Video Game Sound Design

Gina Zdanowicz Spencer Bambrick

Authored by Gina Zdanowicz, Spencer Bambrick

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Course Code: OMPRD-315

Game sound design shapes how players experience story, emotion, and gameplay. In this undergraduate sound design course, you’ll create original sound effects and immersive soundscapes using Foley, field recording, DSP, and professional workflows while producing a polished sound redesign demo reel for your portfolio.

Level 3
Intermediate Plus
Modality
Online
Duration
12 Weeks
3-Credit Tuition
$1,575
Semester Starts
Sept 28 Sept 28
Accreditation
NECHE

Key Learning Outcomes

  • Design original game audio that reinforces gameplay, emotion, and visual storytelling through purposeful sound choices
  • Create immersive sound effects and environmental soundscapes using Foley, field recordings, sound libraries, and digital signal processing
  • Develop professional sound design workflows from creative planning and asset organization through iterative refinement and delivery
  • Produce a polished game sound redesign demo reel that showcases your creative vision and technical skills
Overview Syllabus Requirements Instructors
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Course Description

Sound design plays a vital role in the game development process, serving as both a narrative and functional tool. Through carefully crafted sound effects, games can convey story elements, establish atmosphere and mood, and provide players with essential feedback and guidance throughout gameplay. You will learn the principles and practices of sound design for games, with a focus on how sound shapes gameplay, emotion, and immersion. Using real-world game visuals as design prompts, you will learn to generate bespoke sound sources, layer and manipulate library assets, and sculpt your work using digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. The course begins with critical listening and case-study analysis, helping you build a vocabulary for discussing functional and aesthetic aspects of sound. From there, you will apply practical design strategies and conclude the semester by producing a polished sound redesign demo reel that demonstrates both creative intent and technical execution.

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By the end of the course, you will be able to:

  • Identify aesthetic direction for sound creation and evaluate its effectiveness within the context of a game/genre
  • Evaluate various styles of sound effects, describing how these styles relate to visual context in a variety of games
  • Distinguish between sound design in interactive media versus non-linear film and animation
  • Utilize Foley recording techniques and curated sound libraries to generate innovative and original sound designs
  • Develop immersive soundscapes for video game applications through rigorous field recording and sophisticated design methodologies
  • Formulate sound design frameworks that are specifically tailored to the nuances of interactive environments
  • Thoroughly document sound design process and workflow in an industry-standard pipeline
  • Cultivate a creative community practice of growth and improvement by giving and receiving feedback in collaboration with peers
  • Assemble a professional sound design portfolio aimed at enhancing networking opportunities and fostering career advancement
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Syllabus

Lesson 1: Sound Design Overview

  • Foundations of Game Sound Design
  • The Role of Sound in Games
  • Functional Language of Sound Design
  • Aesthetic Language of Sound Design
  • Assignment 1: Sonic Analysis of a Game Prompt

Lesson 2: Sound Design Preproduction—Part 1

  • The Role of Preproduction in Sound Design
  • Translating Visuals and Gameplay into Audio Intent
  • Defining Audio Pillars and Mood Boards
  • Sound Rules, Asset Planning, and Delivery Standards
  • Assignment 2: Audio Identity and Asset Planning Document

Lesson 3: Sound Design Preproduction—Part 2

  • Vocal Ideation Pillars—Contour, Timing, and Emotion
  • Using the Human Voice for Sound Design Ideation
  • From Idea to Sound—Mouth Sounds as Source
  • Exploring Function and Context in Game Sound
  • Assignment 3: Vocal Sound Sketches for Ideation

Lesson 4: Sound Design Production

  • Technical Sound Design Workflow
  • Source and Sync
  • Layering Techniques
  • Layering Practice
  • Mixing Considerations
  • Assignment 4: Practicing Sound Design

Lesson 5: DSP—Processing and Shaping Sound

  • Shaping Sound with Equalization (EQ)
  • Compression
  • Reverb
  • Distortion
  • Modulation Effects
  • Building Effect Chains
  • Assignment 5: Process a Vocal Sound Using DSP in a DAW

Lesson 6: Ambience and Environmental Design

  • Soundscapes and Looping Ambience
  • Layering Environmental Elements
  • Time-of-Day and Location Variation
  • Spatial Cues and Distance Design (Theory)
  • Assignment 6: Create an Ambient Loop for a Game Location

