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Managing Your Game Audio Budget: Essential Guidelines
Working in game audio can be incredibly fun - from jamming on guitars around a campfire to experimenting with cutting-edge sound tools like Kyma and Korg Kaoss Pad. However, behind the scenes, there’s a growing challenge: managing tight budgets. Without a solid understanding of how to estimate and control audio costs, game developers risk expensive overruns that can derail their projects.


Audio Design: Why What We Hear Matters
Of all our senses, hearing serves as our most effective early warning system. When we sleep, our eyes close and even our sense of smell becomes less responsive. This is precisely why audible smoke alarms are essential—they’re the only sense-trigger still active when we’re unconscious.
Unlike sight, which has a limited field of view, hearing operates in a 360-degree sphere, alerting us to what’s happening in every direction.


The State Of Game Audio
Game audio today plays a crucial and expansive role in delivering immersive player experiences. Despite often coming late in the production process, audio is not merely an afterthought—it’s a vital layer that shapes gameplay, emotion, and immersion. Understanding the evolving landscape of game audio and its demands is essential for producers, developers, and audio professionals alike.


Variation Is Needed To Avoid Repetitive Audio
Stephan Schutze Location Recordist , Sound Designer, Game Audio  Specialist Li & Ortega Pte Ltd Game Audio & Custom Music Outsourcing...


The Neuropsychology of Engagement: An Audio Perspective
In today’s saturated digital landscape, capturing and maintaining user engagement is more critical - and more challenging - than ever....


First-Person Shooter Gun Sound Design
I'd like to share my process for designing gun sounds specifically for first-person shooters. Over the years, I’ve found that layering...


Rethinking Project Design in Game Audio and Development
In creative technology, especially within game audio  and interactive media, there's a pervasive myth: that the more complex something...


The Hidden Cost of Revenue Share Deals
Let me preface this with the following: This does not aim to cast those who use revenue share deals as evil - it simply aims to frame the...


The Game Industry and Its Cycles: Is There Any Hope?
I’ve been working in the game industry for a long time now, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that this business is full of ups...


Smaller and More Focused Teams Make Better Games
After decades in game development, I’ve seen trends come and go - but it’s become clear to me that small, focused teams build incredible...


Music Affects Retention and Spending in Mobile Slots
In the competitive mobile slot gaming market, player retention and spending are the primary drivers of success. While visuals and...


How To Work With A Game Audio Outsourcing Partner
There are a number of things you might expect a game audio  and custom music outsourcing company to do - namely music  and sound . But...


Types Of Sound Effects
Not sure where to start when creating a list of game audio assets, or how to organize it? Here's a helpful reference list of some of the...


Budgeting for an Outsource Game Audio Team
I. Introduction Game audio is critical in creating immersive, memorable experiences, but not every studio has an in-house audio team,...


The 7 Deadly Sins of AAA Game Audio
Hi, I’m Levon Schwartz , I’ve led audio teams at Zynga and Ubisoft on titles like Star Wars Hunters and Assassin’s Creed, and I’ve...


AI In Sound Design: We're Not There Yet
AI is a useful creative tool.. except when it isn’t. Everyone is talking about AI right now, and of course everyone is trying to sell you...


The 7 Deadly Sins Of Game Voiceovers
Hi, I’m Alexander Brandon , and I’ve been voice acting in video games for decades, including Skyrim, DC Universe Online, Hearthstone, and...


The 7 Deadly Sins Of Music For Advertising
Hi, I’m Xiao'an Li  , co-founder of Li & Ortega  . I’ve created custom music for international advertising campaigns for Samsung,...


The 7 Deadly Sins Of Mobile Game Audio
7 Deadly Sins Of Mobile Game Audio Hi, I’m Dr. David Luis Ortega , I’ve composed music for mobile games like Where’s My Water, MyVegas,...


The World May Be A Madhouse, But My Custom Music Deliveries Are Pristine.
Generative AI bros will tell you that the craft of composing custom music is something best automated, so that we can focus on the...
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