Game Audio

Game Audio

Identity

Role: Game Audio Specialist

Personality: You are a seasoned audio director who has shipped dozens of AAA and indie titles. You think about sound as a core pillar of player experience, not an afterthought. You balance creative artistry with technical optimization, knowing that the best audio in the world means nothing if it causes frame drops or memory issues.

You speak with authority about:

• Emotional impact of sound design choices
• Technical constraints of real-time audio
• Middleware architecture decisions
• Platform-specific audio requirements
• Performance budgets and optimization strategies

You push back when developers treat audio as "just adding sounds." You advocate for audio being integrated early in development, not bolted on at the end.

Expertise:

• Sound design for games (SFX, ambience, Foley)
• Adaptive and interactive music systems
• Spatial audio and 3D sound positioning
• Audio middleware (FMOD Studio, Audiokinetic Wwise)
• Engine-native audio (Unity, Unreal, Godot)
• Audio buses, mixing, and mastering for games
• Voice/VO pipeline and lip-sync integration
• Memory management for audio assets
• Streaming vs preloaded audio strategies
• Platform-specific audio optimization (console, mobile, VR)
• Procedural audio and synthesis
• Audio occlusion and reverb systems

Reference System Usage

You must ground your responses in the provided reference files, treating them as the source of truth for this domain:

• For Creation: Always consult `references/patterns.md`. This file dictates how things should be built. Ignore generic approaches if a specific pattern exists here.
• For Diagnosis: Always consult `references/sharp_edges.md`. This file lists the critical failures and "why" they happen. Use it to explain risks to the user.
• For Review: Always consult `references/validations.md`. This contains the strict rules and constraints. Use it to validate user inputs objectively.

Note: If a user's request conflicts with the guidance in these files, politely correct them using the information provided in the references.

Game Audio Design & Implementation

Patterns

---

Name

Audio Manager Singleton

Description

Centralized audio management with proper initialization and cleanup

When

Setting up audio system architecture

Example

// Unity example - proper audio manager public class AudioManager : MonoBehaviour { public static AudioManager Instance { get; private set; }

[SerializeField] private AudioMixerGroup masterGroup; [SerializeField] private AudioMixerGroup musicGroup; [SerializeField] private AudioMixerGroup sfxGroup; [SerializeField] private AudioMixerGroup ambientGroup;

private AudioSourcePool sfxPool; private Dictionary<string, AudioClip> loadedClips;

private void Awake() { if (Instance != null) { Destroy(gameObject); return; } Instance = this; DontDestroyOnLoad(gameObject);

InitializePools(); LoadCriticalAudio(); }

private void InitializePools() { sfxPool = new AudioSourcePool(transform, sfxGroup, poolSize: 32); } }

---

Name

Audio Source Pooling

Description

Reuse AudioSources instead of creating/destroying them

When

Playing frequent sound effects

Why

Prevents GC allocation spikes and improves performance

Example

public class AudioSourcePool { private Queue<AudioSource> available; private List<AudioSource> active; private Transform parent; private AudioMixerGroup mixerGroup;

public AudioSourcePool(Transform parent, AudioMixerGroup group, int poolSize) { this.parent = parent; this.mixerGroup = group; available = new Queue<AudioSource>(poolSize); active = new List<AudioSource>(poolSize);

for (int i = 0; i < poolSize; i++) { CreateSource(); } }

public AudioSource Get() { AudioSource source; if (available.Count > 0) { source = available.Dequeue(); } else { // Pool exhausted - steal oldest or expand source = StealOldestOrExpand(); } active.Add(source); return source; }

public void Return(AudioSource source) { source.Stop(); source.clip = null; active.Remove(source); available.Enqueue(source); } }

---

Name

Spatial Audio Setup

Description

Configure 3D audio with proper falloff and spatialization

When

Implementing positional audio in 3D games

Example

// FMOD example - 3D event setup FMOD.Studio.EventInstance CreateSpatialEvent(string eventPath, Vector3 position) { FMOD.Studio.EventInstance instance; FMODUnity.RuntimeManager.CreateInstance(eventPath, out instance);

// Set 3D attributes FMOD.ATTRIBUTES_3D attributes = FMODUnity.RuntimeUtils.To3DAttributes(position); instance.set3DAttributes(attributes);

// Configure spatializer instance.setParameterByName("Distance", 0f);

return instance; }

// Configure listener void UpdateListener(Transform listenerTransform) { FMODUnity.RuntimeManager.SetListenerLocation( 0, // Listener index listenerTransform.position, listenerTransform.forward, listenerTransform.up ); }

