1. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
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: 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 The reproduction of everyday sound effects which are added in
post-production to enhance the quality of the audio.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_artist
Sound Libraries A collection of sounds stored on a disc or on a computer.
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sound-
library
I have created my own sample library
using Reaper.
SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed A file that has not been compressed into a smaller file. I do not compress any of my work
.wav Waveform audio file format.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wav
I use this file format for all of my sounds
.aiff Audio Interchange File Format is an audio file format standard
used for storing sound data for personal computers and other
electronic audio devices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.aiff
I could possibly use this file format If I
wanted to
.au Short for audio, a common format for sound files on UNIX
machines.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AU.html
I create audio files
.smp Involves a symmetric multiprocessor system hardware and
software architecture where two or more identical processors
connect to a single, shared main memory, have full access to all
I/O devices, and are controlled by a single operating system
instance that treats all processors equally, reserving none for
special purposes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetric_multiprocessing
Lossy Compression In information technology, "lossy" compression is a data
encoding method that compresses data by discarding some of it.

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
2
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
.mp3 The name of the file extension and also the name of the type of
file for MPEG, audio layer 3. Layer 3 is one of three coding
schemes (layer 1, layer 2 and layer 3) for the compression of
audio signals.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/MP3.html
AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit (SPU) An internal computer expansion card that facilitates the input
and output of audio to and from a computer under control of
computer programs.
Digital Sound Processor (DSP) A digital sound processor is a specialized microprocessor with an
architecture optimized for the operational needs of digital signal
processing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_signal_processor
Random Access Memory (RAM) 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 A single channel of audio for sound output.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/monophonic_sound.html
Stereo Audio A method of sound reproduction that creates an illusion of
directionality and audible perspective
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereo_audio
Surround Sound A technique for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an
audio source with additional audio channels from speakers that
surround the listener (surround channels), providing sound from
a 360° radius in the horizontal plane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound
Direct Audio (Pulse Code
Modulation – PCM)
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 A technique used for the recording of analog signals which
among many possibilities include audio frequency, analog audio

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
3
and analog video information for later playback.
Digital Mini Disc The Minidisc (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
Compact Disc (CD) Compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format.
The format was originally developed to store and play back
sound recordings only (CD-DA), but was later adapted for
storage of data (CD-ROM).
Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Digital Audio Tape (DAT or R-DAT) is a signal recording and
playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical 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
Software Sequencers
Software Plug-ins 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
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.
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.
AUDIO SAMPLING File Size Constraints - Bit-depth Bit depth (sometimes called also resolution) affects file size. All
other things being equal, a 32 bit file is twice the size of a 16 bit
file, and an 8 bit file half the size of a 16 bit one.
File Size Constraints - Sample
Rate
The sampling frequency or sampling rate, fs, is defined as the
number of samples obtained in one second (samples per
second)