Dynamic Frequency In Games

[@SoShiBias]

I think sound and audio in games in general is quite an underappreciated element taken for granted by those who consumes them. Great job explaining the purposes of the sounds with some great examples. Can't imagine how much work you put into those edits. Pretty darn professional looking, well at least for my lowly standards. Keep up the good work :)

[@DarylTalksGames]

Thanks so much Moon! I really appreciate it :)

[@pinkajou656]

@@DarylTalksGames I agree!

[@BlackMageLozi]

good examples? The guy has a channel full of the same handful of games. For every example he gave I can say 10 that do the opposite. But hey, when they don't know much about the subject, these things happen.

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

So that's how undertale subverted my expectations... having high pitch music made it felt childish... but then in the dark parts of the game, the frequencies lowered...

[@takemetoyonk]

I agree but I feel like "childish" is only a part of the narrative. It works because our character is both young and percieving a new world, and a lot of the dialogue and characters are goofing off in the way some kids vent. However, maybe "hopeful" or "light" are also key.

[@argent-sz]

The intro totally gave me a whiplash and a stroke.

[@DarylTalksGames]

Mission accomplished :)

[@uheartbeast]

I really enjoyed this one! Thanks for sharing.

[@DarylTalksGames]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching :)

[@369TurtleMan]

Another note about frequency and distance: lower frequency sounds travel farther than higher frequency sounds, which may also explain why we associate them with greater distances. This is why you might, for example, hear the rumble of a jet engine even a mile away from the airport.

[@daniellin1726]

What about higher frequency? Does distortion and interference come into play when perceiving sounds from afar?

[@Chariot_Rider]

This a great video on the effect of audio on the players experience. You brought up Hyper Light Drifter a couple of times and I couldn’t agree with that more. The game overall has some of the excellent audio design. Perhaps the most interesting part of the video was how lower frequency sounds encourage deeper abstract thinking. The genocide run in Undertale is interesting for a lot of reasons and really made me question myself on several occasions. Part of this might have been influenced by the music which is slower and lower pitched versions of the rest of the the soundtrack. It wandering around trying to grind for encounters gives the player a lot of time to think about the implications of the genocide run and how it fits into the game as a whole. Since the genocide run is the most direct in questioning player motives so priming the player for introspection was a good choice. Keep up the good work!

[@DarylTalksGames]

Ooooh that undertake reference is a great example, thanks for brining that up! :)

[@TravenTalks]

Another great video, but . . . now I just wanna see an entire Inside let's play with mario music xD

[@DarylTalksGames]

Hahaha, hop on it modders! I’d play xD

[@kenonerboy]

@@DarylTalksGames you just spend an entire video saying that ppl wouldnt like to play inside with mario music...

[@Arakune]

@@kenonerboy but if it's optional then they would like it

[@jeromeciarkowski1367]

I like how you word your phrases in such a manner that says a video game MAY use blank for blank. Instead of you have to do blank for blank. Great analysis on human's interpretation of music and its projection into video game design.

[@Czarewich]

Another amazing video. Great job! Because of the title I thought this was going to be about programatically changing, or procedurally generated music. It's interesting to learn about the psychological aspects of sound design and marketing though, as well as how it impacts our perception. The bit about tone and wine is a really interesting point. I guess it's related to what you were talking about with congruence. I feel like bitter wines are generally "heavier" or "thicker" so low tones really do feel appropriate to pair with them.

[@DarylTalksGames]

Glad you found this interesting too! It really is all about the associations. And honestly, I was very back and forth on making this until I read the bit about wine, then I knew I had to do it. Thanks for commenting!