---

Name

Adaptive Music System

Description

Music that responds to gameplay states

When

Implementing dynamic game music

Example

// State-based music system public class AdaptiveMusicSystem { private FMOD.Studio.EventInstance musicInstance; private string currentState;

public void Initialize(string musicEventPath) { FMODUnity.RuntimeManager.CreateInstance(musicEventPath, out musicInstance); musicInstance.start(); }

public void SetGameState(GameState state) { // Transition music based on game state switch (state) { case GameState.Exploration: SetMusicParameter("Intensity", 0f, transitionTime: 2f); SetMusicParameter("Combat", 0f, transitionTime: 1f); break;

case GameState.Combat: SetMusicParameter("Intensity", 1f, transitionTime: 0.5f); SetMusicParameter("Combat", 1f, transitionTime: 0.3f); break;

case GameState.Boss: SetMusicParameter("Intensity", 1f, transitionTime: 0.1f); SetMusicParameter("BossPhase", 1f, transitionTime: 0f); break; } }

private void SetMusicParameter(string param, float value, float transitionTime) { // FMOD handles smooth transitions internally musicInstance.setParameterByName(param, value); } }

---

Name

Audio Bus Architecture

Description

Proper routing and mixing hierarchy

When

Setting up audio mixing

Example

// Recommended bus hierarchy: // Master // |- Music // | |- Music_Gameplay // | |- Music_Menu // | // |- SFX // | |- SFX_Player // | |- SFX_Enemies // | |- SFX_Environment // | |- SFX_UI // | // |- Voice // | |- Voice_Dialogue // | |- Voice_Barks // | // |- Ambient // |- Ambient_World // |- Ambient_Weather

// Unity AudioMixer setup via code public void SetBusVolume(string exposedParam, float linearVolume) { // Convert linear (0-1) to decibels float db = linearVolume > 0.0001f ? 20f * Mathf.Log10(linearVolume) : -80f; audioMixer.SetFloat(exposedParam, db); }

// Ducking system public void DuckForDialogue(bool duck) { float targetDb = duck ? -6f : 0f; StartCoroutine(FadeBus("MusicDuck", targetDb, 0.3f)); StartCoroutine(FadeBus("SFXDuck", targetDb, 0.3f)); }

---

Name

Memory-Conscious Audio Loading

Description

Strategic loading and unloading of audio assets

When

Managing audio memory budget

Example

public class AudioAssetManager { private Dictionary<string, AudioClip> preloadedClips; private Dictionary<string, string> streamingPaths;

// Preload critical, frequently-used sounds public async Task PreloadCriticalAudio() { string[] criticalSounds = { "Player/Footsteps", "Player/Jump", "UI/Click", "UI/Hover" };

foreach (var path in criticalSounds) { var clip = await LoadClipAsync(path); preloadedClips[path] = clip; } }

// Stream large files (music, long ambiences) public void RegisterStreamingAudio(string key, string path) { streamingPaths[key] = path; }

// Unload scene-specific audio public void UnloadSceneAudio(string sceneName) { var keysToRemove = preloadedClips.Keys .Where(k => k.StartsWith($"Scenes/{sceneName}")) .ToList();

foreach (var key in keysToRemove) { Resources.UnloadAsset(preloadedClips[key]); preloadedClips.Remove(key); } } }

---

Name

Audio Occlusion System

Description

Realistic sound blocking by geometry

When

Implementing environmental audio realism

Example

public class AudioOcclusionSystem { private const int MAX_OCCLUSION_RAYS = 5; private LayerMask occlusionMask;

public float CalculateOcclusion(Vector3 source, Vector3 listener) { float totalOcclusion = 0f;

// Cast multiple rays for more accurate occlusion Vector3[] offsets = GetRayOffsets(source, listener);

foreach (var offset in offsets) { Vector3 rayStart = source + offset; Vector3 direction = listener - rayStart; float distance = direction.magnitude;

if (Physics.Raycast(rayStart, direction.normalized, out RaycastHit hit, distance, occlusionMask)) { // Calculate occlusion based on material float materialOcclusion = GetMaterialOcclusion(hit.collider); totalOcclusion += materialOcclusion; } }

return Mathf.Clamp01(totalOcclusion / MAX_OCCLUSION_RAYS); }

public void ApplyOcclusion(FMOD.Studio.EventInstance instance, float occlusion) { // Apply low-pass filter and volume reduction instance.setParameterByName("Occlusion", occlusion); } }

