QSound

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."

The system was used in several Capcom CPS-1 titles and in all CPS-2 and CPS3 titles as well as several console games and the Sony ZN-1 and ZN-2 hardware arcade games such as "Battle Arena Toshinden 2".

Electronic Arts, Activision, Microsoft Game Studios, Sega, Virgin Interactive, TDK Mediactive, Bullfrog Productions, and Lionhead Studios 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 driversFact|date=August 2007.

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. 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.Fact|date=August 2007)

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.Fact|date=August 2007

Some games using QSound

All games on the CPS-2 arcade system. Notable games include
* "" (Capcom)
* "Alien vs Predator" (Capcom)
* "Darkstalkers"
* ' and ' (Capcom)
* "Eco Fighters" (Capcom)
* "Marvel vs Capcom" (Capcom)
* The "Street Fighter Alpha" series (Capcom)
* "Super Gem Fighter" (Capcom)
* "Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo" (Capcom)
* "Super Street Fighter II" (and all variations) (Capcom)
* "" (Capcom)
* "X-Men vs. Street Fighter" (Capcom)
* "" (Capcom)

Other games to use QSound
* "Adventures of Lomax" (Psygnosis)
* "Assault Rigs" (Psygnosis)
* "Battle Arena Toshinden 2" (Capcom)
* "Beasts and Bumpkins" (Electronic Arts)
* "Black and White" (Lionhead Studios)
* "Bob Bondurant's High Performance Driving" (Fathom Pictures)
* "Cuba-10" (Activision)
* "Dawn Patrol" (Empire)
* "Dirt Racer" (Accolade)
* "" (Perfect Entertainment)
* "Dungeon Keeper 2" (Bullfrog Productions)
* "EA Sports Football Manager 2" (Electronic Arts)
* "Ecco the Dolphin" (Sega; Sega CD version)
* "" (Sega)
* "F1 Championship Series 2000" (Electronic Arts)
* "FA Premier League Football Manager ‘99" (Electronic Arts)
* "FIFA Soccer Manager" (Electronic Arts)
* "Formula One" series (Psygnosis)
* "From Dusk Till Dawn" (Gamesquad)
* "G-Police" (Psygnosis)
* "Hyperblade" (Activision)
* "John Madden Football" (Electronic Arts)
* "Nihilist" (Philips Media)
* "Nights into Dreams..." (Sega)
* "Outwars" (Microsoft)
* "" (Bullfrog Productions)
* "Populous 3" (Bullfrog Productions)
* "Resident Evil 2" (Capcom)
* "Ring of Destruction" (Capcom)
* "Rival Schools" (Capcom)
* "Rollcage" (Psygnosis)
* "The Punisher" (Capcom)
* "Skies of Arcadia" (Sega; Dreamcast version)
* "Sonic Adventure" (Sega; Dreamcast version)
* "Sonic CD" (Sega)
* "Space Circus" (Infogrames)
* "Speedster" (Psygnosis)
* "Spycraft" (Activision)
* "Star Gladiator" series (Capcom)
* "Starship Titanic" (The Digital Village)
* "Street Fighter EX" series (Capcom)
* "Street Fighter The Movie" (Capcom; console version)
* "Tempo"(Sega)
* "" (Looking Glass Studios)
* "Theme Park World" (Bullfrog Productions)
* "Track Attack" (MicroProse)
* "TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament ‘96" (Dream Weavers)
* "Warriors of Fate" (Capcom)
* "Zork Nemesis" (Activision)

Selected albums "mixed in QSound"

Over 60 albums feature QSound processing. Some notable examples follow:
* "The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob" by MC Skat Kat (1991)
* "Amused to Death" by Roger Waters (1992)
* "Broken China" by Richard Wright (1996)
* "The Immaculate Collection" by Madonna (1990)
* "Parallels" by Fates Warning (1991)
* "Pulse" by Pink Floyd (1995)
* "Power of Love" by Luther Vandross (1991)
* "The Soul Cages" by Sting (1991)
* "Spellbound" by Paula Abdul (1991)
* "Help Yourself" by Julian Lennon (1991)
* "Whaler" by Sophie B. Hawkins (1994)
* "Prisoners in Paradise" by Europe (1991)

ee also

*Sound Retrieval System

External links

* [http://www.qsound.com/ QSound Labs website]