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: Natalina Moore 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 media in post-production to enhance audio quality.[1] These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best Foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience.[2] It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene. Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and uncomfortable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_%28filmmaking%29

Foley Artistry is reproducing everyday sound effects but with different items from what made the original sound. Which are then added to film, video or other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. The reproduced sounds are usually something heard every day but it they weren’t included in the game or film you would subconsciously register that something was missing; the sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and whistling wind. The best Foley art is so well integrated into a film or game it goes unnoticed and it helps to create a sense of reality within a scene.When recording sounds for my cut-scene to get some effects I went out and recorded them myself. I needed the sound of a rock being thrown at a metal bin, so to get that sound I threw rocks at bins. While helping record sounds for another groups project they needed to get car sounds, so I recorded the sound of a cars pulling of and driving pass me. Although I didn’t reproduce the sound with different

1

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

objects that made the original one I still reproduced sounds so this gave me more insight to foley artistry.

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 vast collection of sounds stored on file; that could be CD’s, DVDs or as digital audio files.While creating my own background music, I used the sound library which was already on the computer, it had a range of sounds however some were not suitable for the effects I wanted to make. For example the sound library had a lot of sound effects of laughing and explosions, both of which I did not use. For my first background music I went with the idea of a forest and sounds that can be heard are wood chopping, streams and horses, the sounds of rabbits of rustle of bushes would have been an nice improvement but unfortunately the sound library did not include that.

SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed Uncompressed audio is audio without any compression applied to it. This includes audio recorded in PCM or WAV form.http://www.voxforge.org/home/docs/faq/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-lossy-lossless-and-uncompressed-audio-formats

Uncompressed audio is simply audio which hasn’t had any compression applied to it. So it hasn’t had any data lost and these files usually sound better than compressed audio files. The file type is typicially recorded in PCM or WAV form.

.wav A Wave file is an audio file format, created by Microsoft, that has become a standard PC audio file format for everything from system and game sounds to CD-quality audio. A Wave file is identified by a file name extension of WAV (.wav). Used primarily in PCs, the Wave file format has been accepted as a viable interchange medium for other computer platforms, such as Macintosh. This allows content developers to freely move audio files between platforms for processing, for example.http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Wave-file

Wav is a file type created by Microsoft, it is the standard PC audio file format for everything from system and games sounds to CD-quality audio. This file format is accepted as a viable interchange medium for other computer platforms which allows content developers to freely move audio files between platforms for processing.

.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

.aiff is short for Audio Interchange File Format, and was developed by Apple Computer and is of course the standard audio format for Macintosh Computers. It

2

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

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AIFF.html is used for storing and transmitting sampled sound.

.au A digital audio file format from Sun that is used on the Internet and can be played by a Java program. It provides toll-quality sound and uses the .AU extension. It generally uses the u-Law (mu-Law) encoding method, and raw u-Law files and AU files are the same except for the file header.http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/38149/au-file

.au is a digital audio file format used on the internet and can be played by a Java program, it is used for toll-quality sound and it used the AU extension.

.smp SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) is the processing of programs by multiple processors that share a common operating system and memory. In symmetric (or "tightly coupled") multiprocessing, the processors share memory and the I/O bus or data path. A single copy of the operating system is in charge of all the processors. SMP, also known as a "shared everything" system, does not usually exceed 16 processors.http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/SMP

.smp which stands for symmetric multiprocessing, is the processing of programs by multiple processors, as the name indicates, that share a common operating system and memory. The processors also share memory and a

Lossy Compression lossy compression is a type of compression where a certain amount of information is discarded. As an aside, the time may soon come when storage is so cheap that there is no need for lossy compressionhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lossy

Lossy compression is where the file is compressed only slightly and this keeps the most quality of the original file while still compressing the file slightly so memory is still reduced while keeping the quality of the file.

.mp3 a means of compressing a sound sequence into a very small file, to enable digital storage and transmissionhttps://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=active&q=.mp3%20definition

A mp3 is used to compress a sound sequence into a very small file which takes up less space, this also enables digital storage and transmission, which means you can store more of the files and transport them to other places.

Q Sound Processor Unit (SPU) The SPU is the unit responsible for all aural capabilities of the psx. Ithandles 24 voices, has a 512kb sound buffer, has ADSR envelope filters for each voice and lots of other features.http://psx.rules.org/spu.txt

The Sound Processor Unit or SPU, is a unity that is responsible for all aural capabilities of the psx.

