Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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Produce a glossary of terms specific to the methods and principles of sound design and production. Using a provided template, you must research and gather definitions specific to provided glossary terms. Any definitions must be referenced with the URL link of the website you have obtained the definition. You must also, where possible, provide specific details of how researched definitions relate to your own production practice. Name: RESEARCHED DEFINITION (provide short internet researched

definition and URL link) DESCRIBE THE RELEVANCE OF THE RESEARCHED TERM TO YOUR OWN PRODUCTION PRACTICE?

SOUND DESIGN METHODOLOGY

Foley Artistry Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film, video, and other mediums in post-production to enhance audio quality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)

I collected and altered sounds I gathered myself and then made them suitable to the certain task.

Sound Libraries A collection of sounds stored on file (for example on CDs, DVDs, or as digital audio files) http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sound-library

I used this when I was storing the sounds I gathered and created.

SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed (Of data) not compressed. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/uncompressed

.wav WAV (or WAVE), short for Waveform Audio File Format, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs. http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAV

This is the format I rendered the sounds out with.

.aiff Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices. The format was developed by Apple Computer in 1988 based on Electronic Arts' Interchange File Format (IFF, widely used on Amiga systems) and is most commonly used on Apple Macintosh computer systems. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.aif

We have not used this format within our work.

.au The Au file format is a simple audio file format introduced by Sun Microsystems. The format was common on NeXT systems and on early Web pages. Originally it was headerless, being simply 8-bit µ-law-encoded data at an 8000 Hz sample rate. Hardware from other vendors often used sample rates as high as 8192 Hz, often integer factors of video clock signals. Newer files have a header that consists of six unsigned 32-bit words, an optional information chunk and then the data (in big endian format). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_file_format

We have not used this format within our work.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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.smp An ".smp" file may be one of several different types of audio file. For example, it could be a SampleVision audio sample file. This 16-bit audio file was originally used by Turtle Beach SampleVision; It could also be a sample file for AdLib Gold, Reason, a music recording and production program, uses the ".smp" extension for sampler instrument patches. http://www.ehow.com/info_12198596_file-smp.html

We have not used this format within our work.

Lossy Compression Refers to data compression techniques in which some amount of data is lost. Lossy compression technologies attempt to eliminate redundant or unnecessary information. Most video compression technologies, such as MPEG, use a lossy technique. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/lossy_compression.html

.mp3 the file extension for MPEG Audio Layer-3, a set of standards for compressing and downloading audio files from the Internet. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mp3

This is a format we could use be we have become more familiar with wav formats.

AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit (SPU) To process audio signals in order to accurately reproduce the characteristics of the sound. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_sound_processor?#slide=3

Digital Sound Processor (DSP) A digital sound processor is a tool that incorporates computer technology to change the technical aspects of analog sound. Processors can be found in a growing number of applications, from music to medicine. http://www.ehow.com/facts_5879513_define-digital-sound-processor.html

Random Access Memory (RAM) RAM (pronounced ramm) is an acronym for random access memory, a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that is, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computers and other devices, such as printers. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAM.html

We have used this when using the computers for our editing on reaper.

Mono Audio Mono or monophonic describes a system where all the audio signals are mixed together and routed through a single audio channel. http://www.mcsquared.com/mono-stereo.htm

We were allowed to use stereo and mono audio.

Stereo Audio True stereophonic sound systems have two independent audio signal channels, and the signals that are reproduced have a specific level and phase relationship to each other so that when played back through a suitable reproduction system, there will be an apparent image of the original sound source.

We were allowed to use stereo and mono audio.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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http://www.mcsquared.com/mono-stereo.htm

Surround Sound a system of sound recording and reproduction that uses three or more independent recording channels and loudspeakers in order to give the impression that the listener is surrounded by the sound sources http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/surround-sound

We have not used surround sound within our work.

Direct Audio (Pulse Code Modulation – PCM)

Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a method used to digitally represent sampled analog signals. It is the standard form of digital audio in computers, Compact Discs, digital telephony and other digital audio applications. In a PCM stream, the amplitude of the analog signal is sampled regularly at uniform intervals, and each sample is quantized to the nearest value within a range of digital steps. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-code_modulation

AUDIO RECORDING SYSTEMS

Analogue Refers to recording audio in a format of continuous vibrations that are analogous to the original sound waves. Before audio recording became digital, sounds were "carved" into vinyl records or written to tape as magnetic waveforms. http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/60827/analog-audio

We would change the sound from a program file to a sound file.

Digital Mini Disc A compact data storage medium designed to store music. MiniDiscs come in two varieties: playback only and recordable. Introduced by Sony in late 1992 and features random access similar to CDs. http://www.musicrepo.com/music-technology-glossary-of-terms/

We have not used this so far within our work.

Compact Disc (CD) A compact disc [sometimes spelled disk] (CD) is a small, portable, round medium made of molded polymer (close in size to the floppy disk) for electronically recording, storing, and playing back audio, video, text, and other information in digital form. http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/compact-disc

We have not used this so far within our work.

Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Acronym for digital audio tape, a type of magnetic tape that uses a scheme called helical scan to record data. A DAT cartridge is slightly larger than a credit card in width and height and contains a magnetic tape that can hold from 2 to 24 gigabytes of data. It can support data transfer rates of about 2 MBps. Like other types of tapes, DATs are sequential-access media. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DAT.html

We have not used this so far within our work.

MIDI MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a protocol designed for recording and playing back music on digital synthesizers that is supported by many makes of personal computer sound cards. Originally intended to control one keyboard from another, it was

We used this when we were creating pieces in Reaper.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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quickly adopted for the personal computer. Rather than representing musical sound directly, it transmits information about how music is produced. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/MIDI-Musical-Instrument-Digital-Interface

Software Sequencers A sequencing software package designed to be loaded into a computer. Software sequencers usually have more features and have the advantage of showing you a lot more information at once because they use the computer's screen and aren't locked into the knobs or buttons or display of a hardware sequencer. http://www.wannaplaymusic.com/get-started/keyboard-terminology

The program we used called Reaper is a software sequencer.

Software Plug-ins Software that is installed into an existing application in order to enhance its capability. For example, plug-ins are widely used in image editing programs such as Photoshop to add some special effect. Plug-ins are added to Web browsers to enable them to support different types of content (audio, video, etc.). The term is widely used for software, but can also refer to a plug-in module for hardware. http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/49395/plug-in

We had software plug-ins available for use within our work, the use of these plugs-in were there to add extras to the software.

MIDI Keyboard Instruments A MIDI keyboard is typically a piano-style user interface keyboard device used for sending MIDI signals or commands over a USB or MIDI cable to other devices connected and operating on the same MIDI protocol interface. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_keyboard

On the sound program we used there was a huge range of different instruments which were compatible with the MIDI keyboard

AUDIO SAMPLING File Size Constraints - Bit-depth Bit depth is the number of bits used to carry the data in each sample of audio. The bit depth chosen for recording limits the dynamic range of the recording. (Other factors in the audio chain may also limit this, so more bits often will not produce a better recording.) http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Bit_Depth

On Reaper the program we used it used a normal bit-depth for rendering.

File Size Constraints - Sample Rate

Also called a sample rate. Typically expressed in samples per second, or hertz (Hz), the rate at which samples of an analog signal are taken

in order to be converted into digital form. A PC��s sound card typically will sample a received analog signal, such as through a microphone, and digitize it for use by the computer. A higher sampling rate provides a better quality reproduction than a lower sampling rate. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/sampling_rate.html

The program reaper had a normal sample rate