Q-Sound
Encyclopedia
QSound Labs
QSound Labs is an audio technology company based in Calgary, Canada. It is primarily a developer and provider of audio enhancement technologies for entertainment and communications devices and software...
that creates 3D audio effect
3D audio effect
3D audio effects are a group of sound effects that attempt to widen the stereo image produced by two loudspeakers or stereo headphones, or to create the illusion of sound sources placed anywhere in 3 dimensional space, including behind, above or below the listener.There are several types of 3D...
s from multiple monophonic sources and sums the outputs to two channels for presentation over regular stereo speakers. QSound was eventually re-dubbed "Q1" after the introduction of "Q2," a positional 3D algorithm for headphones. As the company's spatial audio algorithm family grew, and multi-speaker surround system support was added to the positional 3D process, the QSound positional 3D audio process became known simply as "Q3D".
Use
The system was used in all CapcomCapcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
CP System Dash, CP System II and CP System III titles as well as several console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
games and the Sony ZN-1 and ZN-2 hardware arcade games such as Battle Arena Toshinden 2
Battle Arena Toshinden 2
Battle Arena Toshinden 2 is a weapon based 3D fighting game. It was released for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Arcade and PC. It is the sequel of Battle Arena Toshinden.-Gameplay:...
.
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
, Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Studios is the video game production wing for Microsoft, responsible for the development and publishing of games for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and Windows Phone platforms. They were established in 2002 as Microsoft Game Studios to coincide with the release of the Xbox, before...
, Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive was a British video game publisher. It was formed as Virgin Games Ltd. in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing the budget label, Mastertronic in 1987. It was part of the Virgin Group...
, TDK Mediactive
TDK Mediactive
TDK Mediactive was a California-based video game publisher owned by TDK that published video games based on licensed properties such as:* Conan * Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis * Robotech: Battlecry * Robotech: The Macross Saga...
, Bullfrog Productions
Bullfrog Productions
Bullfrog Productions was a UK computer game developer that was founded in 1987 by Les Edgar and Peter Molyneux. The company achieved recognition in 1989 for their third release, Populous....
, and Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios is a British computer game development company led by industry veteran Peter Molyneux, and acquired by Microsoft Game Studios in April 2006. Lionhead started as a breakaway from the developer Bullfrog, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a...
have also used the technology, mostly through the use of the QMixer software development kit to implement audio positioning, mixing and control directly in the game software. Later versions of QMixer added support for 3D-accelerated hardware through the low-level Microsoft DirectSound3D Application Programming Interface.
Q3D has been incorporated in a variety of computer sound cards and sound card drivers.
While the system is known by some for its use in video game titles, the first QSound chip used for that purpose was not created until 1991, while QSound had been developed in the late 1980s and has been used in everything from screensavers to television programming. Some TVs were also produced with this technology. Several 1990s music albums were also "mixed in QSound" (see below) using the QSystem or QSystem II hardware processors, and many other music releases have been enhanced with QSound effects using software plug-in versions of the QSystem and other software utilities. (The QSound website maintains a list of known projects.)
In 2003, Q3D was added to the list of components in QSound Labs' microQ, a small-footprint, performance-optimized software digital audio engine aimed at the mobile market (i.e. cellphones and the like). Q3D enables 3D sound for handheld gaming and can be controlled in Java games via the JSR-234 Application Programming Interface.
It is important to distinguish 3D positional processing (example: QSound i.e. the multi-channel QSystem professional processor used in the production of pop music and film audio) from stereo expansion (examples: QSound QXpander, SRS(R)Sound Retrieval System). Positional 3D audio processing is a producer-side technology. It is applied to individual instruments or sound effects, and is therefore only usable at the mixing phase of music and soundtrack production, or under realtime control of game audio mixing software. Stereo expansion (processing of recorded channels and background ambience) is primarily a consumer-side process that can be arbitrarily applied to stereo content in the end-user environment using analog integrated circuits or digital signal processing (DSP) routines.
Selected games using QSound
(All or some arcade games on this list runs on the CPS-2 arcade system)Notable games include:
- 19XX: The War Against Destiny19XX: The War Against Destiny19XX: The War Against Destiny is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game made by Capcom in 1995 . The game is the 4th of a series of World War II vertical shooters made by Capcom...
(Capcom) - Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of DoomDungeons & Dragons: Tower of DoomDungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom is the first of two arcade games created by Capcom and based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The game was also released on the Sega Saturn, packaged with its sequel, Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara, under the title Dungeons & Dragons...
and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over MystaraDungeons & Dragons: Shadow over MystaraDungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara is an arcade game developed and published by Capcom in 1996 as a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom. It was also released on the Sega Saturn, packaged with Tower of Doom, under the title Dungeons & Dragons Collection. The game is set in the Dungeons...
(Capcom) - Darkstalkers (Capcom)
- Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness (Capcom)
- Eco FightersEco FightersEco Fighters is an arcade game released by Capcom on the CPS-2 arcade system board on December 1993. The game is a horizontal shooter, where the player controls a ship with a rotating gun. As suggested by both its titles, the game has an "eco-friendly" theme...