Digital Sound Processor (DSP) A Digital Signal Processor, or DSP, is a specialized microprocessor that has an architecture which is optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing. A Digital Signal Processor (DSP) can process data in real time, making it ideal for applications that can’t tolerate delays. Digital signal

A Digital Signal Processor or DSP, is a microprocessor that is made for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing, as it can process data in real time, making it perfect for programs that

3

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

processors take a digital signal and process it to improve the signal into clearer sound, faster data or sharper images. Digital Signal Processors use video, voice, audio, temperature or position signals that have been digitized and mathematically manipulate them. A digital signal processor is designed to perform these mathematical functions rapidly. The signals are processed so the information contained in them can be displayed or converted to another type of signal.http://www.futureelectronics.com/en/microprocessors/digital-signal-processors.aspx

handle delays. DSP take a digital signal and process it to improve the signal into a clearer sound, faster data and sharper images. Basically they improve the sound of files/

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 printershttp://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAM.html

RAM means random access memory and is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly by any byte of memory and is mostly found in printers.

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

Mono Audio is a system where all the audio signals and mixed together and routed through a single audio channel.

Stereo Audio Commonly called stereo sound or just stereo, stereophonic sound divides sounds across two channels (recorded on two separate sources) then the recorded sounds are mixed so that some elements are channeled to the left and others to the right. Stereophonic sound is generally considered the best sound technology of the 1950 and early 1960's.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/stereophonic_sound.html

Stereo Audio divides sounds across two channels which are recorded on two separate sources, then the recorded sounds are mixed together so that some elements are channelled to the left and others to the right.

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

Surround Sound is a system of sound recording and reproduction that uses three or more independent recording channels and loudspeakers, so having multiple speakers placed around the room to give the impression that the listener is surrounded by the sound sources.

Direct Audio (Pulse Code Modulation – PCM)

A modulation technique in which an analog signal is encoded, i.e., converted from analog to digital format. The term generally is applied to the conversion of voice from a continuous analog waveform to digital pulses as specified in ITU-T Recommendation G.711, which is based on the Nyquist

Direct Audio is a modulation technique where an analogue signal is encoded, which means converted from analogue to digital format

4

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

theorem. That theorem states that an analog signal waveform can be converted to digital format and be reconstructed without error from samples taken at equal time intervals, if the sampling rate is equal to, or greater than, twice the highest frequency component in the analog signalhttp://www.yourdictionary.com/pcm

AUDIO RECORDING SYSTEMS Analogue An analogue recording is one that is made by changing the sound waves into electrical signals of the same type.http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/analogue

Analogue is a recording that is made by changing the sound waves into electrical signals of the same type.

Digital Mini Disc A music medium designed by Sony as a portable replacement for music Compact Discs. In 1994 Sony announced a data version which can hold 140 MB or about 100 MB using error correction. These will be competitive with 128 MB magneto-optical disks. Mini Discs may be either a re-writable or mass-produced read-only type. Sony have also announced a standard data format.http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Mini+Disc

A Digital Mini Disc is a portable replacement for music Compact Discs. They are either a re-writable or mass-produced read-only type. They were made by Sony.

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

A compact disk is a small portable round disk used for electronically recording, storing and playing back audio and other information in digital form.

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

Digital Audio Tape or DAT are types that record data by using a scheme called helical scan.

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) A standard protocol for the interchange of musical information between musical instruments, synthesizers and computers. MIDI was developed to allow the keyboard of one synthesizer to play notes generated by another.www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/47014/ midi

A MIDI is used to for the interchange of musical information between musical instruments. It was created to allow they keyboard of one synthesizer to play notes generated by another

Software Sequencers A music sequencer (or simply sequencer) is a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music,

Software sequencers are devices that software that can record, edit or play back

5

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

by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically MIDI or CV/Gate, and possibly audio and automation data for DAWs inshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_sequencer

music by handling the note and performance information in several forms

Software Plug-ins A software plug-in is an add-on for a program that adds functionality to it. For example, a Photoshop plug-in (such as Eye Candy) may add extra filters that you can use to manipulate images. A browser plug-in (such as Macromedia Flash or Apple QuickTime) allows you to play certain multimedia files within your Web browser. VST plug-ins add effects for audio recording and sequencing programs such as Cubase and Logic Audio.http://techterms.com/definition/plugin

A software Plug-in is an add-on for a program that adds a function to it. It lets you do more with the program.

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

A MIDI keyboard is a piano-style user interface which is used for sending MIDI signals to other devices operating on the same MIDI interface.

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

File Size Constraints such as Bit-depth is the number of bits used to carry the data in each file of audio.

File Size Constraints - Sample Rate

The number of times an analog signal is measured (sampled) per second. The unit of sample rate is "samples per second". This is often expressed in kiloHertz (kHz). For example, "CD quality" sound has a sample rate of 44 kHz.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sample+rate

The sample rate is the number of times the analogue rate is measured by second.

6