[@SomethingUnnamed]

I think associating all of these things with just "frequency" is misunderstanding what's going on here. There's a lot of music and sound theory being ignored, and while I agree with general premise of the video that pitch is important, some of the conclusions are either not quite right, or fall under being subjective. Take the "elevating pitch means growing" part -> it works just as well the other way around, because you can associate lower pitch with weight. If something gets bigger, it gets heavier, the sounds it makes are likely lower pitched. Think of voices: the older you get, the bigger you get, the deeper your voice probably is. It was already mentioned by someone else, but a lot of the associations are based on experience and natural phenomena. Low frequencies travel farther, which explains the distance thing. A lot of what audio in games try to do is build the appropriate amount of tension. It's not done just with frequency, but also with timbre, rhythm, dynamics, etc. There are associations made with different note intervals that would work almost regardless of what frequency they started at. There's sooooo much being left behind if you think of audio purely in the context of "frequencies".

[@waterhorse928]

I suppose it gives a starting point though. Other things will be more important to the music, but thinking like this can give you somewhere to start!

[@BlackMageLozi]

The guy only reacts to those who agree with him, comments like yours he unfortunately ignores.

[@cragland94]

The music in Street Fighter II changes when one player is low on health. One of my favorite features of that game

[@CurtisJensenGames]

This has helped me quite a bit in understanding music better! Thanks!

[@niconavall]

Absolutely fantastic video. Love how you introduce people that might don't have any idea of sound design itself. It's fascinating how we can tackle a lot of studies in other areas (like the marketing you used) and contextualize it in game design.

[@DarylTalksGames]

Hey thanks so much Nicolás! I really appreciate that, re-contextualizing is what makes this fun haha

[@Zahn-rad]

That thing with taste probably explains high class restaurants having violinists or other musical performances.

[@Kraigon42]

Little nitpick from around 06:50 -- lower frequency sounds physically travel further than higher frequencies, so the subconscious association with distance it has little to do with "apparent loudness." It's a physical law of the world we live in which we, as animals, have adapted to learn on a subconscious level because it helps us to survive.

[@trumpetdude320]

This just made me think... what are other possible small details that could add up to make something special? What can I do to make a detailed but not overdecorated game that tells a deep story?

[@grazz_er]

This video is so quality, you really deserve more subscribers!

[@grazz_er]

It also has reminded me to the "Hiding in Public" who also does some video of the games such a Zelda etc. but in more psychological way.

[@TheCivildecay]

God I love the art of Hyper light drifter!

[@AgeofBoredom]

Another excellent video! The 3 NFL games in London are really going to effect my editing schedule too 🤷‍♂️

[@DarylTalksGames]

Haha what can you do? I feel your pain!

[@AgeofBoredom]

Daryl Talks Games I’ll just have to suffer through it 😂

[@flame3942]

0:00 Inside: The joyous adventures

[@maxnstl6001]

It's incredible you made me understand myself better with this video. I've just discovered your channel few hours ago through the GRIS game i played and now what you just said about frequency and abstract thinking is so relevant to me! I like deep deep bass music (also melodious high frequency resonance music though) and I am always in the abstraction. I also give a tremendous importance to emotions as they are almost the only prism through which I exist. I never linked those elements. Now I do!

[@lukemalczewski5522]

This was Fantastic! Loved all the different examples. Don't know how this doesn't have more views

[@sgm1016]

I really love your videos!! I appreaciate a lot the different topics you tackle and the way you explain and illustrate them in a way that it's easy to understand and internalize. I'm learning soooo much, I'm very thankful!! :))

[@swan3640]

I personally adore games and game music & sound design. Also for me, Little Nightmares 2 has amazing sound design, or SOMA (though I've only watched other people play the said games). Also from what I've heard and seen, Undertale is one of the greatest in that sense, that when you're going the genocide route, as you keep killing everything that moves, the music also starts to fade away. I personally haven't played it yet (yeah, I know), but my best friend is currently going through the genocide route, and the absence of music and sounds is so unnerving. And I've always been fascinated by games or any media that does it so smoothly. Like you start with music and it's nice and cool n stuff, but then without you noticing or paying attention suddenly, you notice that the music is gone. You're met with silence or the hum of nothingness. I've always been keen on noticing these things or the change of music (as its meant to do and happen) and love it when its done successfully and so smoothly you don't notice the music disappearing until its already gone and you're met only with the crushing, lonesome, dark silence of our own mortality.

