The document provides definitions and explanations of terms related to sound design and production for computer games. It contains a glossary with 15 terms and their definitions sourced from online references. For each term, the author also provides a short description of how the term relates to their own production practice. The glossary covers areas such as sound file formats, audio recording systems, MIDI, software tools, and more. The purpose is to research and explain industry-specific terminology for a course assignment on sound for computer games.

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: Kieran Owens 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 Foleyeffects are soundeffects addedto the film during post production (after the shooting stops). They
include sounds suchas footsteps, clothes rustling, crockeryclinking, paper folding, doors opening and
slamming, punches hitting, glass breaking, etc. etc. Inother words, manyof the sounds that the sound
recordists on set didtheir best to avoidrecording during the shoot.
http://www.sound-ideas.com/what-is-foley.html
Foleyartistryis a soundeffect
that theymostlyusedinfilms
and theyusedequipment to
make noisesto do the effect in
the film.
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
A sound libraryis a collectionof
sounds whichhas beenput
together and stored in a file
SOUND FILE
FORMATS
Uncompressed Uncompressing (or decompressing) is the act of expandinga compressionfile back intoits original form.
Software that you downloadfrom the Internet oftencomesina compressed package that can
uncompressitself whenyou click onit. You canalso uncompressedfiles usingpopular tools such as
PKZIPin the DOS operating system, WinZipin Windows, andMacZip inMacintosh.
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/uncompressing-or-decompressing
Uncompressedis where an
audiocapture device or
software to compress the data.
.wav The format for storing sound in files developedjointlybyMicrosoft and IBM. Support for WAV files was
built intoWindows 95 making it the de facto standard for soundon PCs. WAV sound filesend with
a.wavextensionandcanbe playedbynearlyall Windows applications that support sound.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/WAV.html
Stores soundandyou could use
this for soundeffects or make
sounds ofyour ownthis would
be helpful ifyou were making
an advertisement andadd
soundeffects.
.aiff Short for Audio Interchange File Format, a commonformat for storing andtransmitting sampled sound.
The format was developedby Apple Computer and is the standard audioformat for Macintosh
You coulduse this for storing
soundin a file andtransmitting

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
2
computers. It is also used bySilicoGraphics Incorporated (SGI).
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AIFF.html
into a sampledsound.
.au Short for audio, a common format for soundfiles on UNIXmachines. It is also the standard audio file
format for the Java programming language. AU files generallyend withan .au extension On PCs, two
other popular soundformats are WAV andMIDI.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AU.html
Au is files generallyuse on pc
for other soundformats and
you use wavor midi to get
different types of sound.
.smp Short for Symmetric Multiprocessing, a computer architecture that provides fast performance by
making multiple CPUs available to complete individualprocesses simultaneously(multiprocessing).
Unlike asymmetrical processing, anyidle processor canbe assignedanytask, and additional CPUs can
be added to improve performance andhandle increasedloads. A varietyof specializedoperating
systems andhardware arrangements are available to support SMP. Specific applications can benefit
from SMPif the code allows multithreading.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SMP.html
SMP symmetric multiprocessing
is the processingof programs by
multiple processor that share a
common operating
systemandmemory.
Lossy
Compression
Refers to data compression techniques in which some amount of data is lost. Lossycompression
technologies attempt to eliminate redundant or unnecessaryinformation. Most videocompression
technologies, suchas MPEG, use a Lossytechnique.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/lossy_compression.html
A lossycompression is when
you get rid of the pixels and
make it look better.
.mp3 The name of the file extensionandalso the name of the type of file for MPEG, audiolayer 3. Layer 3 is
one of three coding schemes (layer 1, layer 2 and layer 3) for the compression ofaudio signals. Layer 3
uses perceptual audiocodingandpsychoacoustic compressionto remove all superfluous information
(more specifically, the redundant and irrelevant parts of a soundsignal. The stuff the humanear doesn't
hear anyway). It alsoadds a MDCT (ModifiedDiscrete Cosine Transform)that implements a filter bank,
increasingthe frequencyresolution 18 timeshigher thanthat of layer 2.
The result in real terms is layer 3 shrinks the original sounddata from a CD (witha bit rate of 1411.2
kilobits per one secondof stereo music)bya factor of 12 (down to 112-128kbps) without sacrificing
soundquality.
Because MP3 files are small, theycaneasilybe transferredacross
The Internet.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/MP3.html
An mp3 is a file with sounds in
that can be personalised to your
own needs.
AUDIO Sound Processor For those whowant the most out their car audiosystem, a qualitysoundprocessor is a must. After Is a systemwhere its sounds

