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: Michael Hughes 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 artists” match live sound effects with the action of the picture.

“Foleying” is an excellent means of supplying the subtle sounds that production mikes often miss.

http://filmsound.org/terminology/foley.htm

Foley artistry is the production of realistic sounds through different types of instruments or objects. For instance, metal falling could be made by hitting 2 metal pipes together for the “clang” sound. This type of practise is usually done in a studio atmosphere. Often times Foley artistry is only for subtle sounds such as the crunching of snow, but without it the game wouldn’t be the same and therefore it is an important part of the industry and my own production practice.

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

Sound libraries are a simple and efficient way to store different types of sounds. Whilst you can save sounds through folders, it is much more organised to have a piece of software to handle everything for you. It is possible to create a sound for different types of media; this is done through storing the files on CD, DVD or as a digital audio file.

SOUND FILE FORMATS

Uncompressed

Uncompressed audio files are the most accurate digital representation of a soundwave, but can also be the most resource-intensive method of recording and storing digital audio, both in terms of storage and management.

http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/guide/uncompressed-audio-file-formats

Uncompressed audio files are a very accurate format of sound files. They re-create the sound wave of a file better than any other type of file. Uncompressed sound files are definitely the best type of file to use. Whilst it is better to make this type of file, it is takes up the most data and is hard to store and manage.

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

.wav

WAV files are popular because they are considered a “first generation” format. That is, they are generally kept as the first digital copy of a file completely uncompressed. This means that WAV files are the best possible quality and have not gone through any digital alterations except to be outputted.

http://www.freestockmusic.com/audio-formats/

A .wav file extension is a .wav sound file. These types of files are generally an excellent type of file, they are uncompressed file types meaning they are very efficient and have the best possible quality and have not gone through any other rendering process besides constructing the original sound. However, they are difficult to store which make it hard to manage, this is because the quality is very good, and it makes it hard to send, download or transfer.

.aiff

AIFF is short for Audio Interchange File Format, which is an audio format initially created by Apple Computer for storing and transmitting high-quality sampled audio data. It supports a variety of bit resolutions, sample rates, and channels of audio.

http://www.abyssmedia.com/formats/aiff-format.shtml

The .aiff file extension is an abbreviation for audio interchange file format. This file was created by apple computer with the intension of storing high quality audio data. Like with other file types, it supports different resolutions and a variety of sample rates, channels and audio.

.au

Audio file introduced by Sun Microsystems; used primarily on Sun or other Unix-based machines and has been adopted by several audio programs, including Adobe Audition and QuickTime; stores the data in three parts: a header (24 bytes), a variable length annotation block, and the actual audio data.

http://fileinfo.com/extension/au

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

.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; you can open it with Adobe Auction, Sound Forge Pro or Awave Studio.

http://www.ehow.com/info_12198596_file-smp.html

Lossy Compression

Lossy compression reduces a file by permanently eliminating certain information, especially redundant information. When the file is uncompressed, only a part of the original information is still there (although the user may not notice it).

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/lossless-and-lossy-compression

.mp3

The file extension for MPEG Audio Layer-3, a set of standards forcompressing and loading audio files from the Internet.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mp3

AUDIO LIMITATIONS

Sound Processor Unit (SPU)

Alternatively referred to as a sound board or audio card, a sound card is an expansion or integrated circuit that provides a computer with the ability to produce sound that can be perceived by the user through a peripheral device like speakers or headphones.

http://www.computerhope.com/

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

jargon/s/souncard.htmDigital Sound Processor (DSP)

A digital signal processor (DSP) is a specialized microprocessor designed specifically for digital signal processing, generally in real-time computing. The DSP processes digital signals converted (using an Analog-to-digital converter (ADC)) from analog signals. Output is then converted back to analog form using a Digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

http://www.audiocodes.com/glossary/dsp

Random Access Memory (RAM)

RAM 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

Mono Audio Mono or monophonic describes a system where all the audio signals are mixed together and routed through a single audio channel. Mono systems can have multiple loudspeakers, and even multiple widely separated loudspeakers.