[@-Extra_Lives]

3:57 I don't know what you're talking about I would totally buy the service with that background music.

[@bonicle7610]

I think a great example for this is celestes Ressurections. The level puts you in a mysterious, run down castle. Here, the game wants you to explore so the soundtrack is mainly low, slow synths. Then some story stuff happens and suddenly the empty rooms have turned into ones that are filled with puzzles and platforming challenges. The musics frequency gets higher and is now also faster and louder. Then some more story stuff happens and now, youre being chased. The music here is fast and energetic making you more nervous.

[@bogjoore]

The opening has the level of irony I live for

[@decameter]

It's also interesting how deep driving sounds make us feel an urge to go and the idea of fear. I'm always reminded of that in Halo in slow moments where you're almost floating, the violins are softly playing a variation on the main theme, or you have the monks doing their gregorian style chanting, and then in times of immediate need EG: we have to get somewhere NOW, or the enemy is coming, the drums come up under that theme, before overtaking it entirely. The time for gawking and discovery is over, now you have to GO and quickly.

[@Maceyoshiman]

I really like your work man. I've just discovered and watched about five of your videos. Every one of them has been an absolute _banger_

[@rarepepe1572]

I really like when pokemon music speeds up when you get to red health in B/W. (i think) really cool

[@chaosismyjam8187]

Honestky, I think I'd actually be more motivated buy the product if its music had such a contrast to what is being shown. I find it hilarious.

[@toomuchglitters7254]

I somewhat disagree when you say that high frequencies sound closer because they sound louder. I think that high frequencies sound closer because they travel the least distance; if you can hear them they must be close. Like if you've ever heard a far off concert, you can only hear the bass and not the melody. Longer wavelengths travel further than short ones for both sound and light.

[@unfa00]

I'm working as an audio guy in game dev, and It's interesting to watch this. I like going back to basics to make sure I'm not missing anything. The frequency / size association is a pretty basic concept in sound design - you want to make something sound larger, heavier? Lower the pitch and add more bass!

[@Tisisrealnow]

What if there was a simple game with rooms, and the difficulty or length is indicated by pitch, along with how closer you are to completing the level. Like what if there was a really difficult and long room, and constant violins are playing, and when the end is at sight the violins get sharper and its almost unbearable, and when you are done it plays lower and more chill music, to relax your mind and also to say you are now away from the challenge.

[@tupuchandaa5192]

This is really awesome ! Again, a really well made video and content, your work is worth sharing and worth watching ! :)

[@DarylTalksGames]

Thank you so much! I genuinely appreciate it :)

[@matheushenriquearantespere5659]

I think the concrete vs abstract thinking related to music is also due to high pitch giving us a sense of urgency, thus encouraging practical thinking to resolve a problem. Low frequencies give a sense of relaxation and allows our mind to travel

[@CalebWillden]

Saw that first bit. Immediately liked. XD

[@OhImFabulous]

Heya, sorry for being late to the party, but do you think games could intentionally use the opposite of what our brain associates or wants to unnerve and/or frighten us? Like using frequencies that instill a sense of dread when we're somewhere "safe" to make us feel uneasy, or vice versa? Could you use lower frequency sounds during fast-paced, hectic and dangerous situations to add a layer of cognitive dissonance with what's happening on screen to make the activity more difficult or more eerie?

[@OctoNico]

You deserve SO MUCH MORE subscribers

[@DarylTalksGames]

Hey thank you so much! :)

[@user-ol1ep1yf8g]

12:41 C418's music... really does make you contemplate about the world of Minecraft.. and whenever there are these high frequency strings... bells and others... its like it is setting you to focus on your crafting, combat, exploration or base management. I wonder if the randomized music also helps you take your time to consider whether to explore (upon hearing the low frequency background music...) or focus on basic survival stuff while the higher frequency instruments are playing.

