Audio Systems

Expert mixing, spatial, pooling, and interactive-music patterns for Godot's audio engine.

NEVER Do (Expert Audio Rules)

NEVER set bus volume with linear values — set_bus_volume_db() is logarithmic. Use linear_to_db() for sliders OR everything will sound too loud until the last 5%.
NEVER skip 'Bus Routing' — Playing music on the 'SFX' bus makes volume menus useless. Strictly route every player to its dedicated sub-bus (Music, SFX, UI, Voice).
NEVER use 'Master' for gameplay sounds — Dedicate Master to final limiting. Route all gameplay to sub-groups so you can mute/duck categories.

NEVER use 3D players without an Attenuation Model — Default is NONE. If you don't set it to Inverse Distance, a whisper on the other side of the map will be global volume.
NEVER play 3D sounds exactly on top of the listener — Causes "Panning Jitter" where the sound snaps between Left/Right speakers. Offset by 0.1 units.
NEVER forget Doppler for high-speed objects — A car flying by without DOPPLER_TRACKING_PHYSICS_STEP feels flat and static.

NEVER spam same-frame sounds — Playing 50 explosions at once causes constructive interference (clipping/distortion). Use a Limiter (audio_voice_limiter_manager.gd).
NEVER instantiate nodes for one-shots — Creating a node, playing a 0.5s clap, and queue_free()ing causes frame-time spikes. Use a Pool.
NEVER skip Crossfades/Transitions — Abrupt music cuts break immersion. Always use a 0.5s-1.0s Tween to bridge tracks.