The document is a glossary assignment for a BTEC Extended Diploma in Games Design course. It contains definitions and explanations of various audio and sound design terms. The student was asked to research definitions of key terms and explain their relevance to their own sound production work. Definitions include terms like Foley artistry, sound libraries, audio file formats like .wav and .mp3, audio limitations such as sound processor units and digital sound processors, audio recording systems such as analog, digital mini discs and compact discs, and software sequencers. For each term, the student provided a short definition from an online source and explained how the concept relates to their own sound production practice.

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: Harry Johnson 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 and games”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)
During my production I have
used Foley Artistry whilst
creating my own sound effects
and to manipulate the way they
sounded to ensure I had the
sound I was trying to get and to
try make it fit into my theme I.E
game genres.
Sound Libraries “A sample 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 have used sound libraries to list
the sound I have made this is a
good way to list my sounds and
to find the ones I am looking for
if needs be for a sample off
some sort.
SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed “Captured video that has not been altered by the capture device or software to
compress the data. Uncompressed video streams take up a lot of disk space and more
transmission bandwidth but it provides the best quality”
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/U/uncompressed_video.html
I have used uncompressed
sounds to get the best possible
sound quality for all of my
sounds during my production off
sounds.
.wav “Waveform Audio File Format is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for
storing an audio bit stream on PCs. It is an application of the Resource Interchange File
Format (RIFF) bit stream format method for storing data in "chunks", and thus is also
close to the 8SVX and the AIFF format used on Amiga and Macintosh computers,
respectively”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAV
I have used wav sound files by
saving my finished sounds with
wav this has made it possible for
me to upload my sounds too
sound cloud to then put onto my
blog posts.

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
2
.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
I Have used this at home on my
own computer to store my songs
and other pieces of audio this is
also useful for when I need a bit
of extra space to put something
in or just to have a space for me
to put the data just in case of
anything needs to be backed up.
.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
I have had experience with this
even though it isn’t relevant to
my work it is a useful piece of
software and it is very good at
what it does.
.smp “Music file used by Smart Music, a music practice application for band, orchestra, and
voice; saves an accompaniment that can be used for practicing solos and other musical
parts; includes the sheet music information and can be used for assessment; replaced
by the .SMPX in Finale 2014”
http://www.fileinfo.com/extension/smp
This is basically for the use of
musical practice it is useful and
can help to improve your music
in what I have seen of people
using it. It is also good for
assessments and other things
like that.
Lossy Compression "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
During my production work I
have used lossy compression to
compress my sounds to make it
able for me to make more sound
with less space this makes it
easier for me during my
production.
.mp3 A means of compressing a sound sequence into a very small file, to enable digital
storage and transmission.
I have used this allot whilst
putting songs onto my phone or
IPod this is useful because it
allows me to add more sounds
because they are all compressed
using the mp3 this is useful and
affective.
AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit
(SPU)
SPU or otherwise known as a sound processor unit is a piece of technology is used to
process sound and to make it basically presentable for audio use.
I have used SPUs to make my
work presentable the reason
being is because it just allot
easier too present my work this

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
3
way.
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_DSP
I have had experience with this
software and I have found it to
be affective and useful during
certain tasks and it has also
helped me to get some pretty
good finished products of my
sounds.
Random Access Memory
(RAM)
This is the instant memory the computer uses to run the applications that are open.
the more RAM the computer has, the more things it can do at any one time. It is the
combination of the RAM and processor that dictates the speed of the computer.
http://www.vicoms.co.uk/page4.htm
I have used a RAM during my
work because it is used to
process my work to make it to
be presentable during my
production.
Mono Audio A single track of audio.
http://www.allynn.org/fcp/node/33
I have used this because I have
started with a single audio track
and turned it into a number of
sound recordings.
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/Stereo_audio
I have used this to make my
sounds and to change the ways
my sounds sounded to ensure
that I could get the sound that I
wanted to get.
Surround Sound A system of stereophony involving three or more speakers surrounding the listener so
as to give a more realistic effect.
I have used this to hear my
sounds and to make sure they
sound the way I want them to.
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. 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
Although I haven’t had
experience with this I do know a
bit about it and from what I have
seen it is good for compact
digital audio in discs, computers
and digital telephony so from
what I’ve seen it is a pretty good
thing to have.
AUDIO RECORDING
SYSTEMS
Analogue relating to or using signals or information represented by a continuously variable
physical quantity such as spatial position, voltage, etc.
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. The
Sony brand audio players were on the market from September 1992 until March 2013.
The mini disc is a useful gadget
and from what I’ve experience
and seen it can hold plenty of

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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc data and it is also capable of
keeping up with most things and
it is also good for holding vast
amounts of data on one disc.
Compact Disc (CD) A digitally encoded disc capable of containing more than one hour of music at a
sampling frequency of 44.1 khz. The data is read by a laser beam. (Sound)
http://www.filmland.com/glossary/Dictionary.html
From experience the disc is good
for holding a maximum of one
hour of music or audio although
it may seem low it is a good
amount and can be useful for
holding songs you may want to
listen to.
Digital Audio Tape (DAT) A storage medium that combines some of the characteristics of magnetic tape and
compact disc. Digital audio tape couples high storage capacities with improved speed
and reliability.
http://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/wps/media/objects/2459/2518409/glossary/glossary.html
This is a good piece of
equipment because it can hold a
vast amount of data and it is
guaranteed to hold most things
so it is basically just a big hard
drive for more data holding.
MIDI A widely used standard for interconnecting electronic musical instruments and
computers.
I have used HDMI threw out my
work to ensure I could get the
best quality sound productions I
could get.
Software Sequencers (Software Sequencer) 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 ...
http://www.wannaplaymusic.com/get-started/keyboard-terminology
This is a useful piece of software
from experience it has helped
me by showing extra data and
other things which are useful it
also shows your data use and
other good things like that.
Software Plug-ins Software that is installed into an existing application in order to enhance its capability.
For example, plug-ins are widely used in image editing programs such as Photoshop to
add some special effect. Plug-ins are added to Web browsers to enable them to
support different types of content (audio, video, etc.). The term is widely used for
software, but can also refer to a plug-in module for hardware.
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/49395/plug-in
I have used this threw things like
my ear phones and a mic this
has made it able for me to
create and too listen to my
sounds.
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.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-midi-keyboard.htm
I have used this threw the HDMI
to ensure my sounds could be as
good as they can be for my
sound production.

5. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
5
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. Examples of bit depth include Compact Disc Digital Audio, which uses 16 bits
per sample, and DVD-Audio and Blu-ray Disc which can support up to 24 bits per
sample.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_bit_depth
I have had experience with this
when I have put songs onto a
disc and it has come up on my
computer the amount of bits for
example 24 bits per sample on a
disc.
File Size Constraints -
Sample Rate
n 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. Examples of bit depth include Compact Disc Digital Audio, which uses 16 bits
per sample, and DVD-Audio and Blu-ray Disc which can support up to 24 bits per
sample.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_bit_depth
I have had some experience with
this when I have put songs onto
a disc and it has come up on my
computer the amount of bits for
example 16 bits per sample on a
disc.