James Rostron IG1 Computer Game Music and Sound Effects Production: Task 1 Methods and Principles of Sound Design and Production

Initial Draft

		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 production. http://www.marblehead.net/foley/whatisitman.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I am recreating sound effects for my work.
SOUND DESIGN METHODOLOGY	Sound Libraries	‘A collection of sounds stored on file’ http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sound-library	It is relevant to my production practice because \|I have to utilise sound libraries to present my work.
SOUND FILE FORMATS	Uncompressed	‘Formats that use no compression. This means all data is available at the risk of large files sizes’ http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/digital_audio_formats.asp	This is relevant to my production practice because I have to make sure my files are not uncompressed in my work.
	.wav	‘ The native digital audio format for windows’ http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/59636/wav	This is relevant to my production practice because I use Windows to do my work.
	.aiff	‘A apple created audio format for storing and transmitting high quality sample audio’ http://www.abyssmedia.com/formats/aiff-format.shtml	This is relevant to my production practice because I sometimes use apple based audio formats in my work.
	.au	‘AU is a digital audio file format and can be played on a java program.’ http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Au+file+format	It is relevant to my production practice because I will be using java for my work.
	.smp	‘smp is the processing of programs by multiple processors that share a common operating system and memory.’ http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/SMP	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to process my programmes via multiple processors.
	Lossy Compression	‘lossy file compression is results in lost data and quality from the original version of the file.’ http://techterms.com/definition/lossy	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to prevent Lossy compression.
	.mp3	‘MP3 is a standard technology and format for compressing a sound sequence into a very small file’ http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/MP3-MPEG-1-Audio-Layer-3	It is relevant to my production practice because I will be utilising mp3 when producing work.
.AUDIO LIMITATIONS	Sound Processor Unit (SPU)	‘A plugin card that records and plays back sounds’ http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Audio+processing+unit	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need SPU for my audio work.
	Digital Sound Processor (DSP)	‘Various techniques for improving the accuracy and reliability for digital communication’ http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digital-signal-processing-DSP	It is relevant to my production practice because I will be using DSP in future work.
	Random Access Memory (RAM)	‘A type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly.’ http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAM.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I will use RAM in both making and playing my games.
	Mono Audio	'Mono or monophonic describes a system where all the audio signals are mixed together and routed through a single audio channel.' http://www.mcsquared.com/mono-stereo.htm	It is relevant to my production practice because I shall use mono audio in the future.
	Stereo Audio	'Stereophonic sound divides sounds across two channels ' http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/stereophonic_sound.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I shall use Stereo audio for my games.
	Surround Sound	'Surround sound is the term used to describe a type of audio output that in which the sound appears to surround the listener by 360 degrees.' http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/surround_sound.html	It is relevant to my production practice because Surround sound is a useful tool in game immersion.
	Direct Audio (Pulse Code Modulation – PCM)	‘Pulse code modulation is a digital scheme for transmitting analogue data.' http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/pulse-code-modulation-PCM	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need PCM in future projects.
AUDIO RECORDING SYSTEMS	Analogue	'Recording audio in a format of continuous vibrations that are analogous to the original sound waves.' http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/60827/analog-audio	It is relevant to my production practice because analogue is a key part of game audio.
	Digital Mini Disc	'A small recordable compact disc' http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/minidisc	It is relevant in my production practice because I shall use mini discs to store data.
	Compact Disc (CD)	'A compact disc is a small portable round medium sized disc made of polymer for electronically storing data.' http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/compact-disc	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to use CDS to put my games on to if I get a career in the industry.
	Digital Audio Tape (DAT)	'A type of magnetic tape that uses a scheme called helical scan to record data' http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DAT.html	It is not relevant to my production practice because it is a outdated way of storing data.
	MIDI	'MIDI is a protocol designed for recording and playing back music on digital synthesizers that is supported by many make of personal computer sound cards' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/MIDI-Musical-Instrument-Digital-Interface	It is relevant to my production practice, because I will need to utilise MIDI in my audio work.
	Software Sequencers	'A sequencer is a program in a computer that puts together a sound sequence from a series of MIDI operations' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/sequencer	It is relevant to my production practice, because I will need software sequencers to follow up on my MIDI work.
	Software Plug-ins	'Plug ins is operations that are easily installed and are used in part of your web browser.' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/plug-in	It is relevant to my production practice due to plug ins being mandatory when searching the internet, leading to their use in research.
	MIDI Keyboard Instruments	'A piano styled user interface device used for sending MIDI signals over a USB to other devices connected.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_keyboard	It is relevant to my production practice because I will use MIDI keyboard instruments in future Reaper projects.
AUDIO SAMPLING	File Size Constraints - Bit-depth	'Bit depth describes the potential accuracy of a particular piece of hardware or software that processes audio data.' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/bit-depth	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to use bit depth to improve the accuracy of my audio data.
AUDIO SAMPLING	File Size Constraints - Sample Rate	'The sample rate is the number of samples of a sound that are taken per second to represent the event digitally.' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/sample-rate	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to use sample rate to look at my event representation .

