Arcade Ambiance

[Crimefighter]

I won the CD for the 1981 version and listened. I didn't know arcades were THAT loud and so noisy back then (in fact I was in a few of them and they weren't.) Hearing what sound belonged to what game was difficult. I think they were playing every machine in the building at full blast...about 20-30 of them. Bit too much for the ears.

[Dr Galaga]

I was kind of interested when I read your post. I did a little research and it looks like the guy recreated the sounds using MAME (I was hoping that it was the real thing): http://arcade.hofle.com/intro.htm .

I think I'll pass!

[Gregory DG]

looks like the guy recreated the sounds using MAME (I was hoping that it was the real  thing): http://arcade.hofle.com/intro.htm .

  I think I'll pass!

894703[/snapback]

Except that he said so, you would have never known the difference.

[Atari-Jess]

The problem here is that the guy is merely mixing the sounds together to become one giant mess.

 

A real arcade does not have all its machines in one place.

 

What he should have done, is set up a number of computers and set up speakers in a room that would be similar to an arcade set up.

 

Each computer would then be playing a track, a few games, a few attract modes etc and then with a microphone simply walk around the room for about an hour.

 

You'll still be missing out on button mashing and speech, but the effect I believe would be much more authentic.

 

edit: if the guy was playing on a mame cabinet even better.

He still should not have mixed the recordings on one machine, you can't get the distance effects in there. To record in surround sound would have been THE thing.

Edited July 20, 2005 by Atari-Jess

[Dr Galaga]

You know that some little geeky kid must have taken a portable cassette recorder in to an arcade and recorded the sounds back in the day. Now we must find this geek and his tape!

[chadtower]

Does it include the kid in the back with a screwdriver trying to break into a coin door? How about the guy walking around asking people if they want any pot, pills, or ninja stars? It must have the one guy who takes his game way too seriously and swears and punches the machine every time he loses a life. What about the "Hey, I had next" "No you didn't" "yeah I did that's my quarter on the control panel" "shut up twerp" conversation?

[Cap5750]

You know that some little geeky kid must have taken a portable cassette recorder in to an arcade and recorded the sounds back in the day.  Now we must find this geek and his tape!

895000[/snapback]

 

You mean like this?

 

http://www.coinopvideogames.com/sounds.html

[Christophero Sly]

You know that some little geeky kid must have taken a portable cassette recorder in to an arcade and recorded the sounds back in the day.  Now we must find this geek and his tape!

895000[/snapback]

 

You mean like this?

 

http://www.coinopvideogames.com/sounds.html

895090[/snapback]

 

Very cool. What a nostalgic blast hearing those recordings. I'll have to go through and listen to my favorite games.

 

Sounds like there are some funny conversations on those too.

 

"I'm running out of time on this guy"

 

"Hurry up idiot!"

 

AND

 

"Hey, they hid a game back here!"

 

Edited July 20, 2005 by Christophero Sly

[Room 34]

A friend and I back in college brought a cassette recorder into an arcade to surreptitiously capture the sounds for a backing track on a recording we were doing. The most difficult part was finding a spare electrical outlet!

 

As far as recreating an arcade's sound realistically in MAME, it would not be so hard. You just need to use multitracking software like Pro Tools. Record each machine on a separate track, and adjust the stereo balance to create an appropriate amount of "space" between the machines. Then also adjust their respective volumes accordingly. Add some "room" reverb to the tracks (and maybe EQ the treble out of the more "distant" games, to make them more muffled), and you'll have a pretty decent approximation.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot... be sure to have occasional sounds of coins jingling out of the change machine too!

Edited July 20, 2005 by Room 34

[BeerGnome]

You know that some little geeky kid must have taken a portable cassette recorder in to an arcade and recorded the sounds back in the day.  Now we must find this geek and his tape!

895000[/snapback]

 

You mean like this?

 

http://www.coinopvideogames.com/sounds.html

895090[/snapback]

 

Very cool. What a nostalgic blast hearing those recordings. I'll have to go through and listen to my favorite games.

 

Sounds like there are some funny conversations on those too.

 

"I'm running out of time on this guy"

 

"Hurry up idiot!"

 

AND

 

"Hey, they hid a game back here!"

 

895121[/snapback]

 

c'mon what about right at the end where the kid laghs and said "OH!.. we suck!"