Anti-Patterns

---

Name

Creating AudioSources at Runtime

Description

Instantiating and destroying AudioSources causes GC spikes

Why Bad

Memory allocation during gameplay causes frame hitches

Fix

Use audio source pooling - pre-allocate and reuse

Severity

high

---

Name

Loading All Audio Upfront

Description

Loading every sound file at game start

Why Bad

Excessive memory usage and long load times

Fix

Categorize audio: preload critical, stream large, load on-demand

Severity

high

---

Name

Ignoring Platform Audio Limits

Description

Not accounting for platform voice limits

Why Bad

Mobile has 32-64 voices, console 128-256 - exceeding causes dropouts

Fix

Implement voice stealing, priority systems, and virtualization

Severity

high

---

Name

Linear Volume Sliders

Description

Using linear 0-1 values directly for volume

Why Bad

Human hearing is logarithmic - linear feels wrong

Fix

Convert to decibels: dB = 20 * log10(linear)

Severity

medium

---

Name

Hardcoded Audio References

Description

Referencing audio clips directly in gameplay code

Why Bad

Tight coupling, hard to iterate on sound design

Fix

Use audio events/IDs, data-driven sound tables

Severity

medium

---

Name

No Audio Prioritization

Description

All sounds treated equally

Why Bad

Important sounds get drowned out or stolen

Fix

Implement priority system - player > enemies > ambient

Severity

medium

---

Name

Uncompressed Audio in Builds

Description

Shipping WAV or uncompressed audio

Why Bad

Massive file sizes, memory waste

Fix

Use appropriate compression: Vorbis for music, ADPCM for SFX

Severity

high

---

Name

Synchronous Audio Loading

Description

Loading audio on main thread during gameplay

Why Bad

Causes frame spikes and stuttering

Fix

Use async loading, preload during transitions

Severity

high

Game Audio - Sharp Edges

Audio Source Pool Exhaustion

Id

audio-source-pooling-exhaustion

Severity

critical

Symptoms

• Sounds randomly not playing
• Audio cutting out during intense scenes
• No errors but missing sound effects
• Works in editor, fails on device

Cause

Audio source pool is exhausted because too many sounds play simultaneously. The pool silently fails to provide sources, or steals from playing sounds.

Detection

Pattern

new AudioSource|AddComponent<AudioSource>|Instantiate.*Audio

Context

Runtime audio source creation instead of pooling

Fix

1. Pre-allocate audio source pool at startup 2. Implement priority-based voice stealing 3. Set maximum concurrent sounds per category 4. Add pool exhaustion warnings in debug builds

  // Priority-based voice stealing
  public AudioSource GetSource(AudioPriority priority)
  {
      if (available.Count > 0)
          return available.Dequeue();
  
      // Steal from lower priority
      var stealable = active
          .Where(s => s.priority < priority)
          .OrderBy(s => s.priority)
          .ThenBy(s => s.timeRemaining)
          .FirstOrDefault();
  
      if (stealable != null)
      {
          stealable.Stop();
          return stealable;
      }
  
      Debug.LogWarning($"Pool exhausted for priority {priority}");
      return null; // Or expand pool
  }

Platforms

• all

Tags

• pooling
• performance
• voice-management

Spatial Audio Falloff Misconfiguration

Id

spatial-audio-falloff-curves

Severity

high

Symptoms

• 3D sounds too quiet or too loud
• Sound doesn't fade with distance
• Audio feels 'flat' or unrealistic
• Sounds cut off abruptly at max distance

Cause

Default linear falloff doesn't match real-world acoustics. Min/max distance not tuned for game's scale. Rolloff mode doesn't match environment type.

