audio-design

1# Audio design
2 
3Game audio is a **mixing graph plus a music system**. Route every sound through a
4small set of buses so you can balance and process groups; make music *react* to
5play through layering and re-sequencing rather than looping one track. This skill
6teaches the portable practice; bind it to `godot-audio`, Unity's AudioMixer, or
7middleware (FMOD/Wwise) for concrete APIs.
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9## When to use
10 
11- Use to design a bus/mixer layout, set group volumes, and apply effects (reverb,
12  compression, EQ) to groups of sounds.
13- Use to duck music/ambience under dialogue or impacts (sidechain).
14- Use to build adaptive music that responds to combat/exploration intensity.
15- Use to add SFX variation (pitch/sample randomization) and sync events to a beat.
16 
17**When *not* to use:** for the engine's concrete audio nodes/streams, use
18`godot-audio` or the engine's audio skill. Loading/streaming and asset import are
19engine concerns. For UI sliders that drive bus volume, see the engine UI skill.
20 
21## Core workflow
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231. **Lay out buses, not per-sound volume.** A typical tree: `Master ← {Music,
24   SFX, Ambience, UI, Voice}`. Everything plays into a bus; the player's settings
25   sliders map to bus volumes. Never set hundreds of clip volumes by hand.
262. **Work in decibels, not linear.** Perceived loudness is logarithmic. Volume
27   controls and automation should operate in dB; convert only at the edges.
283. **Leave headroom and hit a loudness target.** Keep true peaks at or below -1 dBTP and
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