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: 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 A Foley Artist 'recreates' sound effects for film, television and radio productions
on a Foley Stage in a Post Production Studio.
http://www.marblehead.net/foley/whatisitman.html
I can create my own sounds and
apply them to my own work to
enhance it.
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
Websites like soundcloud allow me
to store all of my creations and
access them easily.
SOUND FILE FORMATS Uncompressed (Of data) not compressed.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/uncompressed
.wav Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or more commonly known as WAV due to
its filename extension) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wav
.aiff Short for Audio Interchange File Format, a common format for storing and
transmitting sampled sound. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AIFF.html
.au AU is a file extension for a sound file format belonging to Sun, NeXT and DEC
and used in UNIX. The AU file format is also known as the Sparc-audio or u-law
format. http://whatis.techtarget.com/fileformat/AU-Sun-NeXT-DEC-UNIX-
sound-file
.smp The file extension ".smp" shows up on several different types of files used for
very different programs including audio files, images and email
http://www.ehow.com/info_12198596_file-smp.html#ixzz31LEX32Fg
Lossy Compression Refers to data compression techniques in which some amount of data is lost.
Lossy compression technologies attempt to eliminate redundant or unnecessary
information. Most video compression technologies, such as MPEG, use a lossy
technique. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/lossy_compression.html
.mp3 Mp3- Otherwise known as mpeg layer-3 is a audio compression format that
compresses audio by removing humanly inaudible frequencies.
By using this file format I can easily
upload it to soundcloud.

2. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
2
https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070804075055AAcdMV9
AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit (SPU) sound card or audio card
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
By having one of these installed
onto the computer I can hear my
sounds, making it easier for me to
generate ideas and create the
sound.
Digital Sound Processor
(DSP)
Short for digital signal processing, which refers to manipulating analog
information, such as sound or photographs that has been converted into a
digital form. DSP also implies the use of a data compression technique.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DSP.html
Random Access Memory
(RAM)
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.
Every time you open a program, it gets loaded from the hard drive into the
RAM. This is because reading data from the RAM is much faster than reading
data from the hard drive. Running programs from the RAM of the computer
allows them to function without any lag time. The more RAM your computer
has, the more data can be loaded from the hard drive into the RAM, which can
effectively speed up your computer. In fact, adding RAM can be more beneficial
to your computer's performance than upgrading the CPU.
http://www.techterms.com/definition/ram
Having a RAM installed on my
computer allows me to do
everything I need, for example.
Without the RAM I wouldn’t be
able to load reaper to make my
sounds.
Mono Audio Commonly called mono sound, mono, or non-stereo sound, this early sound
system used a single channel of audio for sound output. In monophonic sound
systems, the signal sent to the sound system encodes one single stream of
sound and it usually uses just one speaker. Monophonic sound is the most basic
format of sound output.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/monophonic_sound.html
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/Stereo_audio
Surround Sound a system of sound recording and reproduction that uses three or more
independent recording channels and loudspeakers in order to give the

3. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
3
impression that the listener is surrounded by the sound sources.
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/surround-sound
Direct Audio (Pulse Code
Modulation – PCM)
Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a method used to digitally represent sampled
analogue 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 analogue 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 Analogue sound has information stored as varying strength magnetic fields or
heights of grooves or electronic signals which can be amplified and fed directly
to speakers without decoding. Making a copy always involves at least some
changes in the signal shape.
https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081211061505AAmwR7n
Digital Mini Disc Mini Disc - A music medium designed by Sony as a portable replacement for
music Compact Discs. In 1994 Sony announced a data version which can hold
140 MB or about 100 MB using error correction. These will be competitive with
128 MB magneto-optical disks. Mini Discs may be either a re-writable or mass-
produced read-only type. Sony have also announced a standard data format.
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Mini+Disc
Compact Disc (CD) A compact disc [sometimes spelled disk] (CD) is a small, portable, round
medium made of moulded polymer (close in size to the floppy disk) for
electronically recording, storing, and playing back audio, video, text, and other
information in digital form. Tape cartridges and CDs generally replaced the
phonograph record for playing back music. At home, CDs have tended to
replace the tape cartridge although the latter is still widely used in cars and
portable playback devices.
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/compact-disc
Digital Audio Tape (DAT) a magnetic tape used to record high-quality sound by storing information as a
series of the numbers 0 and 1.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/digital-audio-tape
MIDI MIDI (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. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI
Using these I can create original
pieces of music using different
types of instruments.
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 hardware

4. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
4
sequencer. http://www.wannaplaymusic.com/get-started/keyboard-
terminology
Software Plug-ins Though software plug-ins might not make your room smell as nice as the
scented ones you stick in an outlet, they are still useful. A software plug-in is an
add-on for a program that adds functionality to it. For example, a Photoshop
plug-in (such as Eye Candy) may add extra filters that you can use to manipulate
images. A browser plug-in (such as Macromedia Flash or Apple QuickTime)
allows you to play certain multimedia files within your Web browser. VST plug-
ins add effects for audio recording and sequencing programs such as Cubase
and Logic Audio. http://www.techterms.com/definition/plugin
MIDI Keyboard Instruments MIDI keyboard is typically a piano-style user interface keyboard device used for
sending MIDI signals or commands over a USB or MIDI cable to other devices
connected and operating on the same MIDI protocol interface.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_keyboard
Similar to MIDI but using these I
can use the keyboard to create the
sounds.
AUDIO SAMPLING File Size Constraints - Bit-
depth
In digital audio, bit depth describes the potential accuracy of a particular piece
of hardware or software that processes audio data. In general, the more bits
that are available, the more accurate the resulting output from the data being
processed. http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/bit-depth
File Size Constraints -
Sample Rate
Also called a sample rate. Typically expressed in samples per second, or hertz
(Hz), the rate at which samples of an analog signal are taken in order to be
converted into digital form. A PC��s sound card typically will sample a
received analog signal, such as through a microphone, and digitize it for use by
the computer. A higher sampling rate provides a better quality reproduction
than a lower sampling rate.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/sampling_rate.html