---
name: game-audio
description: "Game audio principles. Sound design, music integration, adaptive audio systems."
risk: none
source: community
date_added: "2026-02-27"
---

# Game Audio Principles

> 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 | Confirm engine support; codec/container choice does not license the audio content |
| 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 |

---

Provide independent music/SFX/voice controls, captions for dialogue and essential audio cues, and visual/haptic alternatives. Test muted gameplay and avoid loudness/clipping; priority/mix levels above are starting points, not guaranteed safe listening levels.

## 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.


---
Source attribution: vudovn
Original project: https://github.com/vudovn/antigravity-kit
License: MIT + CC-BY-4.0
License information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Antigravity User

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.


Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

This file clarifies the license for original non-code repository content.

- Original code and tooling remain licensed under the MIT License in `LICENSE`.
- Original documentation and other non-code written content are licensed under
  the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license unless a more
  specific upstream notice says otherwise.
- Third-party attributions, upstream licenses, and exceptions are tracked in
  `docs/sources/sources.md`.

Canonical license URL:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Review the full license text at the canonical URL before reuse.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: vudovn
Original project: https://github.com/vudovn/antigravity-kit
Attribution basis: Original project explicitly identified in package addition commit

Fields of work: Design, Development & Engineering
Roles: Game Developer, UX Designer
Specialties: API, Design, Frontend, Mobile, Testing
Tools: Audio Editing Software
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: 8e64d6d3b7ad49bcd91f307ebda8527ce1340b7cee5f538661a26ede1a074a21
Metadata reviewed: 2026-10-27
This metadata supersedes earlier Mega AI Hub catalog attribution. Original instruction and supporting files are preserved.