Designing for scale

Unlike art, which is multiplicative, making sound effects is a completely additive process. As an example, if we have 100 sounds without paying attention to the volume or frequency range of them, this can end up creating a lot of clutter. In the space of a video game, we must be prepared for any sounds, whether it’s a sword swipe, ambient sound, an orchestral score, or a voiceover reading, to be played at the same time. We have tools to control these sounds individually, but we must make sure that we have what’s called a balanced mix.

How to approach making sounds for a game

So where do sounds go in your game? Sounds can often go overlooked since they are technically not necessary to make what is defined as a “game.” And because of this, it’s tough to think immediately about what needs sound and what doesn’t.

Put quite simply, I like to look for anything that moves in a game. Even down to the smallest subtleties...