Detection

Pattern

spatialBlend.=.1|rolloffMode.=.Linear|minDistance.=.1

Context

Default spatial audio settings

Fix

1. Use logarithmic rolloff for realistic environments 2. Tune min distance (sounds at full volume within this) 3. Set max distance based on game scale 4. Use custom curves for stylized games

  // Configure spatial audio properly
  void ConfigureSpatialSource(AudioSource source, AudioType type)
  {
      source.spatialBlend = 1f; // Full 3D
  
      switch (type)
      {
          case AudioType.Gunshot:
              source.rolloffMode = AudioRolloffMode.Logarithmic;
              source.minDistance = 5f;   // Full volume within 5m
              source.maxDistance = 100f; // Inaudible beyond 100m
              source.spread = 30f;       // Directional
              break;
  
          case AudioType.Footstep:
              source.rolloffMode = AudioRolloffMode.Logarithmic;
              source.minDistance = 1f;
              source.maxDistance = 20f;
              source.spread = 60f;
              break;
  
          case AudioType.Ambient:
              source.rolloffMode = AudioRolloffMode.Linear;
              source.minDistance = 10f;
              source.maxDistance = 50f;
              source.spread = 180f; // Wide
              break;
      }
  }

Platforms

• all

Tags

• spatial
• 3d-audio
• configuration

Audio Compression Quality Issues

Id

compression-quality-tradeoffs

Severity

high

Symptoms

• Metallic or 'underwater' sound quality
• Audible artifacts on sustained notes
• Looping audio has clicks/pops
• Build size unexpectedly large

Cause

Wrong compression format or quality settings for audio type. Over-compression destroys quality, under-compression wastes memory.

Detection

Pattern

loadType.DecompressOnLoad|compressionFormat.PCM

Context

Suboptimal audio import settings

Fix

Use format based on audio type:

  // Unity AudioImporter settings example
  void ConfigureAudioImport(AudioImporter importer, AudioCategory category)
  {
      var settings = importer.defaultSampleSettings;
  
      switch (category)
      {
          case AudioCategory.Music:
              settings.loadType = AudioClipLoadType.Streaming;
              settings.compressionFormat = AudioCompressionFormat.Vorbis;
              settings.quality = 0.7f;
              break;
  
          case AudioCategory.ShortSFX:
              settings.loadType = AudioClipLoadType.DecompressOnLoad;
              settings.compressionFormat = AudioCompressionFormat.ADPCM;
              break;
  
          case AudioCategory.Voice:
              settings.loadType = AudioClipLoadType.CompressedInMemory;
              settings.compressionFormat = AudioCompressionFormat.Vorbis;
              settings.quality = 0.75f;
              break;
      }
  
      importer.defaultSampleSettings = settings;
  }

Platforms

• all

Tags

• compression
• quality
• optimization

Audio Memory Exhaustion

Id

audio-memory-management

Severity

critical

Symptoms

• Out of memory crashes
• Audio stops working mid-session
• Performance degradation over time
• Mobile app killed by OS

Cause

Audio clips not unloaded when no longer needed. DecompressOnLoad used for large files. Streaming audio not properly released. FMOD/Wwise banks not unloaded on scene change.

Detection

Pattern

Resources.Load<AudioClip>|AudioClip.Create|loadType.*DecompressOnLoad

Context

Audio loading without corresponding unload

Fix

1. Track loaded audio assets 2. Unload scene-specific audio on scene exit 3. Use streaming for music and long ambiences 4. Implement audio memory budget system

  public class AudioMemoryManager
  {
      private long memoryBudget;
      private long currentUsage;
      private Dictionary<string, AudioClipHandle> loadedClips;
  
      public async Task<AudioClip> LoadClip(string path, bool persistent = false)
      {
          if (loadedClips.TryGetValue(path, out var handle))
          {
              handle.refCount++;
              return handle.clip;
          }
  
          var clip = await Resources.LoadAsync<AudioClip>(path) as AudioClip;
          long clipMemory = EstimateMemory(clip);
  
          // Check budget before loading
          while (currentUsage + clipMemory > memoryBudget)
          {
              if (!EvictLeastUsed())
              {
                  Debug.LogError($"Cannot load {path}: memory budget exceeded");
                  return null;
              }
          }
  
          loadedClips[path] = new AudioClipHandle(clip, persistent);
          currentUsage += clipMemory;
          return clip;
      }
  
      public void ReleaseClip(string path)
      {
          if (loadedClips.TryGetValue(path, out var handle))
          {
              handle.refCount--;
              if (handle.refCount <= 0 && !handle.persistent)
              {
                  currentUsage -= EstimateMemory(handle.clip);
                  Resources.UnloadAsset(handle.clip);
                  loadedClips.Remove(path);
              }
          }
      }
  }

Platforms

• all
• mobile
• console

Tags

• memory
• loading
• performance

Wrong Streaming/Preload Strategy

Id

streaming-vs-preload-decisions

Severity

high

Symptoms

• Audio plays with delay on first trigger
• Disk/storage thrashing
• Memory usage spikes
• Audio skips during streaming

Cause

Small frequently-used sounds set to streaming (adds latency). Large music/ambient set to preload (wastes memory). Streaming buffer size not tuned for platform.

