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi

Section title of Carmina Burana’s opening/closing; “Fortune, Empress of the World.”

O Fortuna (instrumentation)

Orff’s work scored for large wind ensemble and choir; iconic orchestration.

Carl Orff

Composer of Carmina Burana; known for dramatic choral-orchestral writing.

Gamelan contrasts in Orff

Exploration of medieval poetry and orchestration in Orff’s cantata.

Fortune wheel metaphor

Rota Fortunae imagery informing the music’s cyclical fate.

Nostradamus theme (lyrics)

Prophetic verses cited in Nostradamus‑related song sections.

Nostradamus poetry

Quatrains referenced for apocalyptic imagery in songs.

Suzanne Vega – Predictions

Song using Nostradamus imagery; list of signs of times.