The document is a glossary created by Joshua Gillespie for a games design course. It contains definitions of various audio and sound design terms. Joshua researched definitions online and provided the URL sources. He also described how each term relates to his own production work creating sounds for a game. The glossary covers areas like foley artistry, sound file formats, audio limitations, recording systems, MIDI, sampling and more.

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: Joshua Gillespie 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 A Foley Artist 'recreates' sound effects for film, television and radio productions on a
Foley Stage in a Post Production Studio.
http://www.marblehead.net/foley/whatisitman.html
I used foley artistry when
creating sound effects for my
game. I went out and recorded
sounds and then used effects to
manipulate them.
Sound Libraries A sound library is a collection of digital sound recordings, known as samples, for use by
composers, arrangers, performers, and producers of music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sample_library
I created a sound library when I
recorded the sounds that I was
going to use for my game.
SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed Uncompressed audio formats (often referred to as PCM formats) are just as the name
suggests — formats that use no compression. This means all the data is available, at the
risk of large file sizes. A WAV audio file is an example of an uncompressed audio file.
http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/digital_audio_formats.asp
When I was recording my
sounds the original file type was
uncompressed.
.wav Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or more commonly known as WAV due to its
filename, It is an application of the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) bitstream
format method for storing data in "chunks"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAV
I used this file type when using
reaper, when creating my
sounds this is what they were
saved as.
.aiff Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing
sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Interchange_File_Format
Although I have not worked
with this, this file type can be
saved using reaper.
.au The Au file format is a simple audio file format introduced by Sun Microsystems. The
format was common on NeXT systems and on early Web pages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_file_format
Although I have not worked
with this, this file type can be
saved using reaper.
.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
Although I have not worked
with this, this file type can be
saved using reaper.

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
2
Studio.
http://www.ehow.com/info_12198596_file-smp.html#ixzz2zd1ePVxY
Lossy Compression In information technology, "lossy" compression is a data encoding method that
compresses data by discarding (losing) some of it. 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
I save the file as a smaller type, I
could use lossy compression but
I would lose some of the audio.
.mp3 MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, 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
This is also one of the file types
that I have used, I could save
some of my work using this file
type on reaper.
AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit
(SPU)
One of the limitations of consumer soundcards is their comparatively large sampling
latency; this is the time it takes for the AD Converter to complete conversion of a sound
sample and transfer it to the computer's main memory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_card
I have not used this within my
work but I could see how it
could be useful in taking less
time to render some of my
work.
Digital Sound Processor
(DSP)
Digital signal processing (DSP) is the mathematical manipulation of an information signal
to modify or improve it in some way. It is characterized by the representation of discrete
time, discrete frequency, or other discrete domain signals by a sequence of numbers or
symbols and the processing of these signals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_signal_processing
I have not used this software
but I could use it to put better
quality into my work
Random Access Memory
(RAM)
A random-access 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
I used RAM when creating my
sounds to help render them.
Mono Audio Early sound system used a single channel of audio for sound output. In monophonic
sound systems, the signal sent to the sound system encodes one single stream of sound
and it usually uses just one speaker. Monophonic sound is the most basic format of
sound output.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/monophonic_sound.html
I recorded some of my sounds
using mono audio.
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
I rendered all of my work
through Stereo audio to have
better quality.
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
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound
Surround sound could be used
to enrich my work by playing it
through multiple 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
I used direct audio when saving
my work and uploading 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
telephony and other digital audio applications.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-code_modulation
soundcloud.
AUDIO RECORDING
SYSTEMS
Analogue Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which among
many possibilities include audio frequency, analog audio and analog video information
for later playback.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogue_audio
When I went out recording
sounds this is how they were
saved.
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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc
I have not used a digital mini
disc, but I do not see how it
could be useful.
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
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc
I could use CD to save my work
onto so I could play it through a
CD player.
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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Tape
I have not used a digital audio
tape, but I do not see how it
could be useful.
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
I used MIDI to create some of
the sounds in my library; the
use of a keyboard on screen is
very useful.
Software Sequencers a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling
note and performance information in several forms, typically MIDI or CV/Gate, and
possibly audio and automation data for DAWs and plug-ins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_sequencer
I could use one of these to play
my sounds and edit them.
Software Plug-ins A plug-in (or plugin, extension, or add-on / addon) is a software component that adds a
specific feature to an existing software application.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_(computing)
I have used software plugins to
add effects onto my sounds to
make them sound more realistic
and have a better quality.
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
I have not used the MIDI
keyboard instrument much, I
have only used it to create a
fantasy sound.
AUDIO SAMPLING File Size Constraints - Bit-
depth
In digital audio using pulse-code modulation (PCM), 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
Most of my sound has been at a
depth of 16, and because of this
most devices are compatible.
File Size Constraints -
Sample Rate
The sample rate is the number of samples of a sound that are taken per second to
represent the event digitally.
A lower sample rate relating to
my work would not allow as

4. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
4
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/sample-rate many sounds to be played at
the same time.