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
3
LIMITATIONS Unit (SPU) some slight adjustments, your systems will sound like it hasbeen professionallytunedandoptimized.
Tune your system to perfectionwiththese crossovers, equalizers, and bass drivers.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i20_sound-processors.html
like the music or soundhas
been adjusted to fit your
persons liking
Digital Sound
Processor (DSP)
The DolbyDigital Cinema SoundProcessor CP750 provideseasy-to-operate audiocontrol indigital
cinema environments. It supports innovative DolbySurround7.1 premium surroundsound and
integratesseamlesslywith existing technologies.
http://www.dolby.com/us/en/professional/cinema/products/cp750.html
A digital soundprocesser is a
helpto make a loud sound,
soundclear andgood.
Random Access
Memory (RAM)
RAM(pronounced ram) is anacronym for random access memory, a type of computer memorythat can
be accessed randomly;that is, andanybyte of memorycanbe accessedwithout touching the preceding
bytes. RAMis the most common type of memoryfoundin computers andother devices, such
as printers.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAM.html
Ram is a memoryfor a
computer to runeasier and
cleaner
Mono Audio Mono Audio. When you're using headphones, youmaymisssome audio if you're deaf or hardof
hearing in one ear. That's becausestereorecordings usuallyhave distinct left- andright-
channelaudio tracks.
https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ios/
Mono audiois a selected
hearing tool to helppeople who
are hardof hearing.
Stereo Audio The humanear hears sounds in stereo, andthe brain uses the subtle differences in sounds entering the
left andright ears to locate sounds inthe environment. To re-create this sonic experience, stereo
recordings require two audio channels throughout the recording and playbackprocess. The
microphones must be properlypositionedto accuratelycapture a stereo image, and speakers must also
be spacedproperlyto re-create a stereoimage accurately.
If anypart of the audio reproduction pathwayeliminates one of the audiochannels, the stereo image
will most likelybe compromised. For example, if your playback system hasa CD player (two audio
channels) connectedto onlyone speaker, you will not hear the intendedstereoimage.
https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=52%26section=6%2
6tasks=true
Stereo audiois whenyou hear
soundfromeachear from
different parts ofthe room or
area .
Surround Sound Surroundsoundis a term usedto describe a type of audiooutput inwhich the soundappears
to "surround the listener" by360 degrees. Surroundsound systems use three or more channels and
speakers infront andbehind the listener to create a surroundingenvelope of sound and directional
audiosources. The term surroundsound hasbecome popular in recent years and more commonlyused
Surroundsoundis whenthe
sounds are coming froma 360
degrees around where you are.

4. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
4
since the advent of home theatre systems. Surroundsound canbe either an analogue or digital system.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/surround_sound.html
Direct Audio
(Pulse Code
Modulation –
PCM)
Pulse-densitymodulation, or PDM, is a form of modulation usedto represent
an analogsignal with digitaldata. Ina PDMsignal, specific amplitude values are not encoded intopulses
of different size as theywould be inpulse-code modulation (PCM). Instead, it is the relative densityof
the pulses that corresponds to the analog signal's amplitude. The output of a 1-bit DACis the same as
the PDMencodingof the signal. Pulse-widthmodulation (PWM) is a special case of PDMwhere the
switchingfrequencyis fixedandall the pulsescorresponding to one sample are contiguous in the digital
signal. For a 50% voltage with a resolutionof 8-bits, a PWMwaveform will turnonfor 128 clock cycles
and then off for the remaining 128 cycles. WithPDMandthe same clock rate the signalwouldalternate
betweenonand off everyother cycle. The average is 50% for both waveforms, but the PDMsignal
switches more often. For 100% or 0% level, theyare the same.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-density_modulation
A direct audiois a soundhat has
been set onlyto one place, and
the soundis loudest inthat one
place.
AUDIO
RECORDING
SYSTEMS
Analogue In digital audiowe represent thiselectricalsignal as a stream ofnumbers that computers understand.
An analogue to digital (AD) converter takes a ‘sample’ of the voltage that’s present at its input and
represents that as a specific number;the higher the voltage, the higher the number.
http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/analogue-and-digital-sound-explained-587053
Analogue is anelectric signal in
a sample ofa voltage
Digital Mini Disc The Minidisc (MD)is anobsolete magneto-opticaldisc-based data storage device for 74 minutes and,
later, 80 minutes, of digitized audio or 1 gigabyte of Hi-MD data. The Sonybrandaudio players were on
the market fromSeptember 1992 until March2013.
Minidisc was announcedby Sonyin September 1992 andreleased that November for sale inJapanand
in December inEurope, Canada, the USA and other countries. The music format was originallybased
exclusivelyon ATRACaudiodata compression, but the optionof linear PCM digitalrecording was later
introduced to attainaudioqualitycomparable to that of a compact disc. Minidiscs were verypopular in
Japanbut made a limitedimpact elsewhere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc
A digital mini disc is a storage
disc which is a larger versionof
a floppydisc.
Compact Disc (CD) Known byits abbreviation, CD, a compact disc is a polycarbonate with one or more metal layers capable
of storing digitalinformation. The most prevalent types of compact discs are those usedbythe music
industryto store digital recordings and CD-ROMs used to store computer data. Both ofthese types of
compact disc are readonly, which means that once the data has beenrecordedontothem, theycan
onlybe read, or played.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/compact_disc.html
A compact Disc also knownas a
cd stores audio sounds normally
songs and can be played
through cd layers and disc
reading software.

5. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
5
Digital Audio Tape
(DAT)
Acronym for digitalaudio tape, a type of magnetic tape that uses a scheme called helical scan to
record data. A DAT cartridge is slightlylarger thana credit card in widthandheight andcontains a
magnetic tape that can holdfrom2 to 24 gigabytes of data. It cansupport data transfer ratesof about
2 MBps. Like other types of tapes, DATs are sequential-access media.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DAT.html
A digital audio tape is a
recording ofwhat audioyou
want and can be playedbackto
you through a cassette player.
MIDI Pronounced middy, an acronym for musical instrument digital interface, a standard adoptedbythe
electronic music industryfor controllingdevices, suchas synthesizers andsoundcards that emit music.
At minimum, a MIDI representationof a sound includes valuesfor the note's pitch, length, andvolume.
It can alsoinclude additional characteristics, suchas attackanddelaytime.
The MIDI standard is supportedbymost synthesizers, sosounds createdon one synthesizer can be
played and manipulatedon another synthesizer. Computers that have a MIDI interface can record
sounds created bya synthesizer andthen manipulate the data to produce newsounds. For example,
you can change the keyof a composition witha single keystroke.
A number of software programs are available for composing and editingmusic that conforms to the
MIDI standard. Theyoffer a varietyof functions:for instance, when you playa tune on a keyboard
connectedto a computer, a music program can translate what you playintoa writtenscore.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/MIDI.html
A MIDI is a wire usedto connect
musical equipment together for
inter use.
Software
Sequencers
A music sequencer (or simplysequencer) is a device or application software that canrecord, edit, or
playback music, byhandling note andperformance informationinseveralforms, typicallyMIDI or
CV/Gate, andpossiblyaudioandautomationdata for DAWs andplug-ins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_sequencer
A software sequencer is a
systemthat records audioand
can be playedback and it
handles note performance.
Software Plug-ins In computing, a plug-in(or add-in/ addin, plugin, extensionor add-on/ add-on)is
a software component that adds a specific feature to anexisting software application. Whenan
applicationsupports plug-ins, it enables customization.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_%28computing%29
A software plugin is software
that allows customizationto the
application.
MIDI Keyboard
Instruments
A MusicalInstrument Digital Interface (MIDI) keyboardis a musicalinstrument like a piano keyboard.
The MIDI portion indicates that the instrument has a communicationprotocol built inthat allows it to
communicate witha computer or other MIDI-equippedinstrument.
The MIDI interface is now so easyto implement that almost all keyboards soldtodayare some type of
MIDI keyboard. This ranges froma simple 100 US dollar (USD) MIDI keyboard sold at the local
department store to a 30,000 USD grandpianowith a built-incontroller. Everytype canconnect to any
other type of musical instrument that sports a MIDI interface. The 30,000 USD instrument willsound
A MIDI keyboard instrument is a
instrument that inputs signal
through MIDI to showwhat key
hat has beenpressed.

6. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
6
much better than the 100 USD instrument, but both can be controlledbythe computer or other
instrument inthe same way.
It is alsopossible to purchase a MIDI keyboard withnosoundcapabilities at all. This device requires
the musician to have some other MIDI device that is capable ofunderstanding the MIDI messages and
generating the correct sounds. This other instrument maybe a computer or a dedicated soundbox with
a number of different instruments programmed into it. This approachallows one companyto
concentrate onmaking the keyboardandanother to specialize inrecreating instruments electronically.
It alsoallows the musicianto upgrade the instrument without losingthe familiarityof the keyboard.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-midi-keyboard.htm
AUDIO SAMPLING File Size
Constraints - Bit-
depth
In digital audio using pulse-code modulation (PCM), bit depthis the number of bits of informationin
each sample, andit directlycorresponds to the resolution of each sample. Examplesof bit depth
include Compact Disc Digital Audio, whichuses 16 bits per sample, and DVD-Audio and Blu-ray
Disc which can support up to 24 bits per sample.
In basic implementations, variations inbit depthprimarilyaffect the noiselevel from quantization error
thus the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)anddynamic range. However, techniques suchas dithering, noise
shaping andoversamplingmitigate these effects without changing the bit depth. Bit depth also
affects bit rate andfile size.
Bit depthis onlymeaningful inreference to a PCM digital signal. Non-PCMformats, suchas lossy
compression formats like MP3, AACand Vorbis, donot have associatedbit depths. For example, inMP3,
quantizationis performed onPCMsamples that have beentransformedintothe frequencydomain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_bit_depth
A file size constraints-bit depth
is bits withina file inaudio cd,
DVDs andcompact disc.
File Size
Constraints -
Sample Rate
In signal processing, samplingis the reductionof a continuous signalto a discrete signal. A common
example is the conversionof a sound wave (a continuous signal) to a sequence ofsamples (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 operationthat extracts samples froma continuous signal.
A theoretical ideal sampler produces samplesequivalent to the instantaneous value ofthe continuous
signal at the desiredpoints.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_%28signal_processing%29
A file size constraint –sample
rate is values oftime. And
extracts samplesfrom
continues signals