[@ferny4123]

I think one of the best use of frequencies has to be used in TriForce Heroes when Link does the totem mechanic and each different section of the totem you're in has differing tones

[@ferny4123]

(Great vid btw)

[@DarylTalksGames]

Thank you! I haven’t played tri-force heroes, but I can 100% picture that. That’s a fantastic example, thanks for commenting :)

[@desutoron1051]

The high frequency demonstrations gave me payday 2 flashbacks

[@BunsGlazing768]

Actually the Inside kid juking the zombie pig over and over was pretty cartoony probably would work with the fleshy blob nightmare too

[@Dave-vy9yo]

A curious example between the way music can help our concrete and abstract thinking is in Professor Layton games. Now, I don't know about their frequency since I'm not knowledgeable in those aspects, but you have to admit that the Puzzles themes (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmPRgaypm9KnZrc) instantly sets you in the mood to ponder about the conondrums you have been presented with. It's a sort of calmness that invites you to forget about anything outside of the problem you are set to solve, if I'm to explain myself. It invites you to expand your mind to the problem. By contrast, Professor Layton's theme (kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJqrfHqjl5ySoKM) does the opposite. It plays during fast-paced sequences across the entire franchise, so it makes sense that it wants to "narrow" your perception (not in a bad way) by helping you take everything at face value; it's set to help you feel as badass as Layton in the moments it plays. You drove the history this far, it's your victory; give your mind a rest, you deserve it. I don't know if I expressed myself correctly. Maybe I even completely missed the point of this video, but I still wanted to share my opinion on this one.

[@omniscientomnipresent5500]

As a composer, I can confirm what you said was true.

[@bonicle7610]

First Seriously though, in a boss fight in a hat in time, the speed gets faster when things get more extreme. Would this be considered as a way to make the player more nervous or more concentrated or is it just a nice thing thatnthe devs put into the game? Fastest ive ever clicked on a video btw, its nice to see that youre finally uploading again.

[@DarylTalksGames]

Thanks Bonicle! good to be back haha. I think it would probably be a good way to convey the feeling of things being more hectic. When things speed up like that, it becomes harder to follow and harder to react to/manage. So its hard to say what the intent behind it was, but I think it would absolutely make me personally more nervous haha

[@bonicle7610]

well that explains the entirety of overcooked, thanks!

[@creepycasta9430]

Bonicle It is almost always to, to really make a long story short, stress you the hell out. Prime example, the running out of air in one of the early Sonic games, that is stress.wav.

[@sourpuss5951]

@@creepycasta9430 This reminds of how memes and shitposts about how nerve-wracking, but also super catchy and dancy, Pokemon's (esp. Black & White gen) low hp music can be.

[@mbp9tf]

Ok obviously this all makes sense, but the heavier soundtrack in the first insurance commercial WOULD actually capture my interest due to its novelty. I won't remember the commercial with its congruent music - I WILL, because of the interesting musical choice. Always something to be said for surprises, yea? :D Love your content, man - and my psych degree-having partner (who, like most of us, was not lucky enough to find gainful employment in her field - so, rarely encounters this sort of conversation anymore) constantly comes in and double-takes due to the familiarity of your content's topics :)

[@lucariojet]

Using the word sound in the phrase "Fun Mechanics, Sound Level Design and Balance" confused me when you followed it up by saying "regardless of the soundtrack" cause my ears heard it as "Fun Mechanics, Sound, Level Design and Balance"

[@yarnyoshimak7913]

I think playing Inside with Delfino Plaza in the background would be perfect for me

[@user-ol1ep1yf8g]

11:16 I like the implementation of Lx_kimidori's music on that other game.