(Capcom) - Ecco the dolphinEcco the DolphinEcco the Dolphin is a puzzle video game released in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The central character, Ecco, is a bottlenose dolphin controlled by the player through a progression of side-scrolling aquatic levels...
(Sega, and Novotrade) - Marvel vs Capcom (Capcom)
- Marvel vs Street Fighter (Capcom)
- The Street Fighter Alpha series (Capcom)
- Sonic AdventureSonic Adventureis a 1999 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan by Sega for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG...
(Sega) - Sonic CD (Sega)
- Super Gem Fighter (Capcom)
- Super Puzzle Fighter II TurboSuper Puzzle Fighter II TurboSuper Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, released in Japan as and commonly referred to as Puzzle Fighter, is a one or two player puzzle game first released in the spring of 1996 by Capcom on the CPS II arcade system...
(Capcom) - Super Street Fighter IISuper Street Fighter IIis a head-to-head fighting game produced by Capcom originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1993. It is the fourth game in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting...
(and all variations) (Capcom) - X-Men: Children of the AtomX-Men: Children of the Atom (arcade game)is an arcade game that was produced by Capcom and released on the CPS-2 arcade system in 1994. It is the first fighting game produced by Capcom using characters under license from Marvel Comics, widely praised for its faithfulness in capturing the spirit of its namesake comics, by using colorful...
(Capcom) - X-Men vs. Street FighterX-Men vs. Street FighterX-Men vs. Street Fighter is a fighting game originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in . It is Capcom's third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics characters and the first game to match them against their own, with characters from Marvel's X-Men franchise being matched against the cast...
(Capcom)
Selected albums "mixed in QSound"
Over 60 albums feature QSound processing. Some notable examples include:- The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray MobMC Skat KatMC Skat Kat is an animated cat who appeared with Paula Abdul in the video for her song "Opposites Attract" in 1989.-History:The idea of Skat Kat came from the Gene Kelly movie Anchors Aweigh, in which Kelly's character dances with Jerry, the mouse from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series...
by MC Skat KatMC Skat KatMC Skat Kat is an animated cat who appeared with Paula Abdul in the video for her song "Opposites Attract" in 1989.-History:The idea of Skat Kat came from the Gene Kelly movie Anchors Aweigh, in which Kelly's character dances with Jerry, the mouse from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series...
(1991) - Amused to DeathAmused to DeathAmused to Death is a concept album, and the third studio album by former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters. It was released in 1992.The album title was attached to material that Waters began working on during the Radio KAOS tour...
by Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
(1992) - Broken ChinaBroken ChinaBroken China is a progressive rock solo album by Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright.- Overview :The album is a four-part concept album which documents Wright's then wife Mildred's battle with depression, and is very much like a classic Pink Floyd concept album in its structure and overall feel...
by Rick WrightRichard Wright (musician)Richard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...
(1996) - The Immaculate CollectionThe Immaculate CollectionThe Immaculate Collection is the first greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 9, 1990 by Sire Records. It contains fifteen of her hit singles from 1982 to 1990, as well as two new tracks "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me"...
by MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
(1990) - Dangerous (album) by Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
(1991) - ParallelsParallels (album)Parallels is the sixth album by progressive metal band Fates Warning, released in 1991. It has sold over 150,000 copies due to the success of the singles "Eye to Eye", "Point of View", and "We Only Say Goodbye". On March 16, 2010 Metal Blade Records released a special edition of Parallels...
by Fates WarningFates WarningFates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...
(1991) - Pulse by Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
(1995) - Power of LovePower of Love (Luther Vandross album)Power of Love is the seventh studio album by American R&B/soul singer Luther Vandross, released in April 1991...
by Luther VandrossLuther VandrossLuther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
(1991) - The Soul CagesThe Soul CagesThe Soul Cages is the third full length studio album released by Sting. Released in 1991, it became his second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom. It spawned four singles: "All This Time", "Mad About You", "Why Should I Cry For You" and "The Soul Cages"...
by Sting (1991) - Spellbound by Paula AbdulPaula AbdulPaula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
(1991) - Help Yourself by Julian LennonJulian LennonJohn Charles Julian Lennon is an English musician, songwriter, actor, and photographer. He is the son of John Lennon and Lennon's first wife, Cynthia Powell. Beatles manager Brian Epstein was his godfather. He has a younger half-brother, Sean Lennon. Lennon was named after his paternal...
(1991) - WhalerWhaler (album)Whaler is the second album by American singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins, released in 1994 .-Track listing:All songs written by Sophie B...
by Sophie B. HawkinsSophie B. HawkinsSophie Ballantine Hawkins is an American singer, songwriter, musician and painter. Her biggest hits are "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover", "Right Beside You", and "As I Lay Me Down".- Career :...
(1994) - Prisoners in ParadisePrisoners in ParadisePrisoners in Paradise is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on September 23, 1991, by Epic Records and spawned hits such as the title track, "Prisoners in Paradise" and "I'll Cry for You".-Track listing:...
by EuropeEurope (band)Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
(1991)
Selected films "mixed in QSound"
- Robin Hood: Prince of ThievesRobin Hood: Prince of ThievesRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 American adventure film directed by Kevin Reynolds. Kevin Costner heads the cast list as Robin Hood...
(1991)