Improved Version		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 production’. http://www.marblehead.net/foley/whatisitman.html ‘Foley effects are sound effects added to the film during post production (after the shooting stops). They include sounds such as footsteps, clothes rustling, crockery clinking, paper folding, doors opening and slamming, punches hitting, glass breaking’ http://www.sound-ideas.com/what-is-foley.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I am recreating sound effects for my work and Foley artistry would go into it, and ensures a greater level of quality in future projects.
SOUND DESIGN METHODOLOGY	Sound Libraries	‘A collection of sounds stored on file’ http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sound-library ‘The new Sound library for Processing 3 provides a simple way to work with audio. It can play, analyze, and synthesize sound. The library comes with a collection of oscillators for basic wave forms’ https://processing.org/reference/libraries/sound/	It is relevant to my production practice because \|I have to utilise sound libraries to present my work and to store any music I make for my games for further reference.
SOUND FILE FORMATS	Uncompressed	‘Formats that use no compression. This means all data is available at the risk of large files sizes’ http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/digital_audio_formats.asp ‘Uncompressed formats like CD Audio, WAV, or AIFF are pretty much perfect representations of the audio that was recorded. If you convert something from one uncompressed format to another, it's a completely perfect copy. So, for instance, if you rip audio off a CD into WAV format on your computer, then burn another CD using the WAV you created, those two CDs will be virtually identical, despite the fact that you copied it multiple times.’ https://www.prx.org/help/posting-audio/compressed-versus-uncompressed	This is relevant to my production practice because I have to make sure my files are not uncompressed in my work to reduce file size and make the importing and exporting of these files easier.
	.wav	‘ The native digital audio format for windows’ http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/59636/wav ‘*The* *format* *for storing sound in* *files* *developed jointly by* *Microsoftand* IBM. Support for WAV files was built into Windows 95 making it the de facto standard for sound on PCs. WAV sound files end with a.wav extension and can be played by nearly all Windows applications that support sound’** http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/WAV.html	This is relevant to my production practice because I use Windows to do my work at college and at home. Windows allows me to access most computer software such as reaper which Apples operating systems cannot.
	.aiff	‘A apple created audio format for storing and transmitting high quality sample audio’ http://www.abyssmedia.com/formats/aiff-format.shtml *‘AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is one of the two most-used* *audio* *file* *formats used in the Apple* *Macintosh* *operating system. ‘* http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/AIFF-Audio-Interchange-File-Format	This is relevant to my production practice because I sometimes use apple based audio formats in my work at home for editing and improving my work.
	.au	‘AU is a digital audio file format and can be played on a java program.’ http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Au+file+format ‘(AUdio file) A digital audio file format from Sun that is used on the Internet and can be played by a Java program.’ http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/38149/au-file	It is relevant to my production practice because I will be using java for my work in the future and for research in my future projects due to their relevance in displaying search engine results like websites and the videos on them.
	.smp	‘smp is the processing of programs by multiple processors that share a common Operating system and memory’ .’ http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/SMP ‘*Short for* Symmetric Multiprocessing, *a computer* *architecturethat provides fast performance by making multiple* CPUs available to complete individual processes simultaneously’** http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SMP.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to process my programmes via multiple processors which will improve the quality of my work, and make producing this work easier to accomplish due to the ability to run multiple programs at one time.
	Lossy Compression	‘lossy file compression is results in lost data and quality from the original version of the file.’ http://techterms.com/definition/lossy ‘lossy compression reduces a file by permanently eliminating certain information, especially redundant information’ http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/lossless-and-lossy-compression	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to prevent Lossy compression in my work to avoid losing any part of my files and as such, keeping my presentation to a high standard.
	.mp3	‘MP3 is a standard technology and format for compressing a sound sequence into a very small file’ http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/MP3-MPEG-1-Audio-Layer-3 *‘MP3 is the name of the file extension and also the common name of the type of file for* *MPEG-1 audio layer 3’*** http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/MP3.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I will be utilising mp3 when producing work and testing it upon rendering an audio file.
.AUDIO LIMITATIONS	Sound Processor Unit (SPU)	‘A plugin card that records and plays back sounds’ http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Audio+processing+unit ‘An expansion card that processes and converts audio signals. Also called audio card.’ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Audio+processing+unit	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need SPU for my audio work and the ability to play back my work, to find and rectify any mistakes within it. Also, I will need to utilise the SPUS ability to record to produce work and present it.
	Digital Sound Processor (DSP)	‘Various techniques for improving the accuracy and reliability for digital communication’ http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digital-signal-processing-DSP	It is relevant to my production practice because I will be using DSP in future work.
	Random Access Memory (RAM)	‘A type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly.’ http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAM.html ‘(Random Access Memory) The main memory in a computer, smartphone or tablet. RAM is the temporary workspace where instructions are executed.’ http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,1237,%20t=RAM&i=50159,00.asp	It is relevant to my production practice because I will use RAM in both making and playing my games both at home and at college and to run multiple programs simultaneously.
	Mono Audio	'Mono or monophonic describes a system where all the audio signals are mixed together and routed through a single audio channel.' http://www.mcsquared.com/mono-stereo.htm ‘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.’ http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/monophonic_sound.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I shall use mono audio in the future and in my work in order to listen to finished pieces and examples.
