Editing Sound design (section)

===Digital technology===
[[File:Tainted blue studios control room.jpg|thumb|Modern digital control room at Tainted Blue Studios, 2010]]
[[Musical Instrument Digital Interface|MIDI]] and [[digital audio]] technology have contributed to the evolution of sound production techniques in the 1980s and 1990s. [[Digital audio workstation]]s (DAW) and a variety of digital signal processing algorithms applied in them allow more complicated soundtracks with more tracks and auditory effects to be realized. Features such as unlimited undo and sample-level editing allows fine control over the soundtracks.

In [[theatre sound]], features of computerized theatre sound design systems have also been recognized as being essential for live [[show control]] systems at [[Walt Disney World]] and, as a result, Disney utilized systems of that type to control many facilities at their ''[[Disney's Hollywood Studios|Disney-MGM Studios]]'' theme park, which opened in 1989. These features were incorporated into the [[MIDI Show Control]] (MSC) specification, an open [[communications protocol]] for interacting with diverse devices. The first show to fully utilize the MSC specification was the [[Magic Kingdom Parade]] at [[Walt Disney World]]'s [[Magic Kingdom]] in September 1991.

The rise of interest in game audio has also brought more advanced interactive audio tools that are also accessible without a background in computer programming. Some of such software tools (termed "implementation tools" or "audio engines") feature a workflow that's similar to that in more conventional DAW programs and can also allow the sound production personnel to undertake some of the more creative interactive sound tasks (that are considered to be part of sound design for computer applications) that previously would have required a computer programmer. Interactive applications have also given rise to many techniques in "dynamic audio" which loosely means sound that's "parametrically" adjusted during the program's run-time. This allows for a broader expression in sounds, more similar to that in films, because this way the sound designer can e.g. create footstep sounds that vary in a believable and non-repeating way and that also corresponds to what's seen in the picture. The digital audio workstation cannot directly "communicate" with game engines, because the game's events often occur in an unpredictable order, whereas traditional digital audio workstations as well as so called linear media (TV, film etc.) have everything occur in the same order every time the production is run. Especially, games have also brought in dynamic or adaptive mixing.

The [[World Wide Web]] has greatly enhanced the ability of sound designers to acquire source material quickly, easily and cheaply. Nowadays, a designer can preview and download crisper, more "believable" sounds as opposed to toiling through time- and budget-draining "shot-in-the-dark" searches through record stores, libraries and "the grapevine" for (often) inferior recordings. In addition, software innovation has enabled sound designers to take more of a [[DIY|DIY (or "do-it-yourself")]] approach. From the comfort of their home and at any hour, they can simply use a computer, speakers and headphones rather than renting (or buying) costly equipment or studio space and time for editing and mixing. This provides for faster creation and negotiation with the director.