Jordan Smith has produced a glossary of terms related to sound design and production for computer games. The glossary contains definitions for terms such as Foley artistry, sound libraries, audio file formats like .wav and .mp3, audio limitations including sound processor units and random access memory, audio recording systems like analog and digital, MIDI, software sequencers, and audio sampling concepts like bit depth and sample rate. For each term, Jordan has provided a researched definition from an online source as well as his own comments on the relevance of the term to his production practice where possible.

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: Jordan Smith 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 Foleying is an excellent means of supplying the subtle sounds that
production mikes often miss. The rustling of clothing and a squeak
of a saddle when a rider mounts his horse give a scene a touch of
realism that is difficult to provide using other effects methods. A
steamy sex scene was probably created by a Foley artist making
dispassionate love to his or her own wrist.
http://www.filmsound.org/terminology/foley.htm
Foley Artistry is important for many
forms of entertainment; it is used in
video games and movies more than
anything else, and can really
improve the tone of scenes from an
audio perspective.
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
Sound libraries are used for filing
sounds and putting them organised
in a folder.
SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed An audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on
a computer system. This data can be stored uncompressed, or
compressed to reduce the file size. It can be a raw bit stream, but it
is usually a container format or an audio data format with defined
storage layer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format
Uncompressed audio files are
important when working with
sound for the user.
.wav WAV - Stands for Waveform Audio Format. This is a high-quality audio file
type generally used for applications that require high quality, such as CDs.
WAV files are uncompressed, and therefore take up some disk space, unlike
MP3s or AACs, which are compressed.
http://ipod.about.com/od/filetypes/g/wav_definition.htm
A wav is an audio file format used in
many ways, it can be a format that
can only be used to render sounds
and import them somewhere else.
Stands for "Audio Interchange File Format." AIFF is a file format

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 designed to store audio data. It was developed by Apple Computer,
but is based on Electronic Arts' IFF (Interchange File Format), a
container format originally used on Amiga systems.
http://www.techterms.com/definition/aiff
I don’t really know much about this,
but storing sound data is important
if you don’t want to lose all your
audio.
.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 header less, being simply 8-bit
ulaw-encoded data at an 8000 Hz sample rate. Hardware from other
vendors often used sample rates as high as 8192 Hz, often integer
factors of video clock signals. Newer files have a header that
consists of six unsigned 32-bit words, an optional information chunk
and then the data.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_file_format
Audio units are key when working
with audio, and are one the first
things to look into when using
audio.
.smp
 An .smp file may be one of several different types of audio file. For
example, it could be a Sample Vision audio sample file. This 16-bit
audio file was originally used by Turtle Beach Sample Vision; you
can open it with Adobe Auction, Sound Forge Pro or awave Studio.
It could also be a sample file for AdLib Gold, a PC sound card
released in 1992; Scream Tracker, a mid-1990s music editing
program; or Swell. Reason, a music recording and production
program, uses the ".smp" extension for sampler instrument
patches.
http://www.ehow.com/info_12198596_file-smp.html
I don’t really have much experience
with this so I can’t really give a good
review of it.
Lossy Compression A compression technique that does not decompress data back to
100% of the original. Lossy methods provide high degrees of
compression and result in smaller compressed files, but there is a
certain amount of visual loss when restored.
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/46335/lossy-
compression
I can’t really explain how to use
lossy compression.
.mp3 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
Mp3 is a common term that almost
everyone in a modern society has
heard of. Mp3 players were used by
almost everyone at some time or
another, and is a digital storage and
transmission.

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
3
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
Rendering a sound file is key, as
without a rendered sound you
basically have nothing.
Digital Sound Processor (DSP)
A digital signal processor (DSP) is a specialized microprocessor with
an architecture optimized for the operational needs of digital signal
processing. The goal of DSPs is usually to measure, filter and/or
compress continuous real-world analogue signals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_signal_processor
The ds is one of the most important
things in the role of audio, it is used
to process the sound files.
Random Access Memory (RAM) Stands for "Random Access Memory," and is pronounced like the
male sheep. RAM is made up of small memory chips that form
a memory module. These modules are installed in the RAM slots on
the motherboard of your computer.
http://www.techterms.com/definition/ram
RAM is the amount of memory the
computer has.
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
The mono setting makes the audio
better and has become more
recently with iPhones.
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
Stereo audio is a sound
reproduction that I am not really
familiar with.
Surround Sound Surround sound is a term used to describe a type of audio output in
which the sound appears to "surround the listener" by 360 degrees.
Surround sound systems use three or more channels and speakers
in front and behind the listener to create a surrounding envelope of
sound and directional audio sources. The term surround sound has
become popular in recent years and more commonly used since the
advent of home theatre systems. Surround sound can be either
an analogue or digital system.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/surround_sound.html
Surround sound is used in many
homes to enhance audio coming
from things such as films/shows and
other entertainment such as games.
Direct Audio (Pulse Code
Modulation – PCM)
Directional Sound refers to the notion of using various devices to
create fields of sound which spread less than most (small) traditional
loudspeakers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directional_sound
I have used directional audio
methods to record sounds in an
assignment I completed.
AUDIO RECORDING SYSTEMS Analogue Analogue describes a device or system that represents changing I am not really familiar with

4. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
4
values as continuously variable physical quantities.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/analog.html
analogue, so I couldn’t really
describe it and its features to a
good degree.
Digital Mini Disc The Mini Disc (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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc
I have had no experience with a
digital mini disk.
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. https://www.google.co.uk/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=gaxXU47iG-
bR8geQ9IG4DQ#q=cd+compact+disc+definition
A compact disk is a good way of
storing audio as it can holds lots of
information.
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 never used (DAT OR R-DAT). I
cannot give a good example of its
benefits or weaknesses.
MIDI MIDI files contain a coded representation of the notes of musical
instruments such as middle C on the piano. Taking considerably less
space than digital audio, MIDI files require a wavetable synthesizer
on the card, which holds digitized samples of the instruments.
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Audio+processing+unit
A MIDI is an item I have used during
editing audio, it helps edit and
create audio with sounds such as
instruments and other midi audio
editing options.
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
A software sequencer is a device or
applications used to
record/edit/playback and do other
things to audio/music.
Software Plug-ins A plug-in is a (sometimes essential) piece of software code that
enables an application or program to do something it couldn’t by
itself. http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides/about-plugins
Software plugins are important for
editing software.
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
These are easy to use, and if you
use the right one for the audio
sequence you want, it can work
well, like I like to use things such as
a piano.
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,
Bity depths is information for each
example used, it shows how much
information is in the piece.

5. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
5
and DVD-Audio and Blu-ray Disc which can support up to 24 bits per
sample. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_bit_depth
File Size Constraints - Sample
Rate
Sample rate is the number of samples of audio carried per second,
measured in Hz or kHz (one kHz being 1 000 Hz). For example, 44 100
samples per second can be expressed as either 44 100 Hz, or 44.1
kHz. http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Sample_Rates
I have used this, but it is kind of
hard to explain, the paragraph to
the left should give all the
information you need.