Sound recording glossary improved version11111111111
- 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. 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. I found quite a fewsound librariesandhad manyand different ideas about it. 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. I knew about this onmyown experience bytaking upon knowledge andseeingabout what compressed is. .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
- 2. Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1 2 soundeffects. I have created wavfilesto addto make game a wavfile is a soundfile compressed .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 computers. It is also used bySilicoGraphics Incorporated (SGI). http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AIFF.html You coulduse this for storing soundin a file andtransmitting into a sampledsound. I became to know a lot more about aiff on how it works andhow it is used. .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. As I got to know this more I foundit easyon howto finddifferent types of sound andusedsome for inspirationonmaking my own. .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. An mp3 is a file with sounds in that can be personalised to your own needs.Mp3 is a basic tool to have I made myownmp3 sounds for mygame.
- 3. Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1 3 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 AUDIO LIMITATIONS Sound Processor Unit (SPU) For those whowant the most out their car audiosystem, a qualitysoundprocessor is a must. After 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 Does a system where its sounds like the music or soundhas been adjusted to fit your persons like.A sound processing unit are mostlyused invehicles and you could upgrade to better sounds to deliver better soundquality. 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. I have learnt about digital sound on how theyare mostlyusedfor cinemas, films to deliver that better soundquality. 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 commontype 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 .Ram is great ifyou’re planning to do a lot or playa game in highspecs. 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. I made my own soundsequence for my storyand made audiocut sequence when I editedthe voices or soundeffects coming from left to right. I foundit
- 4. Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1 4 reallyuseful on how effective the soundeditingis. 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 . WhenI playedback the audiosimultaneouslyand added different types of sounds byrepeatingthe clipover and over. 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 in front andbehind the listener to create a surroundingenvelope of sound and directional audiosources. The term surroundsound hasbecome popular in recent years and more commonlyused since the advent of home theatre systems. Surroundsound canbe either ananalogue or digital system. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/surround_sound.html Surroundsoundis whenthe sounds are coming froma 360 degrees around where you are. SurroundsoundIs a great systemto use to get the cinema experience withgreat soundfor everything. 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 theywouldbe in pulse-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.when the voltage is higher the number is higher.
- 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 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.Mini disk are not reallyusedanymore but was a great hit inthe 90s. 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 audiosounds normally songs and can be played through cd layers and disc reading software. These are still very usedbypeople. And probably will be used for a lot more time most artist still release albums on a compact disk. Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Acronym for digitalaudio tape, a type of magnetic tape that uses a scheme calledhelical 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. This wasverygoodfor its time but now it is outdated. 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 MIDI is a wire usedto connect musical equipment together for inter use. We usedmidi plugins the change the wayour audio sounds and alsouse it to edit other sequences.
- 6. Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1 6 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 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.A software sequencer is a system that thenplaythe audio back to you and it thenhandles all the note performances. 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. A software plugin is great to add because theylet you fullycustomize a soundany wayyou desire andmake sounds fit in at the right place. 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 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 A MIDI keyboard instrument is a instrument that inputs signal through MIDI to showwhat key hat has beenpressed. A MIDI instrument is good for creating short sounds which canthenbe added to a group to create a better gathering of sounds in an audiocut sequence. AUDIO SAMPLING File Size In digital audio using pulse-code modulation (PCM), bit depthis the number of bits of informationin A file size constraints-bit depth
- 7. Salford City College Eccles Sixth Form Centre BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games IG2 Task 1 7 Constraints - Bit- depth 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 onPCM samples that have beentransformedintothe frequencydomain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_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. A file size sample rate is basicallythe values of the time showthe height of the signals.