Game Audio Principles
Selective Reading Rule
Start with:
references/senior-master-standard.mdreferences/usage-routing.mdreferences/quality-checklist.md
Then load only the inherited docs, scripts, assets, or examples that match the user's actual task.
Sound design and music integration for immersive game experiences.
1. Audio Category System
Category Definitions
| Category |
Behavior |
Examples |
| Music |
Looping, crossfade, ducking |
BGM, combat music |
| SFX |
One-shot, 3D positioned |
Footsteps, impacts |
| Ambient |
Looping, background layer |
Wind, crowd, forest |
| UI |
Immediate, non-3D |
Button clicks, notifications |
| Voice |
Priority, ducking trigger |
Dialogue, announcer |
Priority Hierarchy
When sounds compete for channels:
1. Voice (highest - always audible)
2. Player SFX (feedback critical)
3. Enemy SFX (gameplay important)
4. Music (mood, but duckable)
5. Ambient (lowest - can drop)
2. Sound Design Decisions
SFX Creation Approach
| Approach |
When to Use |
Trade-offs |
| Recording |
Realistic needs |
High quality, time intensive |
| Synthesis |
Sci-fi, retro, UI |
Unique, requires skill |
| Library samples |
Fast production |
Common sounds, licensing |
| Layering |
Complex sounds |
Best results, more work |
Layering Structure
| Layer |
Purpose |
Example: Gunshot |
| Attack |
Initial transient |
Click, snap |
| Body |
Main character |
Boom, blast |
| Tail |
Decay, room |
Reverb, echo |
| Sweetener |
Special sauce |
Shell casing, mechanical |
3. Music Integration
Music State System
Game State → Music Response
│
├── Menu → Calm, loopable theme
├── Exploration → Ambient, atmospheric
├── Combat detected → Transition to tension
├── Combat engaged → Full battle music
├── Victory → Stinger + calm transition
├── Defeat → Somber stinger
└── Boss → Unique, multi-phase track
Transition Techniques
| Technique |
Use When |
Feel |
| Crossfade |
Smooth mood shift |
Gradual |
| Stinger |
Immediate event |
Dramatic |
| Stem mixing |
Dynamic intensity |
Seamless |
| Beat-synced |
Rhythmic gameplay |
Musical |
| Queue point |
Next natural break |
Clean |
4. Adaptive Audio Decisions
Intensity Parameters
| Parameter |
Affects |
Example |
| Threat level |
Music intensity |
Enemy count |
| Health |
Filter, reverb |
Low health = muffled |
| Speed |
Tempo, energy |
Racing speed |
| Environment |
Reverb, EQ |
Cave vs outdoor |
| Time of day |
Mood, volume |
Night = quieter |
Vertical vs Horizontal
| System |
What Changes |
Best For |
| Vertical (layers) |
Add/remove instrument layers |
Intensity scaling |
| Horizontal (segments) |
Different music sections |
State changes |
| Combined |
Both |
AAA adaptive scores |
5. 3D Audio Decisions
Spatialization
| Element |
3D Positioned? |
Reason |
| Player footsteps |
No (or subtle) |
Always audible |
| Enemy footsteps |
Yes |
Directional awareness |
| Gunfire |
Yes |
Combat awareness |
| Music |
No |
Mood, non-diegetic |
| Ambient zone |
Yes (area) |
Environmental |
| UI sounds |
No |
Interface feedback |
Distance Behavior
| Distance |
Sound Behavior |
| Near |
Full volume, full frequency |
| Medium |
Volume falloff, high-freq rolloff |
| Far |
Low volume, low-pass filter |
| Max |
Silent or ambient hint |
6. Platform Considerations
Format Selection
| Platform |
Recommended Format |
Reason |
| PC |
OGG Vorbis, WAV |
Quality, no licensing |
| Console |
Platform-specific |
Certification |
| Mobile |
MP3, AAC |
Size, compatibility |
| Web |
WebM/Opus, MP3 fallback |
Browser support |
Memory Budget
| Game Type |
Audio Budget |
Strategy |
| Mobile casual |
10-50 MB |
Compressed, fewer variants |
| PC indie |
100-500 MB |
Quality focus |
| AAA |
1+ GB |
Full quality, many variants |
7. Mix Hierarchy
Volume Balance Reference
| Category |
Relative Level |
Notes |
