Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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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: Adam Copeland 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 mediums 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.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)

Foley artists work in a Foley studio, a room with many props, a viewing screen and recording equipment. The artist watches the film and creates the sound in real time. In most cases several different tracks are recorded, for example:

A "move track", which includes the sounds of general movement, clothes swishing, etc, footsteps, "Specifics" — individual sound effects for particular actions on screen, e.g. fights, etc.

http://www.mediacollege.com/employment/film/foley-artist.html

We have done similar tasks too this such as recording things within the college grounds or outside ad then editing them with different types of effects like ambience or reverb.

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. Sample libraries appear

We have begun to do this with examples of different types of game music varying from Retro tracks to Action tracks.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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in a variety of forms:

As a tempo-based musical phrase that can

be looped (repeated in tempo with the arrangement), or

edited in a cut and paste collage fashion (often utilizing

programs such as Propllerhead's Recycle).

Collections of note-by-note recordings of musical

instruments for playback on a digital sampler, known

as multi-samples. This method of sample playback is to

construct a playable instrument, or emulation of another

instrument, from a sampler or computer.

One-shot hits or stabs of non-tempo based audio.

Particularly used for sound effects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sample_library

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

We have not used these in class but this is a common type of sound file which delivers audio in high quality.

.wav Standard audio file container format used mainly in Windows PCs. Commonly used for storing uncompressed (PCM), CD-quality sound files, which means that they can be large in size—around 10 MB per minute. Wave files can also

We have used these types of files when editing sounds on reaper for multiple tasks given.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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contain data encoded with a variety of (lossy) codecs to reduce the file size (for example the GSM or MP3 formats). Wav files use a RIFF structure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format

.aiff Standard audio file format used by Apple. It could be considered the Apple equivalent of wav. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format

We have not used this type of file yet, it is similar to the .wav but it is the Apple Mac’s version of the file.

.au The standard audio file format used by Sun, Unix and Java. The audio in au files can be PCM or compressed with the μ-law, a-law or G729 codecs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format

We have not used this type of file yet, it is a compressed audio file for programmes similar to Java.

.smp Short for Symmetric Multiprocessing, a computerarchitecture that provides fast performance by making multipleCPUs available to complete individual processes simultaneously (multiprocessing). Unlike asymmetrical processing, any idle processor can be assigned any task, and additional CPUs can be added to improve performance and handle increased loads. A variety of specialized operating systems and hardware arrangements are available to support SMP. Specific applications can benefit from SMP if the code allows multithreading. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SMP.html

We have not used this type of file yet, it is a file that processes sound.

Lossy Compression In information technology, "lossy" compression is a data encodingmethod 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. The different versions of the photo of the dog at the right demonstrate how much data can be dispensed with, and how the images become progressively coarser as the data that made up the original one is discarded. Typically, a substantial amount of data can be discarded before the result is sufficiently degraded to be noticed by the user. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lossy_compression

Lossy Compression is when you lose some data from a file, for example, sound quality would have missing parts of audio.

.mp3 MPEG Layer III Audio. Is the most common sound file format used today.

We have also used the mp3 files quite a bit for editing on Reaper.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format

AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit (SPU) The SPU has control over a 512kb sound buffer. Data is stored compressedinto blocks of 16 bytes. Each block contains 14 packed sample bytes and twoheader bytes, one for the packing and one for sample end and loopinginformation. One such block is decoded into 28 sample bytes (= 14 16bitsamples). http://psx.rules.org/spu.txt

SPU’s are used for control over sound buffers.

Digital Sound Processor (DSP) 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

DSP controls multiple items like frequency’s and sequences of numbers.

Random Access Memory (RAM) The most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on; an integrated circuit memory chip allows information to be stored or accessed in any order and all storage locations are equally accessible http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=random-access memory

RAM is used to control multiple programmes at once.

Mono Audio A single track of audio. http://www.allynn.org/fcp/node/33

We have used Mono audio when using Reaper for lots of different tasks like creating custom sounds and editing recordings.

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.Thus the term "stereophonic" applies to so-called "quadraphonic" and "surround-sound" systems as well as the more common two-channel, two-speaker systems. It is often contrasted with monophonic, or "mono" sound, where audio is in the form of one channel, often centred in the sound field (analogous to a visual field). Stereo sound is now common in entertainment systems such as broadcast radio

We have used this kind of technique in the form of Sound effects with being able to change the volume and the pan of the sounds.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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and TV, recorded music and the cinema. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereo_audio

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 analog ordigital system. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/surround_sound.html

Surround sound is a feature that some T.V’s have. The effect of surround sound can also be achieved with headphones.

Direct Audio (Pulse Code Modulation – PCM)

Pulse-code modulation(PCM) is a method used todigitally represent sampledanalog 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 amplitudeof 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

We have used direct audio when recording sounds, while ambient records surrounding sounds, direct audio will be from sounds the microphone is directly pointed at.

AUDIO RECORDING SYSTEMS Analogue Analog recording methods store signals as a continual wave in or on the media. The wave might be stored as a physical texture on a phonograph record, or a fluctuation in the field strength of a magnetic recording. This is different from digital recording of which among many possibilities include digital audio and digital video, which digital signals are represented as data or discrete numbers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_recording

Analogues are different methods of wave in on media items.