[@BenjaminOwenSlattery]

How does change in frequency affect dynamic priming? What are the effects of multiple simultaneous changes in frequency such as two frequencies where the lower one gets lower and the higher gets higher or vice versa?

[@Lugmillord]

I'd play any game with Piaza Delfino music ;P

[@sdrawkcab_emanresu]

I definitely liked the first spot more

[@josephstringham7723]

Good video, great editing, I was surprised when I saw that little views for sure, but one critic would be to maybe explain stuff it bit less thoroughly, I feel like enough of the information especially early on is intuitive enough that it doesn't need a very thorough explanation. Still an interesting video though!

[@DarylTalksGames]

Thanks a ton for the feedback! As I was finishing editing I kind of had the same thoughts, the earlier parts were a little long winded and cutting some could have made the video shorter and more digestible. Much appreciated Joseph, thank you for taking the time to watch!

[@Posby95]

In summary: High F ~ Small objects, Close objects, Bright colors, Concrete thinking Low F ~ Big objects, Far objects, Dark colors, Abstract thinking Rising F ~ Object grows in size or gets closer I guess a decreasing frequency is associated with an object that gets smaller or goes away?

[@shonjones7231]

"Imagine playing inside with this soundtrack." IDK the Third Man pulled it off.

[@ZeranZeran]

What a beautiful video.

[@anlumo1]

13:55 So, should video games come with wine recommendations?

[@kaldogorath]

I recommend zifandel with a nice game of Mario, and chardonnay with a cozy game of Zelda.

[@blarghinatelazer9394]

They should now

[@Soumein]

When I saw frequency, I thought it meant how often the music adapts. It was of course not a disappointing video, despite.

[@chillmadude]

ok, but now i want to play inside with that mario soundtrack

[@ShadowTheLight]

Resolution level up!

[@legendeOfDragon]

And that's why you play games with the music on!

[@takemetoyonk]

I haven't watched watched it all yet but I really hope he includes examples of bad audio design. I feel like these videos would benefit me more if he showed real examples of these concepts failing to be implemented.

[@Kale13000]

The intro killed me 😂

[@_-lariant-_5206]

I came here to see if I can find answers on the Attack on Titan opening. Let's see...

[@kabiribi6042]

0:37 when Ness kills Porky

[@chadjones1266]

Thanks again

[@daaknait]

Good one!

[@MooImABunny]

"So, to begin, we need to establish what exactly frequency is, and, what it's not. in a nutshell, frequency is the objective measure of wavelength in any sound" ... ...don't say you're gonna establish exactly and then precede to not establish exactly. sure, no need to be pedantic about what frequency is, but then I wouldn't say 'establish exactly'

[@twinkbootygieg]

What are you talking about? That's a pretty exact establishment if I've ever seen one

[@tand0r]

@@twinkbootygieg I mean it's actually kinda wrong tho. Frequency is a measure of the duration in time of a cicle in a wave. Wavelength is a measure of the length of that cicle, the physical distance between one of its peaks and the next. They are closely related but not the same thing.

[@bopobodachocobo]

Haven't even started the video but I saw Metroid prime on the thumbnail and had to click

[@terrortalks3037]

Doki Doki Literature club is very good at this!

[@RockSolitude]

It would of been nice if you touched on the idea of _purposely_ having music incongruent with what is happening on the screen.

[@oreji3987]

I like this video

[@RamHoot]

I love you

[@Umbruh_Prime]

lets be honest, the benny hill theme goes with any game :p

[@Eichro]

Do a second channel only featuring games with unfitting soundtrack

[@ether49]

Im sorry i usually like your videos but as someone who works in the audio field a lot of the stuff here isnt true or is oversimplified to the point that its misleading.

[@tand0r]

Agree, and it vastly overplays the importance of pitch (Hell, he calls it the "secret of adaptive music"), while not mentioning things like timbre at all. Also whenever he said a sound was higher pitch he'd play something that was kind of middle range, not actually high notes (at least the vast majority of the times).

