This document is a glossary assignment for a games design course requiring research and definitions of sound design and production terms. It includes over 20 terms defined with URLs citing their sources. For some terms, the student provides additional details on how the term relates to their own production practice, such as using compression to reduce file sizes or recording foley sounds.

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 Foley: "A sound effects technique for synchronous effects or live effects"
Foley Artistry is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film,
video, and other mediums in post-production to enhance audio
quality.http://filmsound.org/foley/
Used recording equipment to
record my own foley sounds
which I then manipulated and
edited to create a soundtrack.
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
N/A
SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed Compressed files take up less storage space and can be transferred to other computers
more quickly than uncompressed files. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-
gb/windows/compress-uncompress-files-zip-files#1TC=windows-7
When saving an audio file I
have the option to compress
and make the size of the file
smaller. However this affects
the sound quality on a sound
file.
.wav A file with the WAV file extension is a Waveform Audio file.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fileextensions/f/wav-file.htm
When rendered out using
Reaper, the files by default
come out as a .wav file. This
can be played with most pc
audio/video softwares.
.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
N/A
.au The Au file format is a simple audio file format introduced bySun Microsystems. The
format was common on NeXTsystems and on early Web pages. Originally it was
headerless, being simply 8-bit µ-law-encoded data at an 8000 Hz sample
N/A

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
2
rate.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_file_format
.smp SMP files are GIS Files primarily associated with Reason NN19 Sampler Instrument Patch
(Propellerhead Software).
Additional types of files may also be using the SMP file extension. If you are aware of any
other file formats using the SMP file extension, please contact us so that we can update our
information accordingly.
http://www.solvusoft.com/en/file-extensions/file-extension-smp/
N/A
Lossy Compression Refers to data compression techniques in which some amount of data is lost. Lossy
compression technologies attempt to eliminate redundant or unnecessary information. Most
video compression technologies, such as MPEG, use a lossy technique.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/lossy_compression.html
N/A
.mp3 MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III,[4] more commonly referred to as MP3, is an encoding
format for digital audio which uses a form of lossy data compression. It is a common audio
format for consumer audio streaming or storage, as well as a de facto standard of digital
audio compression for the transfer and playback of music on most digital audio players.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3
I had an option to tweak my
output format and make it
.mp3. However for my work I
could only use .wav files.
AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit
(SPU)
The SPU is the unit responsible for all aural capabilities of the psx. It
handles 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
N/A
Digital Sound Processor
(DSP)
Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) take real-world signals like voice, audio, video,
temperature, pressure, or position that have been digitized and then mathematically
manipulate them. A DSP is designed for performing mathematical functions like
"add", "subtract", "multiply" and "divide" very quickly.
Signals need to be processed so that the information that they contain can be
displayed, analyzed, or converted to another type of signal that may be of use. In the
real-world, analog products detect signals such as sound, light, temperature or
pressure and manipulate them. Converters such as an Analog-to-Digital converter
then take the real-world signal and turn it into the digital format of 1's and 0's. From
here, the DSP takes over by capturing the digitized information and processing it. It
then feeds the digitized information back for use in the real world. It does this in one
of two ways, either digitally or in an analog format by going through a Digital-to-
Analog converter. All of this occurs at very high speeds.
http://www.analog.com/en/content/beginners_guide_to_dsp/fca.html
N/A
Random Access Memory Random-access memory (RAM /ræm/) is a form of computer data storage. A random-access The ram was used to

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
3
(RAM) memory device allows data items to be read and written in roughly the same amount of time
regardless of the order in which data items are accessed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random-access_memory
keephold of the information
being created using the
software Reaper. This
information was my work. It is
saved only temporarily on the
ram until saved as a project
onto the hard drive.
Mono Audio Mono Audio is a setting on iPhone that merge the sound on both left and right channels to a
mono signal and it enhances audio quality so that you can listen to both channels in either
ear.
http://www.ask.com/answers/16932211/what-is-mono-audio-on-iphone-3gs
On some of my soundtracks, I
used this feature (pan option)
to create odd feeling sounds
that go right to left and so on
in the headphones.
Stereo Audio Stereophonic sound or, more commonly, stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that
creates an illusion of directionality and audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using
two or more independent audio channels through a configuration of two or more
loudspeakers (or stereo headphones) in such a way as to create the impression of sound
heard from various directions, as in natural hearing.[
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonic_sound
N/A
Surround Sound Surround sound is 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 (2D) as opposed to
"screen channels" (centre, [front] left, and [front] right) originating only from the listener's
forward arc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound
N/A
Direct Audio (Pulse Code
Modulation – PCM)
Direct Audio: Direct connections almost always provide a distortion-free, clear listening
experience not limited by interference issues that telecoil accessories may sometimes
encounter.
http://www.medel.com/us/using-ald-using-direct-audio-input/
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. In a PCM stream, the amplitude of the analog signal is
sampled regularly at uniform intervals, and each sample is quantized to the nearest value
within a range of digital steps.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-code_modulation
N/A
AUDIO RECORDING
SYSTEMS
Analogue relating to or using signals or information represented by a continuously variable physical
quantity such as spatial position, voltage, etc.
"analogue
signals"https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=cr&ei=ZNKlUoq9M4H_ygPao4DYDQ#q=analogue
N/A
Digital Mini Disc The MiniDisc (MD) is an obsolete magneto-optical disc-based data storage device for 74 N/A

4. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
4
minutes and, later, 80 minutes, of digitized audio or 1 gigabyte of Hi-MD data. The Sony
brand audio players were on the market from September 1992 until March 2013.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc
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. Tape cartridges and
CDs generally replaced the phonograph record for playing back music. At home, CDs have
tended to replace the tape cartridge although the latter is still widely used in cars and
portable playback devices.http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/compact-disc
N/A
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
N/A
MIDI MIDI (/ˈmɪdi/; short for 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.[1] A single MIDI link can carry up to sixteen channels of information, each of
which can be routed to a separate device.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI
The software I used has many
Midi items available to use. I
used these to either alter the
already recorded sounds I had
or use a digital instrument to
create sound sequences and
alter them. This was all done
using Midi items.
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 ...http://www.wannaplaymusic.com/get-started/keyboard-
terminology
N/A
Software Plug-ins A plugin (pronounced "plug in") is software that adds capabilities to your existing financial
software. Moneydance is an example of personal finance software that works with plugins.
http://financialsoft.about.com/od/glossaryindexp/f/What-Is-A-Plugin.htm
The software Reaper allows
for it to be used with a lot of
plugins. I had to relocate and
rescan the pulgins I wanted to
use to use for my work.
MIDI Keyboard
Instruments
Short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, MIDI is a standard for digitally representing
and transmitting sounds that was first developed in the 1980s. The MIDI sound is played back
through the hardware device or computer either through a synthesized audio sound or a
waveform stored on the hardware device or computer.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
The software I used has many
Midi items available to use. I
used these to either alter the
already recorded sounds I had
or use a digital instrument to
create sound sequences and
alter them. This was all done

5. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
5
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/m/midi.htm using Midi items.
AUDIO SAMPLING File Size Constraints -
Bit-depth
The quantity which estimates quality of a signal quantization, for example:
Color depth in digital graphics and video
Audio bit depth in digital audio
File Size Constraints -
Sample Rate
In signal processing, sampling 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 (a discrete-time signal).
A sample refers to a value or set of values at a point in time and/or space.
A sampler is a subsystem or operation that extracts samples from a continuous signal.
A theoretical ideal sampler produces samples equivalent to the instantaneous value of the
continuous signal at the desired points.