Detection

Pattern

Streaming.short|DecompressOnLoad.music|DecompressOnLoad.*ambient

Context

Mismatched load strategy for audio type

Fix

Decision matrix:

  AudioClipLoadType DetermineLoadType(AudioClip clip, AudioUsage usage)
  {
      float duration = clip.length;
      bool isFrequent = usage == AudioUsage.Frequent;
  
      // Short, frequent sounds: decompress for instant playback
      if (duration < 2f && isFrequent)
          return AudioClipLoadType.DecompressOnLoad;
  
      // Medium sounds: keep compressed in memory
      if (duration < 30f)
          return AudioClipLoadType.CompressedInMemory;
  
      // Long sounds, music, ambience: stream
      return AudioClipLoadType.Streaming;
  }

Platforms

• all

Tags

• streaming
• memory
• latency

Platform Voice Limit Violations

Id

platform-voice-limits

Severity

critical

Symptoms

• Sounds randomly cut out
• Works on PC, fails on console/mobile
• Audio system becomes unresponsive
• Priority sounds not playing

Cause

Exceeding platform hardware voice limits. Mobile: 32-64 voices, Console: 128-256, PC: software limited. Not implementing voice virtualization or stealing.

Detection

Pattern

PlayOneShot|Play\(\)|audioSource.Play

Context

Unmanaged audio playback without voice limiting

Fix

Platform limits:

• iOS: 32 voices
• Android: 32-64 voices (varies by device)
• Switch: 48 voices
• PS5/Xbox: 256+ voices
• PC: 1024+ (software limit)

  public class VoiceManager
  {
      private int maxVoices;
      private int reservedForPriority;
      private List<VoiceHandle> activeVoices;
  
      public VoiceManager(Platform platform)
      {
          maxVoices = GetPlatformVoiceLimit(platform);
          reservedForPriority = maxVoices / 4; // Reserve 25% for high priority
      }
  
      public VoiceHandle RequestVoice(AudioPriority priority)
      {
          int currentCount = activeVoices.Count;
  
          // Always allow high priority in reserved pool
          if (priority == AudioPriority.Critical)
          {
              if (currentCount >= maxVoices)
                  StealLowestPriority();
              return AllocateVoice();
          }
  
          // Normal priority respects reserved voices
          int availableForNormal = maxVoices - reservedForPriority;
          int normalCount = activeVoices.Count(v => v.priority < AudioPriority.Critical);
  
          if (normalCount >= availableForNormal)
          {
              // Try to steal lower priority
              var stealable = activeVoices
                  .Where(v => v.priority < priority)
                  .OrderBy(v => v.priority)
                  .FirstOrDefault();
  
              if (stealable != null)
              {
                  stealable.Stop();
                  return AllocateVoice();
              }
  
              // Virtualize instead of playing
              return CreateVirtualVoice();
          }
  
          return AllocateVoice();
      }
  }

Platforms

• mobile
• console
• all

Tags

• platform
• voices
• limits

Audio Thread Safety Violations

Id

audio-thread-safety

Severity

high

Symptoms

• Random crashes in audio system
• Corrupted audio output
• Deadlocks during audio operations
• Race conditions in audio callbacks

Cause

Accessing audio data from wrong thread. FMOD/Wwise callbacks executed on audio thread. Unity AudioSource modified from background thread.

Detection

Pattern

audioSource\.[a-zA-Z]+\s*=|clip\.[a-zA-Z]+|OnAudioFilterRead

Context

Audio operations potentially from wrong thread

Fix

1. Audio middleware callbacks are on audio thread 2. Queue game state changes, don't execute directly 3. Use main thread dispatcher for Unity operations

  public class ThreadSafeAudioBridge
  {
      private ConcurrentQueue<Action> mainThreadQueue;
      private volatile bool isProcessing;
  
      // Called from FMOD/Wwise audio thread
      public void OnBeatCallback(float beatTime)
      {
          // DON'T do this - Unity API from audio thread
          // gameObject.GetComponent<Animator>().SetTrigger("Beat");
  
          // DO this - queue for main thread
          mainThreadQueue.Enqueue(() =>
          {
              OnBeatMainThread(beatTime);
          });
      }
  
      // Called from Unity Update
      public void ProcessQueue()
      {
          while (mainThreadQueue.TryDequeue(out var action))
          {
              action.Invoke();
          }
      }
  
      private void OnBeatMainThread(float beatTime)
      {
          // Safe to use Unity API here
          animator.SetTrigger("Beat");
      }
  }

Platforms

• all

Tags

• threading
• safety
• callbacks

Audio Loop Click/Pop Artifacts

Id

loop-point-clicks

Severity

medium

Symptoms

• Click or pop when audio loops
• Audible seam in looping music
• Discontinuity at loop point

Cause

Loop point not at zero crossing. Compression artifacts at loop boundaries. Sample rate mismatch.

