The audio library can use either compressed or uncompressed wavetables for sound reproduction. In either case, the wavetables are first created using the digital recording/editing system of the sound designer's choice. The wavetables are then stored as AIFF files. If the samples are to be compressed, the first step is to produce a compression table using tabledesign. After the compression table has been built, the wavetable is compressed using vadpcm_enc. This will generate a type of AIFC file that is unique to Nintendo. (AIFC files created with other software tools are not compatible with the compression scheme used by the N64.)
After the wavetables have been converted to AIFC files, (or left as AIFF files if no data compression is desired) they need to be assembled into banks so that the Audio Library can reference them correctly. To accomplish this, the sound designer must first create an .inst file, which is a text file that specifies the parameters for sound playback and the wavetable files. The .inst file is then used by ic to create the bank files. The bank files can then be included in the game by placing them in segments in the applications spec file. (For more information about creating .inst files and using ic, please see Chapter 18, "Audio Tools".)