Unlock Audio Share Expert Tips for Better Game Sound Design

This article was written by Michelle Thomas from Unlock Audio, who is happy to share their expert tips for superior sound design!

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If you're looking for faster, easier, and cooler sound design, internalise these important tips straight from Unlock Audio’s producer, project manager, and all-around facilitator of game audio success, Michelle Thomas.

      Treat Game Audio the Same As You Would Art

Allowing someone to champion a consistent audio vision across music, SFX, and voice offers countless advantages for producing games with a commanding audio presence.

Sound designers can create new audio assets all throughout development, but developers can set the stage for the best possible implementation of these assets by establishing a clear audio vision early between engineering and audio teams.

Proper preparation for implementation requires technical sound designers and engineers to be aligned on how audio systems will work best before too much of the game's foundation has been built.

By putting sound design off until later in development, devs risk the need to make major, avoidable compromises in the quality and efficiency of their audio implementation given a lack of time.

      Use Close Collaboration to Your Best Benefit

Whether you're working with an internal audio team or an outsource audio partner like Unlock Audio, it's essential to maintain a strong framework for collaboration, starting with clear point-persons between audio and development teams.

Having a dedicated audio project manager/producer provides partners with a lot of flexibility and opens doors to how they can create the coolest-sounding games possible.

Opening a direct line of communication between lead creatives and an audio-side producer has proven helpful to process feedback and get quick clarification or confirmation when needed, keeping audio outputs and inputs flowing.

      Give Technical Sound Designers Room to Reign

On an even deeper note, studios should feel confident giving audio implementation teams direct access to back-end project files and blueprints.

Allowing them visibility into the back-end is not a means of circumventing engineering teams, but rather a proactive approach that creates opportunity for stronger collaboration between audio and engineering.

Since technical sound designers are looking through the lens of how audio works as a system, they're crucial players in developer collaborations to make sound work its hardest for an optimal gameplay experience - no compromises.

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