Detection

Pattern

loop.=.true|isLooping|AudioSource.*loop

Context

Looping audio without proper loop point handling

Fix

1. Set loop points at zero crossings in audio file 2. Use PCM for short loops, high-quality Vorbis for long 3. Add tiny crossfade at loop point 4. Ensure consistent sample rate (44100 or 48000)

  // For programmatic loop crossfade
  public class LoopCrossfader
  {
      private AudioSource sourceA;
      private AudioSource sourceB;
      private float crossfadeDuration = 0.05f; // 50ms
  
      public void UpdateLoop()
      {
          var activeSource = sourceA.isPlaying ? sourceA : sourceB;
          var inactiveSource = sourceA.isPlaying ? sourceB : sourceA;
  
          float timeRemaining = activeSource.clip.length - activeSource.time;
  
          if (timeRemaining <= crossfadeDuration)
          {
              // Start crossfade
              inactiveSource.time = 0f;
              inactiveSource.Play();
  
              float t = 1f - (timeRemaining / crossfadeDuration);
              activeSource.volume = Mathf.Lerp(1f, 0f, t);
              inactiveSource.volume = Mathf.Lerp(0f, 1f, t);
          }
      }
  }

Platforms

• all

Tags

• looping
• artifacts
• quality

Reverb Zone Overlap Issues

Id

reverb-zone-stacking

Severity

medium

Symptoms

• Reverb sounds wrong or too heavy
• Sudden reverb changes when moving
• Performance issues with many zones
• Reverb doesn't match environment

Cause

Multiple reverb zones overlapping incorrectly. Zone priorities not set properly. Reverb blend distance too short.

Detection

Pattern

ReverbZone|AudioReverbZone|ReverbPreset

Context

Reverb zone configuration

Fix

1. Set zone priorities (higher = takes precedence) 2. Use blend distance for smooth transitions 3. Limit active zones per area 4. Use snapshots in FMOD/Wwise instead of Unity zones

  // Proper reverb zone setup
  void ConfigureReverbZone(AudioReverbZone zone, ReverbEnvironment env)
  {
      switch (env)
      {
          case ReverbEnvironment.SmallRoom:
              zone.reverbPreset = AudioReverbPreset.Room;
              zone.minDistance = 1f;
              zone.maxDistance = 10f;
              break;
  
          case ReverbEnvironment.LargeHall:
              zone.reverbPreset = AudioReverbPreset.Hall;
              zone.minDistance = 5f;
              zone.maxDistance = 50f;
              break;
  
          case ReverbEnvironment.Cave:
              zone.reverbPreset = AudioReverbPreset.Cave;
              zone.minDistance = 2f;
              zone.maxDistance = 30f;
              break;
  
          case ReverbEnvironment.Outdoor:
              zone.reverbPreset = AudioReverbPreset.Plain;
              zone.minDistance = 10f;
              zone.maxDistance = 100f;
              break;
      }
  }
  
  // FMOD approach - use snapshots
  void TransitionReverbSnapshot(string snapshotPath, float transitionTime)
  {
      FMOD.Studio.EventInstance snapshot;
      FMODUnity.RuntimeManager.CreateInstance(snapshotPath, out snapshot);
      snapshot.start();
  
      // Blend over time
      snapshot.setParameterByName("Intensity", 1f);
  }

Platforms

• all

Tags

• reverb
• spatial
• configuration

Mobile Audio Session Conflicts

Id

mobile-audio-session

Severity

high

Symptoms

• Game audio stops when phone call ends
• Audio interrupted by notifications
• Background audio from other apps plays over game
• Volume duck not working properly

Cause

iOS/Android audio session not configured correctly. Not handling audio interruptions properly. Wrong audio session category.

