ABSTRACT
As introduced in the chapter on soundscapes, the art of listening will be revisited again. But here it will be examined in more detail, now that the reader has been more acclimated to it. Soundscapes can vary drastically between game genres, and a long list of them will be analyzed here, addressing the player’s sonic expectations in each case. Testing, the final step in the audio postproduction cycle, requires a general understanding of soundscape expectations but also specific issues related to a game. Having a critical ear for soundscape details is important, but after listening to its mix hundreds of times, the audio designer’s ears may gloss over certain details, or favor others. Gaps in critical listening may go unnoticed over time, so it’s essential to get as many ears on testing the soundscape as possible. For example, other people will play the game in way the audio designer had not expected, which could reveal certain audio flaws: sounds not playing properly, dialogue miscued, or the emotional pull of the soundtrack not playing out the way you expected. Specific issues covered include channel dropouts, sound instances overlapping (causing unwanted flanging or phasing effects), clipping, sound triggers not working, or variations of a sound not heard, among a multitude of issues.