| Voice |
0 dB (reference) |
Always clear |
| Player SFX |
-3 to -6 dB |
Prominent but not harsh |
| Music |
-6 to -12 dB |
Foundation, ducks for voice |
| Enemy SFX |
-6 to -9 dB |
Important but not dominant |
| Ambient |
-12 to -18 dB |
Subtle background |
Ducking Rules
| When |
Duck What |
Amount |
| Voice plays |
Music, Ambient |
-6 to -9 dB |
| Explosion |
All except explosion |
Brief duck |
| Menu open |
Gameplay audio |
-3 to -6 dB |
8. Anti-Patterns
| Don't |
Do |
| Play same sound repeatedly |
Use variations (3-5 per sound) |
| Max volume everything |
Use proper mix hierarchy |
| Ignore silence |
Silence creates contrast |
| One music track loops forever |
Provide variety, transitions |
| Skip audio in prototype |
Placeholder audio matters |
Remember: 50% of the game experience is audio. A muted game loses half its soul.
When to Use
This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.
Limitations
- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
- Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
- Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.
1---2name: game-audio3description: ALWAYS use this when the user mentions Game Audio, asks to build, debug, review, document, automate, test, configure, migrate, or make decisions in this domain, or the task clearly depends on Game Audio; scope: Game audio principles. Apply the bundled workflow, references, scripts, Senior Master standard, and Codex strict review gate before final output.4---56# Game Audio Principles78## Selective Reading Rule910Start with:1112- `references/senior-master-standard.md`13- `references/usage-routing.md`14- `references/quality-checklist.md`1516Then load only the inherited docs, scripts, assets, or examples that match the user's actual task.1718> Sound design and music integration for immersive game experiences.1920---2122## 1. Audio Category System2324### Category Definitions2526| Category | Behavior | Examples |27|----------|----------|----------|28| **Music** | Looping, crossfade, ducking | BGM, combat music |29| **SFX** | One-shot, 3D positioned | Footsteps, impacts |30| **Ambient** | Looping, background layer | Wind, crowd, forest |31| **UI** | Immediate, non-3D | Button clicks, notifications |32| **Voice** | Priority, ducking trigger | Dialogue, announcer |3334### Priority Hierarchy3536```37When sounds compete for channels:38391. Voice (highest - always audible)402. Player SFX (feedback critical)413. Enemy SFX (gameplay important)424. Music (mood, but duckable)435. Ambient (lowest - can drop)44```4546---4748## 2. Sound Design Decisions4950### SFX Creation Approach5152| Approach | When to Use | Trade-offs |53|----------|-------------|------------|54| **Recording** | Realistic needs | High quality, time intensive |55| **Synthesis** | Sci-fi, retro, UI | Unique, requires skill |56| **Library samples** | Fast production | Common sounds, licensing |57| **Layering** | Complex sounds | Best results, more work |5859### Layering Structure6061| Layer | Purpose | Example: Gunshot |62|-------|---------|------------------|63| **Attack** | Initial transient | Click, snap |64| **Body** | Main character | Boom, blast |65| **Tail** | Decay, room | Reverb, echo |66| **Sweetener** | Special sauce | Shell casing, mechanical |6768---6970## 3. Music Integration7172### Music State System7374```75Game State → Music Response76│77├── Menu → Calm, loopable theme78├── Exploration → Ambient, atmospheric79├── Combat detected → Transition to tension80├── Combat engaged → Full battle music81├── Victory → Stinger + calm transition82├── Defeat → Somber stinger83└── Boss → Unique, multi-phase track84```8586### Transition Techniques8788| Technique | Use When | Feel |89|-----------|----------|------|90| **Crossfade** | Smooth