When it comes to working with sound designers/composers, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all way of having an effective audio pipeline; it depends on which practices suit your company working style or culture the most to bring out the best in your game. IMBA will share various project postmortems from small, bite-sized casual games to AAA titles, and discuss how you can find the best audio pipeline for your team.

1. Play by Ear:
Sound Design for Games
Sharon Kho and Gwen Guo
Co-founders, IMBA Interactive

2. About Us
• A small game audio company based in Singapore
• Provide top-notch audio for game dev studios
• Build game audio communities in this region

3. “An outsource-inhouse team”
A PARADOX?

4. Taipei Game Jam experience
‘Technical’ Team ‘Creative’ Team
Mostly programmers An all-rounded team
Prototyped multiple ideas Went with one single idea
Prioritise mechanics Prioritise narrative
Less game industry experience More game industry experience

5. How did the sound designer manage this?
?
CREATIVE
TEAM
TECHNICAL
TEAM

6. How did the sound designer manage this?
PRODUCTION
PIPELINE
CREATIVE
OWNERSHIP
KNOWLEDGE
SHARING

7. CREATIVE OWNERSHIP
IMBA CLIENT
Who does it belong to?

8. IMBA CLIENT
CREATIVE OWNERSHIP
Defining creative boundaries
Constants
- Established IP
- Target audience
- Characters
- Deadlines
- Implementation
- Music
Variables
- Art style
- Theme
- Game designers

9. IMBA CLIENT
CREATIVE OWNERSHIP
Defining creative boundaries
CONSTANT
- Art style
- Game designer
VARIABLE
- Audio direction
- Timeline
- Implementation

10. SHARED KNOWLEDGE
Who? What?
When?
Where? Why? How?

11. SHARED KNOWLEDGE

12. SHARED KNOWLEDGE
• PROJECT BASICS
• Age group and demographic
• Genre and Platform
• Where are you/dev team located or based off?
• Why are you making this game?

13. SHARED KNOWLEDGE
• TECHNICAL BASICS
• How is the budget for audio like?
• What is the game going to be developed on?
• Tools and Middleware?
• Filesize budget
• When are the milestones and deadlines?

14. SHARED KNOWLEDGE
• GOING DEEPER
• What do we want the players to experience?
• Why are going in this creative direction?
• Is there any other media we can take reference
from?
• Your company’s branding and/or culture?

15. SHARED KNOWLEDGE
• THE TEAM
• Who are the audio programmers
• Who is the game designer?
• Who are the animators?

16. PIPELINE
• Production Pipeline
• Tools and Processes
• Communication Pipeline
• Managing Expectations
• Conflict Resolution
HOW?

17. PRODUCTION
Sound
Asset
(SFX,
VOICE,
MUSIC)
Editing/
Manipulating
of the Sound
Asset
Repository
Recorded
Sound
(Ambience,
Foley, Voice,
Musicians)
Game
Engine
Middle-
ware
QA and Testing
IMPLEMENTATION
Audio Production
Pipeline

18. Communication
Audio Dept. Your
Players
Game Dev.
Product Owner
Art Dept.
Other Depts.

19. Communication
Audio
Dept.
Game Dev.
Product Owner
Art
Dept.
Other
Depts.
Your
Players
😍😄

20. SIMPLE
Developer
Sound
Designer

21. Audio
Team
Project
manager
Artists/
Animators
Game
Designer Composer
Sound
Designer
ImplementorProgrammers Producer
FULL BLOWN

22. Keeping the “pipes” clean
Promptness
Honesty
Clarity
Be kind
Audio Team
Project manager
Producer
Manage
Expectations
Individual A Individual B

23. Conclusion
• Determine Creative Boundaries
• No such thing as TMI
• Establish/Tailor a Production and
Communication pipeline that fits the
project and team.
• Basically, no such thing as a “One Size
Fits All” strategy

24. Q n A
hello@imbainteractive.com