Digital Mini Disc A pre-recorded MiniDisc is exactly like a CD, except smaller. You can read How Compact Discs Work to learn how music can be recorded digitally and how a CD stores the digital data. When you read that article you will see that a CD holds about five times more data (650 megabytes in data mode and 740 megabytes in audio mode) than a MiniDisc. However, both CDs and MiniDiscs can store the same amount of music (75 minutes or so). The difference is that a MiniDisc uses a digital compression technique called ATRAC(Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) when storing music.

We have not used Mini Discs, but they are similar to CDs in what they do , but are in a more compressed disc.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question55.htm

Compact Disc (CD) Compact disc (CD) is adigital 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 (CD-ROM). Several other formats were further derived from these, including write-once audio and data storage (CD-R), rewritable media (CD-RW), Video Compact Disc (VCD), Super Video Compact Disc (SVCD), Photo CD, PictureCD, CD-i, andEnhanced Music CD. Audio CDs and audio players have been commercially available since October 1982. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc

CDs are the most common type of media to rip or burn songs onto.

Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Digital Audio Tape (DATor R-DAT) is a signal recording and

playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in

1987. In appearance it is similar to a Compact Cassette, using

4 mm 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 isdigital rather than analog. DAT has

the ability to record at higher, equal or lower sampling rates

than aCD (48, 44.1 or 32 kHzsampling rate respectively) at

16 bits quantization. If a digital source is copied then the DAT

will produce an exact clone, unlike other digital media such

as Digital Compact Cassette or non-Hi-MD MiniDisc, both of

which use a lossy data reduction system.

Like most formats of videocassette, a DAT cassette may only

be recorded and played in one direction, unlike an

analog compact audio cassette.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Tape

Digital Audio Tapes are similar to the cassette but can record at higher, lower and equal sampling rates than a CD.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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MIDI MIDI (/ m̍ɪdi/; 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.[1] A single MIDI link can carry up to sixteen

channels of information, each of which can be routed to a

separate device.

MIDI carries event messages that specify notation, pitch and

velocity, control signals for parameters such as volume,

vibrato, audio panning, cues, and clock signals that set and

synchronize tempo between multiple devices. These

messages are sent to other devices where they control

sound generation and other features. This data can also be

recorded into a hardware or software device called a

sequencer, which can be used to edit the data and to play it

back at a later time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI

We use MIDI for creating sound tracks for custom music that we have been making.

Software Sequencers 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 display of a

Software Sequencers are programmes that give you an advantage of showing you more information on a screen.

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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hardware sequencer. http://www.wannaplaymusic.com/get-started/keyboard-terminology

Software Plug-ins In computing, aplug-in (or plugin,extension, or add-

on / addon) is asoftware componentthat 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. Well-known browser plug-ins include the Adobe

Flash Player, theQuickTime Player, and the Java plug-in,

which can launch a user-activated Java applet on a web page

to its execution a local Java virtual machine.

Add-on (or addon) is the general term for what enhances an

application. It comprises snap-in, plug-

in, theme and skin.[1] An extension add-on tailors

the core features of an application by adding an

optional module, whereas a plug-in add-on would tailor

the outer layers of an application to personalize

functionality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_(computing)

We use plug-ins on Reaper so that sounds will work on the program

MIDI Keyboard Instruments A MIDI keyboard is typically apiano-style user interfacekeyboard device used for sending MIDI signals or commands over a USB or MIDI cable to other devices

We used the MIDI keyboard to create a verity of the of the tracks on the sound library

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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connected and operating on the same MIDI protocol interface. This could also be a personal computer running software such as adigital audio workstation (DAW) that listens to and sends MIDI information to other MIDI devices connected by cable or running internal to the personal computer system. The basic MIDI keyboard does not produce sound. Instead, MIDI information is sent to an electronic module capable of reproducing an array of digital sounds or samples that resemble traditional analog musical instruments. These samples or waveforms are also referred to as voices or timbres. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_keyboard

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 resolutionof each sample.

Examples of bit depth include Compact Disc Digital Audio,

which uses 16 bits per sample, and DVD-Audio andBlu-ray

Disc which can support up to 24 bits per sample.

In basic implementations, variations in bit depth primarily

affect the noise level fromquantization error—thus

the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and dynamic range. However,

techniques such as dithering, noise

shaping andoversampling mitigate these effects without

changing the bit depth. Bit depth also affects bit rate and file

size.

Bit depth is only meaningful in reference to a PCM digital

signal. Non-PCM formats, such as lossy compression formats

like MP3, AAC andVorbis, do not have associated bit depths.

For example, in MP3, quantization is performed on PCM

samples that have been transformed into the frequency

Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1

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domain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_bit_depth

File Size Constraints - Sample Rate In signal processing,sampling is the reduction of acontinuous

signal to a discrete signal. A common example is the

conversion of asound 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 acontinuous 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)

File size constraints are signal processes that sample continuous signals and discrete-time signals.