	Stereo Audio	'Stereophonic sound divides sounds across two channels ' http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/stereophonic_sound.html ‘Stereo is defined as sound that seems to be coming from various directions.’ http://www.yourdictionary.com/stereo	It is relevant to my production practice because I shall use Stereo audio for my game both playing and making them.
	Surround Sound	'Surround sound is the term used to describe a type of audio output that in which the sound appears to surround the listener by 360 degrees.' http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/surround_sound.html ‘a system of sound recording and reproduction that uses three or more independent recording channels and loudspeakers in order to give the impression that the listener is surrounded by the sound sources’ http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/surround-sound	It is relevant to my production practice because Surround sound is a useful tool in game immersion and could be implemented in my future games for greater effect and deeper immersion in the game and its world.
	Direct Audio (Pulse Code Modulation – PCM)	‘Pulse code modulation is a digital scheme for transmitting analogue data.' http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/pulse-code-modulation-PCM ‘Short for pulse code modulation, a sampling technique fordigitizing analog signals, especially audio signals.’ http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/pulse_code_modulation.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need PCM in future projects in order to use analogue recording in my future projects.
AUDIO RECORDING SYSTEMS	Analogue	'Recording audio in a format of continuous vibrations that are analogous to the original sound waves.' http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/60827/analog-audio ‘Recording audio in a format of continuous vibrations that are analogous to the original sound waves. Before audio recording became digital, sounds were "carved" into vinyl records or written to tape as magnetic waveforms.’ http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/analog+audio	It is relevant to my production practice because analogue is a key part of game audio and is commonplace in most if not all game releases.
	Digital Mini Disc	'A small recordable compact disc' http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/minidisc ‘A compact digital audio disc from Sony that comes in read-only and rewritable versions’. http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/47064/minidisc	It is relevant in my production practice because I shall use mini discs to store data in my future projects and to transfer it to other locations.
	Compact Disc (CD)	'A compact disc is a small portable round medium sized disc made of polymer for electronically storing data.' http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/compact-disc ‘an optical disk approximately 4.75 inches (12 cm) in diameter, onwhich a program, data, music, etc., is digitally encoded for a laserbeam to scan, decode, and transmit to a playback system, computer monitor, or television set.’ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/compact-disk	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to use CDS to put my games on to if I get a career in the industry. It is also the usual way to store games and play them.
	Digital Audio Tape (DAT)	'A type of magnetic tape that uses a scheme called helical scan to record data' http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DAT.html ‘DAT (Digital Audio Tape) is a standard medium and technology for the digital recording of audio on tape at a professional level of quality.’ http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/DAT-Digital-Audio-Tape	It is not relevant to my production practice because it is a outdated way of storing data and has been replaced by formats like CDS and DVDs.
	MIDI	'MIDI is a protocol designed for recording and playing back music on digital synthesizers that is supported by many make of personal computer sound cards' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/MIDI-Musical-Instrument-Digital-Interface ‘Pronounced middy, an acronym for musical instrument digital interface, a standard adopted by the electronic music industry for controlling devices, such as synthesizers and sound cards that emit music.’ http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/MIDI.html	It is relevant to my production practice, because I will need to utilise MIDI in my audio work for my future games.
	Software Sequencers	'A sequencer is a program in a computer that puts together a sound sequence from a series of MIDI operations' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/sequencer ‘A hardware device or software application that allows for the composition, editing and playback of MIDI sound sequences.’ http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/47019/midi-sequencer	It is relevant to my production practice, because I will need software sequencers to follow up on my MIDI work in class and at home.
	Software Plug-ins	'Plug ins is operations that are easily installed and are used in part of your web browser.' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/plug-in ‘A hardware or software module that adds a specific feature or service to a larger system. The idea is that the new component simply plugs in to the existing system.’ http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/plug_in.html	It is relevant to my production practice due to plug ins being mandatory when searching the internet, leading to their use in research and in my music pieces within my projects.
	MIDI Keyboard Instruments	'A piano styled user interface device used for sending MIDI signals over a USB to other devices connected.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_keyboard ‘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	It is relevant to my production practice because I will use MIDI keyboard instruments in future Reaper projects to improve variation in my work with MIDI and by doing this, I will showcase more creativity, leading to potential greater success.
AUDIO SAMPLING	File Size Constraints - Bit-depth	'Bit depth describes the potential accuracy of a particular piece of hardware or software that processes audio data.' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/bit-depth ‘Number of bits used in representing the smallest unit of information (such as a byte or pixel) in an audio/video graphic data file. Greater the bit depth, better the quality of stored or reproduced image or sound.’ http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/bit-depth.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to use bit depth to improve the accuracy of my audio data in my work, and by doing so, will improve the overall quality of my work.
AUDIO SAMPLING	File Size Constraints - Sample Rate	'The sample rate is the number of samples of a sound that are taken per second to represent the event digitally.' http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/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.’ http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/sampling_rate.html	It is relevant to my production practice because I will need to use sample rate to look at my event representation and improve the quality of my work. I will also have to make sure my sample rates are high, because it will improve the quality of my audio work.