Audio Style Guide

Framework for maintaining consistent audio style across procedurally generated sounds and music.

Core Elements

Element	Purpose	Example
Sonic Style	Overall aesthetic	Orchestral, Chiptune, Industrial
Mood Palette	Emotional character	Tense, Triumphant, Mysterious
Instrument Palette	Sound sources	orchestral.strings.epic, synth.pad.warm
Processing Signature	Effect character	reverb.hall, distortion.warm

These combine into Sonic Specifications - structured bundles ensuring audio coherence.

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Quick Reference: Sonic Styles

Style	Character	Best For
Orchestral	Rich, cinematic	RPGs, adventure, drama
Chiptune	Retro, limited	Retro games, pixel art
Electronic	Modern, synthetic	Sci-fi, racing
Industrial	Harsh, mechanical	Horror, action
Ambient	Atmospheric, sparse	Exploration, puzzle
Dark Ambient	Unsettling, tense	Horror, mystery
Hybrid	Orchestra + electronics	AAA, epic
Synthwave	80s, neon	Retro-futurism

→ See references/sonic-styles.md for detailed specifications.

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Quick Reference: Moods

Mood	Key Tendency	Tempo	Character
Triumphant	Major	100-140	Resolved, powerful
Tense	Minor/dim	80-120	Unresolved, building
Mysterious	Modal	60-90	Ambiguous, sparse
Aggressive	Minor	140-180	Driving, loud
Peaceful	Major	60-80	Gentle, open
Epic	Major/minor	80-120	Building to massive

→ See references/mood-parameters.md for full parameter mappings.

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Quick Reference: Instrument Notation

category.family.variant

Examples:
  orchestral.strings.epic
  synth.pad.warm
  percussion.electronic.punchy

→ See references/instrument-palettes.md for complete database.

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Genre → Style Mapping

Game Genre	Primary	Secondary	Mood Tendency
Fantasy RPG	Orchestral	Ambient	Epic, Mysterious
Sci-Fi Shooter	Electronic	Hybrid	Aggressive, Tense
Horror	Dark Ambient	Industrial	Eerie, Tense
Platformer	Chiptune	Acoustic	Playful, Triumphant
Racing	Electronic	Synthwave	Aggressive, Frantic
Puzzle	Ambient	Lo-Fi	Peaceful, Mysterious
Roguelike	Synthwave	Chiptune	Tense, Playful

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Sonic Specification Format

Complete audio direction bundles use this structure:

# Sonic Specification
game: "Game Title"

style:
  primary: Orchestral
  secondary: Dark Ambient

mood:
  exploration: Mysterious + Melancholic
  combat: Aggressive + Epic
  menu: Mysterious

instruments:
  primary: [orchestral.strings.epic, orchestral.brass.dark]
  accent: [orchestral.percussion.timpani]
  texture: [synth.pad.evolving]

processing:
  reverb: reverb.hall
  character: warm, cinematic

mix_priorities:
  1: player_feedback
  2: dialogue
  3: combat_sfx
  4: music
  5: ambient

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Processing Signatures

Type	Variants	Use For
Reverb	none, room, hall, cathedral	Space/distance
Distortion	none, warm, crunch, heavy	Character/aggression
Filter	lowpass.warm, highpass.thin	Distance/radio effect

→ See references/processing-signatures.md for effect chains.

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Usage Workflow

1. Check existing direction: Read .studio/sonic-identity.md
2. Match style to genre: Use genre mapping table
3. Select moods: Primary + secondary for each context
4. Choose instruments: From appropriate palette
5. Apply processing: Match to style character

Related Components

• /establish-sonic-identity - Create full audio specification
• sonic-designer agent - Translate creative intent to specs
• audio-coherence-reviewer agent - Validate consistency