Detection

Pattern

AudioSession|AVAudioSession|AudioManager.STREAM

Context

Mobile audio session handling

Fix

iOS:

  // Set up audio session for game
  try AVAudioSession.sharedInstance().setCategory(
      .playback,
      mode: .default,
      options: [.mixWithOthers, .duckOthers]
  )
  
  // Handle interruptions
  NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(
      self,
      selector: #selector(handleInterruption),
      name: AVAudioSession.interruptionNotification,
      object: nil
  )

Android:

  // Request audio focus
  AudioFocusRequest focusRequest = new AudioFocusRequest.Builder(
      AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN)
      .setAudioAttributes(gameAudioAttributes)
      .setOnAudioFocusChangeListener(focusChangeListener)
      .build();
  
  audioManager.requestAudioFocus(focusRequest);

Unity:

  // Handle app pause/resume
  void OnApplicationPause(bool paused)
  {
      if (paused)
      {
          // Save audio state
          PauseAllAudio();
      }
      else
      {
          // Reinitialize audio session if needed
          ResumeAllAudio();
      }
  }

Platforms

• mobile
• ios
• android

Tags

• mobile
• session
• interruption

Game Audio - Validations

Runtime AudioSource Creation

Id

runtime-audiosource-creation

Description

Creating AudioSources at runtime causes GC allocation

Severity

error

Category

performance

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

(AddComponent\s<\sAudioSource\s>| new\s+AudioSource| Instantiate.Audio| gameObject\.AddComponent.*AudioSource)

Fix

Use audio source pooling:

  // Instead of: var source = gameObject.AddComponent<AudioSource>();
  var source = audioPool.Get();
  source.clip = clip;
  source.Play();
  // When done: audioPool.Return(source);

Tags

• gc
• pooling
• performance

Unmanaged PlayOneShot Calls

Id

unmanaged-playoneshot

Description

PlayOneShot without voice limiting can exhaust voices

Severity

warning

Category

performance

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

\.PlayOneShot\s*\(

Context Check

Check if called within a managed audio system or directly on AudioSource

Fix

Route through audio manager with voice limiting:

  // Instead of: audioSource.PlayOneShot(clip);
  AudioManager.Instance.PlaySFX(clip, position, priority);

Tags

• voices
• performance

Synchronous Audio Loading

Id

synchronous-audio-load

Description

Loading audio synchronously blocks main thread

Severity

error

Category

performance

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

Resources\.Load\s<\sAudioClip\s>\s\(

Fix

Use async loading:

  // Instead of: var clip = Resources.Load<AudioClip>("path");
  var request = Resources.LoadAsync<AudioClip>("path");
  await request;
  var clip = request.asset as AudioClip;

Tags

• loading
• performance
• async

Audio API from Background Thread

Id

audio-from-wrong-thread

Description

Unity audio API must be called from main thread

Severity

error

Category

threading

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

(Task\.Run|ThreadPool|new\s+Thread|async\s+Task)[\s\S]{0,500}(audioSource|AudioSource|\.Play\(|\.Stop\(|\.volume)

Fix

Queue audio operations for main thread:

  // Use main thread dispatcher
  MainThreadDispatcher.Enqueue(() => {
      audioSource.Play();
  });

Tags

• threading
• safety

Missing Audio Resource Unload

Id

missing-audio-unload

Description

Loaded audio clips without corresponding unload

Severity

warning

Category

memory

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

Resources\.Load.*AudioClip

Negative Pattern

Resources\.UnloadAsset|Resources\.UnloadUnusedAssets

Fix

Track and unload audio resources:

  // When done with clip:
  Resources.UnloadAsset(clip);
  // Or during scene transitions:
  Resources.UnloadUnusedAssets();

Tags

• memory
• loading

Linear Volume Scale

Id

linear-volume-scale

Description

Using linear volume instead of logarithmic (dB)

Severity

info

Category

quality

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

\.volume\s=\s[0-9.]+f?\s*[;,)]

Context Check

Check if value is computed using Log or decibel conversion

Fix

Convert to decibels for perceptually correct volume:

  // Linear to dB conversion
  float LinearToDecibel(float linear)
  {
      return linear > 0.0001f
          ? 20f * Mathf.Log10(linear)
          : -80f;
  }
  
  // Use with AudioMixer exposed parameter
  mixer.SetFloat("MasterVolume", LinearToDecibel(slider.value));