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

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

Stereo Audio using two or more separate microphones to feed two or more loudspeakers through separate channels in order to give a spatial effect to the sound,

http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/stereophonic%20hearing

Surround Sound a system for playing sounds, especially in cinemas, that uses three or more loudspeakers so that the person listening seems to be surrounded by the sound.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/surround-sound

Direct Audio (Pulse Code Modulation – PCM)

Pulse code modulation (PCM) is a digital scheme for transmitting analog data. The signals in PCM are binary; that is, there are only two possible states, represented by logic 1 (high) and logic 0 (low). This is true no matter how complex the analog waveform happens to be. Using PCM, it is possible to digitize all forms of analog data, including full-motion video, voices, music, telemetry, and virtual reality (VR).

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/pulse-code-modulation-PCM

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

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

Digital Mini Disc

A music medium designed by Sony as a portable replacement for music Compact Discs. In 1994 Sony announceda data version which can hold 140 MB or about 100 MB using error correction. These will be competitiveWith 128 MB magneto optical disks.Mini Discs may be either a re-writable or mass-produced read-only type. Sony has also announced a standard data format.

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Mini+Disc

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

Compact Disc (CD) The first CDs were audio CDs, which eventually replaced audio tapes (which earlier replaced records). Audio CDs have the advantage of allowing the user to jump to different places on the disc. CDs can also be listened to an unlimited number of times without losing quality. Audio tapes can start to lose quality after listening to them as few as ten times. This is because the laser that reads the data on a CD doesn't put pressure on the disc, whereas the play heads on a tape deck slowly wear away the magnetic strip on the tape.http://techterms.com/definition/cd

Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Four millimetre wide magnetic tape which can store up to four gigabytes (GB) of data per cassette by using helical scan recording. Replaced in early 1990s by half-inch wide digital linear tape (DLT) that can store up to 35 gigabytes per cassette by using longitudinal recording.http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/digital-audio-tape-DAT.html

MIDI Standard MIDI Files ("SMF" or *.mid files) are a popular source of music on the web, and for musicians performing in clubs who need a little extra accompaniment. The files contain all the MIDI instructions for notes, volumes, sounds, and even effects. The files are loaded into some form of ‘player' (software or hardware), and the final sound is then produced by a sound-engine that is connected to or that forms part of the player.

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

http://www.midi.org/aboutmidi/tut_midifiles.php

Software Sequencers A music sequencer is similar to a tape recorder, because it can play, record, fast-forward and rewind music on separate tracks.

http://www.musictechteacher.com/music_learning_theory/music_tech_terms.htm

Software Plug-ins

"Plugins".  They are called that because these are little computer applications that run inside a "host" application, i.e., a sequencer, typically.  These plugin devices are very important, as they have led the software revolution towards our virtual studios which is changing all recording studios, both home and pro.http://tweakheadz.com/software-plugins/

MIDI Keyboard Instruments

A Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) keyboard is a musical instrument like a piano keyboard. The MIDI portion indicates that the instrument has a communication protocol built in that allows it to communicate with a computer or other MIDI-equipped instrument.http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-

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

midi-keyboard.htm

AUDIO SAMPLING File Size Constraints - Bit-depth

Unlike analog signals, which have an infinite range of volume levels, digital audio samples use binary numbers (bits) to represent the strength of each audio sample. The accuracy of each sample is determined by its bit depth. Higher bit depths mean your audio signal is more accurately represented when it is sampled.https://documentation.apple.com/en/soundtrackpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=B%26section=2%26tasks=true

File Size Constraints - Sample Rate

The sample rate is the number of times an analog signal is measured—or sampled—per second. You can also think of the sample rate as the number of electronic snapshots made of the sound wave per second. Higher sample rates result in higher sound quality because the analog waveform is more closely approximated by the discrete samples.

https://documentation.apple.com/en/soundtrackpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=B%26section=2%26tasks=true

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