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 Williams

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 “Artist: a person who recreates non-computerized sound effects for film,television and radio”http://www.folger.edu/documents/foleynew.pdf

Foley Artistry is relevant to my own practise from me creating sounds form the MIDI keyboard.

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

The sounds libraries are relevant to my own production practise by gather all of my sound into one place for me to use at any given time.

SOUND FILE FORMATS

Uncompressed “restore to its uncompressed form; decompress data"http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/uncompress

Uncompressed files were used in my work from me no compressing them to be smaller when uploading to sound cloud.

.wav “Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or more commonly known as WAV due to its filename extension)(rarely, Audio for Windows) is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bit stream on PCs”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wav

WAV files were used in my work with the sounds used in the editing programme and become the final renders of my work into .Wav files. To be heard and be used in many different things we can do with them.

.aiff “Audio Interchange File Format." AIFF is a file format designed to store audio data”http://www.techterms.com/definition/aiff

.au “The Au file format is a simple audio file format introduced by Sun Microsystems. The format

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

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”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_file_format

.smp “Symmetric Multiprocessing, a computer architecture that provides fast performance by making multiple CPUs available to complete individual processes simultaneously (multiprocessing)”http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SMP.html

Lossy Compression

“Lossy compression is typically associated with image files, such as JPEGs, but can also be used for audio files, like MP3s or AAC files”http://www.techterms.com/definition/lossy

.mp3 “MP3, is an encoding format for digital audio which uses a form of lossy data compression”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3

MP3 was used in my work when the files are rendered out into the MP3 format just like the .WAV files.

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 analog sound (as from a microphone or audio tape) and convert it to digital data that can be stored in an audio file”http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Audio+processing+unit

The SPU (Sound Processor Unit) was used in my work to hear all of the sounds I created in my reaper projects and heard after being rendered out.

Digital Sound Processor (DSP)

“digital signal processing, which refers to manipulatinganalog information, such as sound or photographs that has been converted into a digital form”http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DSP.html

Random Access Memory (RAM)

“RAM (pronounced ramm) is an acronym for random access memory, a type

RAM was used in my work to help making the computer be fast enough to support the reaper package files.

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

of computer memory that can be accessed randomly”http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAM.html

Mono Audio “mono sound, mono, or non-stereo sound, this early sound system used a single channel of audio for sound output”http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/monophonic_sound.html

Mono Audio used in my work to be able to hear all sound outputs coming from my work to headphones or speakers.

Stereo Audio “Stereophonic sound or, more commonly, stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that creates an illusion of directionality and audible perspective”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonic_sound

Stereo Audio used in my work to be able to hear all sound outputs coming from my work to headphones or speakers.

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/?gfe_rd=ctrl&ei=ZNI6U7e9N8ik0AWp4YGgAw&gws_rd=cr#q=surround+sound+definition&spell=1

Surround Sound used in my work to be able to hear all sound outputs coming from my work to headphones or speakers.

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.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-code_modulation

AUDIO RECORDING SYSTEMS

Analogue The analogue device reads data from a record as a continuous signal. The opposite of analogue is digital, these are the devices that read information in ones and zeros.http://uk.ask.com/question/what-does-analogue-mean

Digital Mini Disc

The MiniDisc (MD) is an obsolete magneto-optical disc-based data storage device for 74 minutes and,

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

later, 80 minutes, of digitized audio or 1 gigabyte of Hi-MD data.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc

Compact Disc (CD)

CD, a compact disc is a polycarbonate with one or more metal layers capable of storing digital information.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/compact_disc.html

Digital Audio Tape (DAT)

Digital Audio Tape is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987.https://www.google.co.uk/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=RPVLU-vtIsbR8gfHg4GADw#q=digital+audio+tape+meaning

MIDI Midi Musical Instrument Digital Interface is a technical standard that describes a protocol, digital interface and connectors and allows a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers and other related devices to connect and communicate with one another.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI

MIDI was used in my work when I used the MIDI keyboard for making my own sounds from scratch and then add effects to them to make the sounds change from when they started.

Software Sequencers

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

Software Plug-ins is a software component that adds a specific feature to an existing software application.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_(computing)

Software Plug-ins were used in my work with work when changing my original sounds to the new sounds with the different VST plugins to change the sounds by Pitch,Volume,Sound and many more included in the plug-ins.

MIDI Keyboard A MIDI keyboard is typically a piano-style user MIDI keyboard instrument was used in my work to make

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

Instruments 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

sounds in reaper using the MIDI keyboard by using it like a normal keyboard for making sounds.

AUDIO SAMPLING

File Size Constraints - Bit-depth

Bit depth is the number of bits of information in each sample, and it directly corresponds to the resolution of each sample.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_bit_depth

Bit depth was used in my sound creations by rendering out the final renders with 16-bit PCM as the default setting for the bit-depth.

File Size Constraints - Sample Rate

Sample Rate is the reduction of a continuous signal to a discrete signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave (a continuous signal) to a sequence of samples.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_(signal_processing)

Sample rate was used also in the rendering the files into .WAV files at a default standard rate speed 44100 Hz.

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