This document provides definitions for various terms related to sound design and production. It includes a glossary with definitions for terms like foley artistry, sound libraries, uncompressed audio file formats like .wav and .aiff, compressed formats like .mp3, components like sound processor units and digital signal processors, audio formats like mono, stereo and surround sound, recording methods like analog and digital, and storage systems like compact discs. For each term, the student provided an internet definition and link and described how the term relates to their own production practice, such as using sound libraries to store sound files and .mp3 to save songs on their computer.

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: Dylan Jones 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, video, and
other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. These reproduced sounds
can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and
breaking glass. The best foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes
unnoticed by the audience. It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene.
Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and
uncomfortable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)
A Foley Artistry is a sound effect
that is used in the media
franchise like films and videos to
make sounds that fit in the
background. I have used this
method to the
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. The sound files are
loaded into a sampler - either hardware or computer-based - which is then used to
create music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sample_library
I used the Sound Library to store
the entire sound file in so I can
have easy accesses to them.
SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed Uncompressed audio files are the most accurate digital representation of a
soundwave, but can also be the most resource-intensive method of recording and
storing digital audio, both in terms of storage and management. Their accuracy
makes them suitable for archiving and delivering audio at high resolution, and
working with audio at a professional level, and they are the 'master' audio format of
choice.
http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/guide/uncompressed-audio-file-formats
An Uncompressed audio file is
.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 bitstream on PCs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAV
I have used a .WAV file for sound
files so I could upload them to
blogger.
.aiff AIFF is short for Audio Interchange File Format, which is an audio format initially An .AIFF file is a sound file which

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
2
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.
This format is quite popular upon Apple platforms, and is commonly adopted in
professional programs that handle digital audio waveforms.
http://www.abyssmedia.com/formats/aiff-format.shtml
is made by any apple computer.
.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. Originally it was
headerless, being simply 8-bit µ-law-encoded data at an 8000 Hz sample rate.
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Au_file_format.html
An .AU sound file is used as an
easy going sound file that will be
8-bit.
.smp The file extension ".smp" shows up on several different types of files used for very
different programs including audio files, images and email messages. You can
usually figure out what type of ".smp" file you're dealing with based on the context,
such as the file name, where it's saved or what types of programs you have on your
computer that use ".smp" files.
http://www.ehow.com/info_12198596_file-smp.html
A .SMP sound file makes a few
files that can be played in
different programs. This is good if
you want to make two visions of a
sound and see which is better.
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
.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
I use the .mp3 file format to save
songs on my computer and move
them into a CD.
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, or
accept digitized audio signals (as from an audio file) and convert them to analog
signals that can be played on the computer's speakers. On a personal computer, the
sound card is usually a separate circuit board that is plugged into the motherboard.
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Audio+processing+unit
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.
http://www.analog.com/en/content/beginners_guide_to_dsp/fca.html

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
3
Random Access Memory
(RAM)
RAM (pronounced ramm) is an acronym for random access memory, 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
RAM is used then
Mono Audio Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is single-
channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or (in the case of
headphones and multiple loudspeakers) channels are fed from a common signal
path. In the case of multiple microphones the paths are mixed into a single signal
path at some stage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaural
I used the Mono Audio in lesion
when we wanted a sound from a
direct object.
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
A Stereo Audio is use to catch
audio that is being heard in
various places.
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
I use the Surround Sound when
we had to record a sound of a
crowed place.
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
AUDIO RECORDING
SYSTEMS
Analogue The basic principle of disk recording is very simple. Displacement of the microphone
diaphragm is transformed into a wiggley groove on a moving piece of vinyl. A stylus
tracing the wiggles exactly reproduces the motion of the diaphragm at the time the
recording was made. Electricity is really incidental to the process, used as a
convenient way to connect the microphone to the cutter and the pickup to the
speaker.
http://artsites.ucsc.edu/ems/Music/tech_background/TE-19/teces_19.html
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

4. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
4
2013.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc
Compact Disc (CD) Known by its abbreviation, CD, a compact disc is a polycarbonate with one or more
metal layers capable of storing digital information. The most prevalent types of
compact discs are those used by the music industry to store digital recordings and
CD-ROMs used to store computer data. Both of these types of compact disc are read-
only, which means that once the data has been recorded onto them, they can only
be read, or played.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/compact_disc.html
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. In appearance it is similar to a compact
audio cassette, using 4 mm magnetic tape enclosed in a protective shell, but is
roughly half the size at 73 mm × 54 mm × 10.5 mm. As the name suggests, the
recording is digital rather than analog.
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Digital_Audio_Tape.html
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. 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
Software Sequencers A music sequencer (or simply sequencer) is 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
Software Plug-ins In computing, a plug-in (or plugin, extension, or add-on / addon) is 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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_(computing)
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 used this to make my own sound
tracks in class. It plays like a
keyboard and changes it sound
when a different interment is
chosen.
AUDIO SAMPLING File Size Constraints - Bit- Bit depth (sometimes called also resolution) affects file size. All other things being

5. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
5
depth 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.
Bit resolution also affects CPU use. Recording in 32 bit quality, which is Audacity's
default behaviour, takes a lot more work than recording 16 bits, and a slower
computer may not be able to keep up, with the result being lost samples. If you are
recording for immediate export without editing, 32 bit recording may offer no
advantage over 16 bit recording if you only have a 16 bit sound device. Most built-in
consumer sound devices on computers (and even many cheaper sound cards) are
only 16 bit. You can change the default sample format Audacity records at to 24 bit
or 16 bit by going to the Quality tab of Preferences.
http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Bit_Depth
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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_(signal_processing)