[@ether49]

@@tand0r yeah, and mid range, around 1khz, is whats louder. Not higher. This is because thats where human speech is located.

[@28PickleMan]

Because it’s vibrations and so are you ok easy next

[@MacCarell]

Im willing to wager your channel reaches 300k subscribers within a year

[@menib7574]

Comment

[@nyx3659]

What an awesome youtube channel Gaming channels in france suck :p

[@DarylTalksGames]

Thank you so much! Terribly sorry to hear about France though, maybe that'll change soon! In the meantime you're always welcome on this channel :)

[@nahimnotreal2544]

These are incredibly obvious observations. These video essays that people keep making about video games are getting progressively more pointless. It’s like saying dark colors/color palettes are more depressing and create a moody environment. Having one light in the room creates lighting/shadows that have an eerie vibe. Pretty surface level observations... Not really sure what I was meant to actually learn in this video.

[@niespeludo]

Not really sure what I was meant to actually learn from your comment either.

[@nahimnotreal2544]

drubio i guess it’s a good thing I didn’t make a 15 minute video about it then

[@SoShiBias]

Hmm I understand where you're coming from, but how bout recommending some channels that you think are more worthwhile (if you have any). Just wanna know what's your standards are, and I personally made some in-depth reviews on certain games. Pretty proud of my own critical way of analyzing them, but certainly not as cleverly/well written than videos from this channel and so far...not boding well. Thought I can learn what people are looking for by asking.

[@nahimnotreal2544]

Moon'sDeity Good question! the major flaw in this video is it doesn’t really have any purpose other than saying “frequency is important and here’s why”. It’s a weird point to make considering frequency is such a broad term. He’s really just talking about sound design, which is important in any type of media involving sound..... This video doesn’t argue a point that people generally disagree with or really highlight anything unique about a specific game or type of game. The examples he uses are not the beginning and end of the concepts he is referring to so he isn’t arguing that these examples set themselves apart in terms of sound design. I don’t get it what’s the point? To say sound design is important? Everyone already knows that. If you’re going to make a video essay, it has to have a thesis statement like an actual essay. Otherwise there’s no point in the video. If the video is a review then whatever you can say whatever you want. I don’t think that’s pointless. This video could have been a lot better had he focused on making an actual argument. Not just saying this sound is ______. I can make a 15 minute vid talking about how colors are important to convey space, emotion, etc but why would I? A much more interesting video could be about why color is more important than lines or why color is ultimately what determines the emotional makeup of a piece. He could’ve made arguments about anything he said but he really was just using examples of techniques and saying “look”. Anyone can come to these conclusions on their own and some of them are a matter of personal opinion. It just feels lazy. My suggestion would be to pick something that’s actually unique to make a video about that isn’t based solely off your own observations. Connecting game mechanics, concepts, and practices to the real world and non video game examples is incredibly interesting and actually kind of validates how meaningful what you’re talking about is. Root the video ina scientific context or a philosophical context rather than a video game context to properly value it’s achievement (or lack of achievement) alongside real world concepts. So many of these videos are based entirely from the perspective of someone who plays games or someone who likes games. There is very little that feels concrete because it ends up just feeling like some random bullshit instead of something insightful. Just my two cents. Good luck with the channel!

[@CalebWillden]

While it might seem obvious to you, the importance and exact impact of sound design isn't common knowledge. Anyone may be able to experience a game or movie and know how well the music and sound aids the experience or not, but not everyone knows why. It's meant to inform people to keep these principles in mind when creating games, or even when playing them to better understand them. If I understand it correctly, the Psych of Play is not meant to be a series of persuasive essays, but a series of expository essays. It's meant to be purely informative to the uninformed, not meant to change the audience's mind. While you might enjoy persuasive essays or debates more than expository essays and information, others, like myself, actually quite enjoy just learning and hearing new things, as well as things I already know, just in different contexts and applications. I hope that makes the context of the video a little clearer.