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 provide specific
details of how researched definitions relate to your own production practice.
_________________________________________________________________________________
|
Name: Adam Hughes
|
|
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.”
|
I have and will use recorded
everyday sounds in my own work, these sounds can improve the quality of a
game.
|
|
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.”
|
I use pre-made sounds in some of my
own work to create sound effects and music.
| |
|
SOUND FILE FORMATS
|
Uncompressed
|
“There is one major uncompressed
audio format, PCM, which is usually stored in a .wav file on Windows or in a
.aiff file on Mac OS.”
|
This is how my sounds are stored.
|
|
.wav
|
“The format for storing sound in
files developed jointly by Microsoft and IBM.”
|
This is the most common format for
saving uncompressed sound files.
| |
|
.aiff
|
“Audio Interchange File Format
(AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for
personal computers and other electronic audio devices.”
|
This is another format used to store
sound data and I may use it at some point.
| |
|
.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 fomat.
AU files contain three parts: the
audio data and text for a header (containing 24 bytes) and an annotation
block.”
|
| |
|
.smp
|
“An ".smp" file may be one
of several different types of audio file.”
|
| |
|
Lossy Compression
|
“Lossy compression enables even
greater reductions in file size by removing some of the data. Lossy
compression typically achieves far greater compression than lossless
compression by simplifying the complexities of the data.”
|
Used to compress audio files so that
none of the data is lost.
| |
|
.mp3
|
“Commonly referred to as MP3, is an
encoding format for digital audio which uses a form of lossy data
compression. It is a common audio format for consumer audio streaming or
storage, as well as a de facto standard of digital audio compression for the
transfer and playback of music on most digital audio players.”
|
Common format for saving music.
| |
|
AUDIO LIMITATIONS
|
Sound Processor Unit (SPU)
| “The SPU is the unit responsible for all aural capabilities of the psx. It
handles 24 voices, has a 512kb sound buffer, has ADSR envelope filters
for
each voice and lots of other features.”
|
Helps us hear what we’re actually
making through our earphones by processing the sound.
|
|
Digital Sound Processor (DSP)
|
“Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) take real-world signals
like voice, audio, video, temperature, pressure, or position that have been
digitized and then mathematically manipulate them. A DSP is designed for
performing mathematical functions like "add", "subtract",
"multiply" and "divide" very quickly.”
|
| |
|
Random Access Memory (RAM)
|
“Alternatively referred to as main
memory, primary memory, or system memory, Random Access Memory (RAM) is a
computer storage location that allows information to be stored and accessed
quickly from random locations within DRAM on a memory module. Because
information is accessed randomly instead of sequentially like a CD or hard
drive the computer is able to access the data much faster than it would if it
was only reading the hard drive. However, unlike ROM and the hard drive RAM
is a volatile memory and requires power in order to keep the data accessible,
if power is lost all data contained in memory lost.”
|
Allows me to do multiple things at
once and reloads things faster.
| |
|
Mono Audio
|
“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.”
|
Usually used on a sound without any
pan added to it.
| |
|
Stereo Audio
|
“Stereo or Stereophonic sound is
created by two independent audio channels or speakers and provides a sense of
directionality because sounds can be heard from different directions. The
term stereophonic is derived from the Greek words stereos, which means solid
and phone, which means sound. Stereo sound can reproduce sounds and music
from various directions or positions the way we hear things naturally, hence
the term solid sound. Stereo sound is a common form of sound reproduction.”
|
Used mainly when there is a pan on a
piece of 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 theater systems. Surround sound can be either an analog or digital
system.”
|
Allows us to hear where a sound
source is coming from.
| |
|
Direct Audio (Pulse Code Modulation – PCM)
|
“Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a
method used to digitally represent sampled analog 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
analog signal is sampled regularly at uniform intervals, and each sample is
quantized to the nearest value within a range of digital steps.”
|
| |
|
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.”
|
Allows sounds to have different wave
lengths, this could be useful.
|
|
Digital Mini Disc
|
“MiniDisc was announced by Sony in
September 1992 and released that November for sale in Japan and in December
for the USA and Europe. The music format was originally based exclusively on
ATRAC audio data compression, but the option of linear PCM digital recording
was later introduced to attain audio quality comparable to that of a compact
disc. MiniDiscs were very popular in Japan but made a limited impact
elsewhere.”
|
| |
|
Compact Disc (CD)
|
“Abbreviated as CD, a compact disc
is a flat, round storage medium that is read by a laser in a CD-ROM drive that
was invented by James Russell and first created at a Philips factory in
Germany on August 17, 1982. The standard CD is capable of holding 72 minutes
of music or 650 MB of data. 80 minute CDs are also commonly used to store
data and are capable of containing 700 MB of data. The picture is an example
of what the standard compact disc looks like.”
|
| |
|
Digital Audio Tape (DAT)
|
“DAT (Digital Audio Tape) is a
standard medium and technology for the digital recording of audio on tape at
a professional level of quality. A DAT drive is a digital tape recorder with
rotating heads similar to those found in a video deck. Most DAT drives can
record at sample rates of 44.1 kHz, the CD audio standard, and 48 kHz. DAT
has become the standard archiving technology in professional and
semi-professional recording environments for master recordings. Digital
inputs and outputs on professional DAT decks allow the user to transfer
recordings from the DAT tape to an audio workstation for precise editing. The
compact size and low cost of the DAT medium makes it an excellent way to
compile the recordings that are going to be used to create a CD master.”
|
| |
|
MIDI
|
“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”
|
Used to make sounds and music
digitally for the course.
| |
|
Software Sequencers
|
“In 1975, New England Digital (NED)
released ABLE computer (microcomputer) as a dedicated data processing unit
for Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer (1973), and based on it, later Synclavier
series were developed. The Synclavier I, released in September 1977, was one
of the earliest digital music workstation product with multitrack sequencer.
Synclavier series evolved throughout late 1970s–mid-1980s, and they also
established integration of digital-audio and music-sequencer, on their
Direct-to-Disk option in 1984, and later Tapeless Studio system.”
|
Used to manipulate, create and save our
audio. One example would be Reaper, which we use.
| |
|
Software Plug-ins
|
“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. For example, there are
number of plug-ins for the Netscape Navigator browser that enable it to
display different types of audio or video messages. Navigator plug-ins are
based on MIME file types.”
|
| |
|
MIDI Keyboard Instruments
|
“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.”
|
Using a real instrument set to MIDI
to create sounds.
| |
|
AUDIO SAMPLING
|
File Size Constraints - Bit-depth
|
“Bit depth (sometimes called also
resolution) affects file size. All other things being equal, a 32 bit file is
twice the size of a 16 bit file, and an 8 bit file half the size of a 16 bit
one.
Bit resolution also affects CPU use.
Recording in 32 bit quality, which is Audacity's default behaviour, takes a
lot more work than recording 16 bits, and a slower computer may not be able
to keep up, with the result being lost samples. If you are recording for
immediate export without editing, 32 bit recording may offer no advantage
over 16 bit recording if you only have a 16 bit sound device.”
|
|
|
File Size Constraints - Sample Rate
|
“In developing an audio sound for
computers or telecommunication, the sample rate is the number of samples of a
sound that are taken per second to represent the event digitally.
The more samples taken per second,
the more accurate the digital representation of the sound can be. For
example, the current sample rate for CD-quality audio is 44,100 samples per
second. This sample rate can accurately reproduce the audio frequencies up to
20,500 hertz, covering the full range of human hearing.”
|
|