mood shift | Gradual |91| **Stinger** | Immediate event | Dramatic |92| **Stem mixing** | Dynamic intensity | Seamless |93| **Beat-synced** | Rhythmic gameplay | Musical |94| **Queue point** | Next natural break | Clean |9596---9798## 4. Adaptive Audio Decisions99100### Intensity Parameters101102| Parameter | Affects | Example |103|-----------|---------|---------|104| **Threat level** | Music intensity | Enemy count |105| **Health** | Filter, reverb | Low health = muffled |106| **Speed** | Tempo, energy | Racing speed |107| **Environment** | Reverb, EQ | Cave vs outdoor |108| **Time of day** | Mood, volume | Night = quieter |109110### Vertical vs Horizontal111112| System | What Changes | Best For |113|--------|--------------|----------|114| **Vertical (layers)** | Add/remove instrument layers | Intensity scaling |115| **Horizontal (segments)** | Different music sections | State changes |116| **Combined** | Both | AAA adaptive scores |117118---119120## 5. 3D Audio Decisions121122### Spatialization123124| Element | 3D Positioned? | Reason |125|---------|----------------|--------|126| Player footsteps | No (or subtle) | Always audible |127| Enemy footsteps | Yes | Directional awareness |128| Gunfire | Yes | Combat awareness |129| Music | No | Mood, non-diegetic |130| Ambient zone | Yes (area) | Environmental |131| UI sounds | No | Interface feedback |132133### Distance Behavior134135| Distance | Sound Behavior |136|----------|----------------|137| **Near** | Full volume, full frequency |138| **Medium** | Volume falloff, high-freq rolloff |139| **Far** | Low volume, low-pass filter |140| **Max** | Silent or ambient hint |141142---143144## 6. Platform Considerations145146### Format Selection147148| Platform | Recommended Format | Reason |149|----------|-------------------|--------|150| PC | OGG Vorbis, WAV | Quality, no licensing |151| Console | Platform-specific | Certification |152| Mobile | MP3, AAC | Size, compatibility |153| Web | WebM/Opus, MP3 fallback | Browser support |154155### Memory Budget156157| Game Type | Audio Budget | Strategy |158|-----------|--------------|----------|159| Mobile casual | 10-50 MB | Compressed, fewer variants |160| PC indie | 100-500 MB | Quality focus |161| AAA | 1+ GB | Full quality, many variants |162163---164165## 7. Mix Hierarchy166167### Volume Balance Reference168169| Category | Relative Level | Notes |170|----------|----------------|-------|171| **Voice** | 0 dB (reference) | Always clear |172| **Player SFX** | -3 to -6 dB | Prominent but not harsh |173| **Music** | -6 to -12 dB | Foundation, ducks for voice |174| **Enemy SFX** | -6 to -9 dB | Important but not dominant |175| **Ambient** | -12 to -18 dB | Subtle background |176177### Ducking Rules178179| When | Duck What | Amount |180|------|-----------|--------|181| Voice plays | Music, Ambient | -6 to -9 dB |182| Explosion | All except explosion | Brief duck |183| Menu open | Gameplay audio | -3 to -6 dB |184185---186187## 8. Anti-Patterns188189| Don't | Do |190|-------|-----|191| Play same sound repeatedly | Use variations (3-5 per sound) |192| Max volume everything | Use proper mix hierarchy |193| Ignore silence | Silence creates contrast |194| One music track loops forever | Provide variety, transitions |195| Skip audio in prototype | Placeholder audio matters |196197---198199> **Remember:** 50% of the game experience is audio. A muted game loses half its soul.200201## When to Use202This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.203204## Limitations205- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.206- Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.207- Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.
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