PCGamingWiki:Editing guide/Audio
From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
The Audio section deals with all audio related features and options available for a game. It also holds the Localization table, which handles all the languages a game is available in and the degree of translation provided.
- See {{Audio}} for the condensed template documentation.
Syntax
{{Audio |separate volume = unknown |separate volume notes = |surround sound = unknown |surround sound notes = |subtitles = unknown |subtitles notes = |closed captions = unknown |closed captions notes = |mute on focus lost = unknown |mute on focus lost notes = |eax support = unknown |eax support notes = |royalty free audio = unknown |royalty free audio notes = |red book cd audio = unknown |red book cd audio notes = |general midi audio = unknown |general midi audio notes = }}
Example
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | Dialogue, Music, Sound Effects | |
Surround sound | Supports 5.1 and 7.1 | |
Subtitles | All speech is text-based. | |
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost | ||
EAX support | EAX 2.0 | |
Royalty free audio | ||
Red Book CD audio | ||
General MIDI audio | This game supports General MIDI for music. |
The main part of the section. As mentioned earlier, it holds all audio related features and options available for a game.
Field breakdown
Field | Definition | How to find | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | Separate volume sliders for specific parts of game audio. | Can normally be found in the in-game options menus. They can also found externally via config files (rarely it is the only way to access these settings). | Toggles and Master do not count. |
Surround sound | Audio technique involving multiple speakers and audio channels that allows for 360° of audio coverage. | Normally either built into the game engine or included as an option either in-game or externally. The developer's official website or feature list should state it. | Most often found in 3D games, although some 2D/2.5D games might also have it. For 3D titles that do not have this feature, set the field to false . For 2D titles that do not have the feature, set this field to n/a . If surround sound is detected automatically without an option, set this field to always on . For the purpose of this wiki, stereo refers to 2-channel audio without a subwoofer (2.0).
|
Subtitles | Text accompanying any dialogue in-game. | Can be found either as an option in-game or on by default. | Applies for games with spoken dialogue. If subtitles are always shown without an option, set this field to always on . For games with no speech or text-only dialogue, set this field to n/a .
|
Closed captions | Text accompanying all audio in-game. | Can be found in the in-game options menu. | Very rare feature. Applies for games that display text captions for sound effects and other non-verbal cues. If closed captions are always shown without an option, set this field to always on . For games with no sounds, set this field to n/a .
|
Mute on focus lost | In-game audio is muted when game is not in focus (ex. Using Alt+Tab ↹ to switch between running applications). | Some games have an option for controlling this (set this field to true ). If no option is available, use Alt+Tab ↹ to switch to the desktop. If there is no audio once the switch is complete (and no option to change this behavior), set this field to always on . If there is still audio or it is muffled/quieter, mark the field as false . In the event Alt+Tab ↹ is disabled by the game, mark the field as false and state that Alt+Tab ↹ is not supported. |
Some games will have different behavior depending on the focus loss type (window is minimized vs. just unfocused when application is windowed). |
EAX support | Environmental Audio Extensions (or EAX) is a sound library that allows for enhanced 3D audio effects. | Can be found as an option either in-game or externally. The developer's official website, game feature list, or game manual should state it. | The library does not provide surround sound support. Also, due to the deprecated status of the interface, this field will only appear if the field is set to true .
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Royalty free audio | Game uses royalty free audio, or has a mode that only makes use of such audio. | Can be found in the in-game options menu. | Also known as "streamer-friendly audio" as it pertains to the use of audio or music that streamers and content creators are unlikely to receive DMCA strikes on their accounts for using.
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Red Book CD audio | CD-DA tracks streamed from the game CD while playing | Game CD shows up as a music CD in audio players. This feature may be noted on the box, manual, etc. | Only used for games with CD audio tracks; this does not apply to games streaming audio files or data from the disc. This setting still applies for retail games re-released through digital distribution. |
General MIDI audio | General MIDI (also known as GM or GM 1) is a standardized specification for electronic musical instruments that respond to MIDI messages. | Not to be confused with MIDI which is a general term for storing musical information as data. |