Glossary – Harry Potter Game

Click track

Like a metronome, the click track is used to keep time and synchronise sound in the making of the music soundtrack. In a recording, the conductor and players hear a ‘click’ in their headphones at the beginning of each bar and on each beat whilst they’re playing.

Overdub

Different sections of the orchestra can be recorded separately and mixed together or overdubbed. This allows projects to be recorded over a number of days (for example, the choir for this recording were not in the studio at the same time as the orchestra). To make sure that everybody plays exactly at the same speed it’s important to use a click track.

Cutscene

A section of the game which is more like a film, i.e. the player has no control. It is often used as a break between levels of gameplay; advancing the plot, introducing characters and setting the scene.

Dementor

These flying dark, hooded figures guard the prizon of Azkaban and can suck out your soul. They feed off human happiness, making the air freezing and the atmosphere depressing when they’re near. See also: conductor.

Track lay

This refers to the sound engineer putting together a number of audio tracks to make up the overall soundtrack.

Linear Sequence

A piece of music that is linear i.e. it starts and finishes without any looping or alternative versions and follows a sequence of video. Nearly every piece of classical music is linear but in game music, these sequences are rarer as, in a game, the music has to continue for as long as you take to complete the level.

Contrabass trombone

A member of the brass family, the contrabass trombone has a lower pitch than the both tenor and bass trombones, meaning that it can play very low, deep notes like the ones in James Hannigan’s music.

Cimbasso

With the same range of notes as the contrabass trombone, the cimbasso is also a brass instrument in the trombone family. Part of the instrument rests on the floor, allowing the It is often used in film soundtracks because of the range of sounds that it can produce; from warm and mellow to bright and menacing.