Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

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: Thomas Giblin 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 which are added in post-production to enhance the quality of audio.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_artist

This affects my production practice because this is how I got my raw files for my sound effects.

Sound Libraries A collection of sounds stored on filehttp://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sound-library

My sound library is used to store all of my sound files that I will edit.

SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed Not compressedhttp://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/uncompressed

Uncompressed files affect me by taking up large amounts of memory and this is how a raw file is.

.wav Waveform Audio File Format is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bit stream on PCshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wav

.wav is used in my own production so that I can produce high quality sound effects.

.aiff Short for Audio Interchange File Format, a common format for storing and transmitting sampled sound. The format was developed by Apple Computer and is the standard audio format for Macintosh computers.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AIFF.html

This file type does not take part in my production because I use a PC and this is a file type mainly aimed at Mac users.

.au Short for audio, a common format for sound files on UNIX machines. It is also the standard audio file format for the Java programming language. AU files generally end with an .au

This has not been used in my production but may become useful when adding the sounds into a game.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

extension. On PCs, two other popular sound formats are WAV and MIDI.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AU.html

.smp Short for Symmetric Multiprocessing, a computer architecture that provides fast performance by making multiple CPUs available to complete individual processes simultaneously (multiprocessing). Unlike asymmetrical processing, any idle processor can be assigned any task, and additional CPUs can be added to improve performance and handle increased loads.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SMP.html

This takes a part in my production because it allows me to have fast and responsive control whilst I am editing or listening to the sounds.

Lossy Compression In information technology, "lossy" compression is a data encoding method that compresses data by discarding some of it. The procedure aims to minimize the amount of data that needs to be held, handled, and/or transmitted by a computer.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lossy_compression

This does not take a major role in my production process.

.mp3 A means of compressing a sound sequence into a very small file, to enable digital storage and transmission.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ MP3

This assists me in my production process by allowing me to take up less memory which gives the ability to have more sound files without filling up my memory.

AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit (SPU)

Integrated circuit that generates an audio signal and sends it to a computer's speakers. The sound card can accept an analogue sound (as from a microphone or audio tape) and convert it to digital data that can be stored in an audio file, or accept digitized audio signals (as from an audio file) and convert them to analogue signals that can be played on the computer's speakers.http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Audio+processing+unit

This takes a major role because without this I would not be able to hear any of the sound that I am creating.

Digital Sound Processor (DSP)

Short for digital signal processing, which refers to manipulating analogue information, such as sound or photographs that has

This is a good method to use to compress my sound files

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

been converted into a digital form. DSP also implies the use of a data compression technique.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DSP.html

which is very similar to what converting multiple files to .mp3 does.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

This is the instant memory the computer uses to run the applications that are open. The more RAM the computer has the more things it can do at any one time. It is the combination of the RAM and processor that dictates the speed of the computer.http://www.vicoms.co.uk/page4.htm

This is like the sound processor unit without this I would not have the ability to access the programs that I need to create my sound effects.

Mono Audio One singular track of audio. I use this in my sound effects very little because it is the subpar version of stereo and surround sound.

Stereo Audio Stereophonic sound divides sound across two channels. One channel going left and one going right. It was considered to be the best sound technology of the 1950s and early 1960s.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/stereophonic_sound.html

I use this when I want to create a certain kind of sound effect for example if I wanted to create a sound effect that was similar to the Doppler Effect.

Surround Sound A system of stereophony involving three or more speakers surrounding the listener so as to give a more realistic effect.https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=surround+sound+definition&oq=surround+sound+defin&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.10862j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

I use this when I want to create a immersive sound because of its ability to create the sound and make it feel like it is coming from a certain direction.

Direct Audio (Pulse Code Modulation – PCM)

Pulse Code Modulation: (PCM) a way to convert sound or analogue information to binary information (0s and 1s) by taking samples of the sound and record the resulting number as binary information. Used on all CDs, DVD-Audio, and just about every other digital audio format.http://www.presentationsolutions.ca/projectors_glossary.php

This doesn’t take part in my production process because it is intended to create sound for CDs and DVDs which are not included in my project.

AUDIO RECORDING SYSTEMS

Analogue As humans, we perceive the world in analogue. Everything we see and hear is a continuous transmission of information to our senses. This continuous stream is what defines analogue data. Digital information, on the other hand, estimates analogue

Analogue sound is used in all of my sound process.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

data using only ones and zeros.http://www.techterms.com/definition/analog

Digital Mini Disc The Mini Disc (MD) is an obsolete magneto-optical disc-based data storage device for 74 minutes and, later, 80 minutes, of digitized audio or 1 gigabyte of Hi-MD data.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc

Mini Discs play not part in my production process due to there being better options on the market. Making these discs obsolete.

Compact Disc (CD) A small plastic disc on which music or other digital information is stored in the form of a pattern of metal-coated pits from which it can be read using laser light reflected off the disc.http://tinyurl.com/oyjlyp7

A CD does not take part in my production process because all of my work is digitally stored.

Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Digital Audio Tape is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a Compact Cassette.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Tape

I did not use this method in my sound effects.

MIDI Pronounced middy, an acronym for musical instrument digital interface, a standard adopted by the electronic music industry for controlling devices, such as synthesizers and sound cards that emit music. At minimum, a MIDI representation of a sound includes values for the note's pitch, length, and volume. It can also include additional characteristics, such as attack and delay time.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/MIDI.html

MIDI took part in my production process because it allowed me to add additional sounds onto sound effects to fine tune them to how I wanted them to be.

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

Software Plug-ins In computing, a plug-in (or plugin, extension, or add-on / add-on) is a software component that adds a specific feature to an existing software application. When an application supports plug-ins, it enables customization. The common examples are

I used plug ins in my production process because they help me to make the sounds how I want them to sound and give me the ability

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

the plug-ins used in web browsers to add new features such as search-engines, virus scanners, or the ability to utilize a new file type such as a new video format. Well-known browser plug-ins includes the Adobe Flash Player, the QuickTime Player, and the Java plug-in, which can launch a user-activated Java applet on a web page to its execution a local Java virtual machine.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_(computing)

to change any sound to sound like anything.

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. This could also be a personal computer running software such as a digital audio workstation (DAW) that listens to and sends MIDI information to other MIDI devices connected by cable or running internal to the personal computer system. The basic MIDI keyboard does not produce sound. Instead, MIDI information is sent to an electronic module capable of reproducing an array of digital sounds or samples that resemble traditional analogue musical instruments. These samples or waveforms are also referred to as voices or timbres.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_keyboard

I used this to add in extra instrumental sounds into my sound effects. I used it because it gives you the ability to create something from nothing and allows you to make an average sound effect into a great sound effect.

AUDIO SAMPLING File Size Constraints - Bit-depth

In digital audio using pulse-code modulation (PCM), bit depth is the number of bits of information in each sample, and it directly corresponds to the resolution of each sample. Examples of bit depth include Compact Disc Digital Audio, which uses 16 bits per sample, and DVD-Audio and Blu-ray Disc which can support up to 24 bits per sample.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_bit_depth

File Size Constraints - Sample Rate

The sampling rate, sample rate, or sampling frequency defines the number of samples per unit of time taken from a continuous signal to make a discrete signal. For time-domain signals, the

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

unit for sampling rate is hertz,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sample_rate

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