game-audio
Game audio principles.
Full skill instructions
Sound design and music integration for immersive game experiences.
| 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 |
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)
| 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 |
| 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 |
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
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | Sound Behavior |
|---|---|
| Near | Full volume, full frequency |
| Medium | Volume falloff, high-freq rolloff |
| Far | Low volume, low-pass filter |
| Max | Silent or ambient hint |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.
Design LLM applications using the LangChain framework with agents, memory, and tool integration patterns. Use when building LangChain applications, implementing AI agents, or creating complex LLM workflows.
Master Next.js 14+ App Router with Server Components, streaming, parallel routes, and advanced data fetching. Use when building Next.js applications, implementing SSR/SSG, or optimizing React Server Components.
This skill should be used when the user asks about "key startup
You are a frontend security specialist focusing on Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability detection and prevention. Analyze React, Vue, Angular, and vanilla JavaScript code to identify injection poi
You are a configuration management expert specializing in validating, testing, and ensuring the correctness of application configurations. Create comprehensive validation schemas, implement configurat
This skill should be used when the user asks to "test for XSS vulnerabilities", "perform cross-site scripting attacks", "identify HTML injection flaws", "exploit client-side injection vulnerabilities", "steal cookies via XSS", or "bypass content security policies". It provides comprehensive techn...
Build production-ready Node.js backend services with Express/Fastify, implementing middleware patterns, error handling, authentication, database integration, and API design best practices. Use when creating Node.js servers, REST APIs, GraphQL backends, or microservices architectures.
Build read models and projections from event streams. Use when implementing CQRS read sides, building materialized views, or optimizing query performance in event-sourced systems.
Architecting real-time Voice AI agents.
Expert backend architect specializing in scalable API design,
Creates comprehensive content outlines and topic clusters for SEO.
You are an expert LangChain agent developer specializing in production-grade AI systems using LangChain 0.1+ and LangGraph.
Generate, edit, and beat-sync AI video with leading models in one workspace.
The world's fastest calendar for remote work
Transform Your Design with AI Designer by ImgCreator.ai
Revolutionizing Video Production with AI-Powered Creativity
Extend an image past the frame and let AI fill the new aspect ratio.
Discover your celebrity doppelgänger with StarByFace!
ChainClarity explains 700+ crypto whitepapers in plain English, with layered summaries, comparisons, research tools, alerts, and a $4.99 Pro plan.
Opus.ai: Revolutionize Your Web Experience