Unit 73 Sound

Unit 73: Sound for Computer Games

P2 Understand the methods and principles of sound design and production 

Exercise 1.

Research and explain when you would use the following sound formats

Sound File Formats:
Uncompressed: e.g wav, aiff, au, smp, voc.
These files are used usually when the consumer wants more quality, however they have more space compared to a compression file, which makes these files very unlikely to be seen in platforms that have small storage space.

Lossy compression: e.g mp3,ra, vox.
A Lossy compression files are the opposite of a uncompressed file. The files are compressed so it doesn't have great quality, however these types of files have less storage which results in these files being used in much smaller platforms, such as the phone.

Audio Sampling
1.How can resolution and bit-depth constrain file size?
The resolution can constrain the file size by changing the size, this causes the file to either take more space or less which can effect the quality. The bit-depth can constrain the file size by having more or less (Bits) which will effect the quality.

2.Explain what the following words mean:

Sample rate- The Sample rate is a digital signal process. (The number of times an analog is measured Sampled per second)

Mono- Is intended to be heard as if it were a single channel of sound perceived as coming from one position

Stereo- Is intended to be heard as if it were two channels of sound to convey the impression of sound coming from different directions (Left, middle and right)

Surround- Is a system of stereophony involving three or more speakers surrounding the listener so that it gives a more realistic effect (Back, front, left, middle, right)

Exercise 2.

Audio limitations of games platforms

How can the following information limit the recording of sound?

DSP-Digital Signal Processor:
When a piece of information is converted to digital form, due to quantisation, some information is lost. Processing of signals involves more power consumption which leads to high cost and complex designs. It can also filter and compress the file which will effect the recording.

RAM-Random Access Memory
RAM can limit the recording by storing the information in a lossy format.

File format (e.g. Mp3, Wav, Aiff)
File formats can also limit the recording by using a lossy format. (Low quality)

Audio output (e.g. Mono, Stereo, Surround)
The Audio output can limit the recording of sound by using different sound types e.g. Surround, stereo and mono.

PCM- Pulse Code Modulation
The PCM can limit the recording of sound by compacting the information onto discs which compresses the information.

Audio Recording Systems
In what types of scenario may you use the following audio recording equipment?
For example, Multi-track recording, Midi- Multi Instrument Interface, DAT, Analogue, Software Plugins, Software Sequencer.

Multi-track recording can be used to mix sounds and software (e.g. piano, drums etc) which can also be edited solo on each track.
Midi-(Multi Instrument interface) can be used to replicate musical instruments.
DAT- Can be used to record the surroundings (Sounds)
Analogue-recording corresponds the variation in air pressure of the original sound.(The numbers have to be converted to analog signals to be able to be listened to.
Software plugin-can be used to add features to the sound track.