Tags

• audio-quality
• mixing

Hardcoded Audio Path

Id

hardcoded-audio-path

Description

Audio paths hardcoded in gameplay code

Severity

info

Category

architecture

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

(Load|PlayOneShot|clip\s=)\s.["'].\.(wav|mp3|ogg|aif)["']

Fix

Use audio event IDs or ScriptableObject references:

  // Define audio events in ScriptableObject
  [CreateAssetMenu]
  public class AudioEventLibrary : ScriptableObject
  {
      public AudioEvent playerJump;
      public AudioEvent playerLand;
      // ...
  }
  
  // Reference in code
  audioManager.Play(audioLibrary.playerJump);

Tags

• architecture
• maintainability

Missing Spatial Audio Configuration

Id

missing-spatial-setup

Description

3D audio source without proper spatial settings

Severity

warning

Category

configuration

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

spatialBlend\s=\s1(?![\s\S]{0,200}(minDistance|maxDistance|rolloffMode))

Fix

Configure spatial audio properties:

  source.spatialBlend = 1f;
  source.rolloffMode = AudioRolloffMode.Logarithmic;
  source.minDistance = 2f;
  source.maxDistance = 50f;
  source.spread = 45f;

Tags

• spatial
• configuration

Missing Audio Priority

Id

no-audio-priority

Description

AudioSource without priority setting

Severity

info

Category

voice-management

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

AudioSource[\s\S]{0,100}\.Play\(\)(?![\s\S]{0,50}priority)

Fix

Set audio priority (0=highest, 256=lowest):

  source.priority = 0;   // Critical sounds (player, UI)
  source.priority = 128; // Normal sounds (environment)
  source.priority = 256; // Low priority (distant ambient)

Tags

• priority
• voice-management

FMOD Event Not Released

Id

fmod-event-not-released

Description

FMOD EventInstance created but never released

Severity

error

Category

memory

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

(CreateInstance|RuntimeManager\.CreateInstance)(?![\s\S]{0,500}(\.release\(\)|STOP_MODE\.ALLOWFADEOUT))

Fix

Always release FMOD events:

  // One-shot event
  instance.start();
  instance.release(); // Will clean up after sound ends
  
  // Or stop with fadeout then release
  instance.stop(FMOD.Studio.STOP_MODE.ALLOWFADEOUT);
  instance.release();

Tags

• fmod
• memory

FMOD Bank Not Unloaded

Id

fmod-bank-not-unloaded

Description

FMOD bank loaded but never unloaded

Severity

warning

Category

memory

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

RuntimeManager\.LoadBank(?![\s\S]{0,1000}UnloadBank)

Fix

Unload banks on scene exit:

  void OnDestroy()
  {
      FMODUnity.RuntimeManager.UnloadBank("SceneAudio");
  }

Tags

• fmod
• memory
• banks

Wwise Event Not Stopped

Id

wwise-event-not-stopped

Description

Wwise event posted without stop handling

Severity

warning

Category

memory

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

PostEvent(?![\s\S]{0,500}(StopPlayingID|Stop\(|ExecuteActionOnEvent.*Stop))

Fix

Track and stop Wwise events:

  uint playingId = AkSoundEngine.PostEvent("PlayAmbient", gameObject);
  
  // When done:
  AkSoundEngine.StopPlayingID(playingId);
  // Or stop all on object:
  AkSoundEngine.StopAll(gameObject);

Tags

• wwise
• memory

Uncompressed Audio on Mobile

Id

mobile-uncompressed-audio

Description

PCM or uncompressed audio in mobile build

Severity

error

Category

platform

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

compressionFormat\s=\sAudioCompressionFormat\.PCM

Context Check

Check if this is for mobile platform settings

Fix

Use compressed formats on mobile:

  #if UNITY_IOS || UNITY_ANDROID
      settings.compressionFormat = AudioCompressionFormat.Vorbis;
      settings.quality = 0.5f; // Lower quality for mobile
  #endif

Tags

• mobile
• compression
• platform

Too Many Streaming Audio Sources

Id

too-many-streaming-sources

Description

Multiple streaming sources can cause I/O bottlenecks

Severity

warning

Category

performance

Languages

• csharp

Pattern

loadType\s=\sAudioClipLoadType\.Streaming

Context Check

Count streaming sources - should be limited to 2-4

Fix

Limit streaming sources:

• Maximum 2-4 simultaneous streaming sources
• Use CompressedInMemory for short-medium files
• Reserve streaming for music and long ambiences

Tags

• streaming
• performance
• io