Lesson 7: Creative and Technical Feedback

  • The Role of Feedback in Sound Design
  • The Ladder of Feedback—Giving Constructive Critique
  • Receiving Feedback with Clarity and Openness
  • Applying Feedback to Improve Your Work
  • Assignment 7: Revise and Reflect on Feedback

Lesson 8: Sound Re-Design Project—Part 1: From Pillars to Soundscapes

  • Refining Your Audio Pillars and Asset Plan
  • Creating and Sourcing Sound Assets
  • Sound-to-Visual Implementation
  • Presenting In-Progress Work
  • Assignment 8: Sound Re-Design Project—Part 1

Lesson 9: Sound Re-Design Project—Part 2: From Pillars to Polish

  • Reframing Your Audio Pillars and Asset Plan
  • Clarifying Feedback through Discussion
  • Iterating and Refining Your Sound Design
  • Final Polish and Delivery
  • Assignment 9: Sound Re-Design Project—Part 2

Lesson 10: Preparing Your Portfolio

  • Aligning Creative Work with Professional Goals
  • General vs. Targeted Demo Reels
  • Guidelines for Structuring a Demo Reel
  • Planning Your Targeted Demo Reel
  • Assignment #10: Targeted Demo Reel—Part 1

Lesson 11: Polishing Your Portfolio

  • Demo Reel Delivery Platform
  • Applying for Gigs vs. Cold Outreach
  • Blending Clips
  • Formatting Your Reel—Titling and Transitions
  • Assignment 11: Targeted Demo Reel—Part 2

Lesson 12: Presenting Your Portfolio

  • Final Quality Control
  • Peer Review and First Impressions
  • Communicating Creative Identity
  • Practicing Professional Presentation
  • Assignment 12: Presenting Your Targeted Demo Reel

Requirements

Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements 

Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Completion of one of the following courses Pro Tools 101, Pro Tools 110, Producing Music with Logic, Producing Music with Cubase, Ableton Live Fundamentals, or equivalent knowledge and experience is required.

Students should be fluent in working with a DAW, including being able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of basic signal flow
  • Demonstrate routing to and from effects
  • Utilize editing tools used in sound design such as EQ, reverb, and dynamic processors

While musical composition is not required, students should have a strong ear for sound aesthetics and the ability to identify and shape sonic elements to serve visual storytelling.

Textbook(s)

Software

  • Full-featured Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), such as Pro Tools (Studio or Ultimate), Logic Pro, Cubase Pro, Ableton Live (Suite or Standard), Reaper, Reason, or FL Studio (Producer or Signature). Note that GarageBand is not acceptable.
  • Virtual instruments, such as those included with most full-featured DAWs (note: Reaper is an exception), or third-party sample libraries
  • Audio converter, such as MediaHuman Audio Converter (free) or Switch (free)
  • Sound Effects Library such as BBC Sound Effects, Soundly, Sonniss, etc.
    • A more extensive list of possible libraries, including free options, will be provided in the course
  • Software to record computer screen and audio, such as OBS
  • Recommended: Two-track editing functionality, such as the built-in editor in Logic or ProTools, or stand-alone in Audacity (free)

Hardware

  • One of the following studio monitoring options (both recommended):
  • Mobile recording rig capable of capturing high-quality audio. Options include:
    • Portable field recorder, such as Zoom H4N Pro (recommended option)
    • XLR microphone and audio interface connected to a laptop
    • USB microphone connected to a laptop

Important Technical/System Considerations

  • Students should have access to ~15 GB of personal storage minimum
  • Please ensure that your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements to run all of the required software for the course

Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.

General Course Requirements

Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course. 

Mac Users

  • macOS Monterey 12.0 or later

PC Users

All Users

  • Latest version of Google Chrome
  • Zoom meeting software
  • Webcam
  • Speakers or headphones
  • External or internal microphone
  • Broadband Internet connection

Instructors

Gina Zdanowicz
Gina Zdanowicz

Author & Instructor

Gina Zdanowicz is an Emmy-Nominated sound designer and music composer for games, film, and TV. Her love for video games, sound, and technology began at a very early age and grew into a decade-long career in the games industry.

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After graduating from Berklee College of Music with a degree in music synthesis, Gina focused on a career in game audio, working in-house for game developers as well as operating her own independent sound studio, Serial Lab Studios. Her work can be heard on more than 100 game titles from award-winning AAA games to casual games such as Just Cause 3, Bioshock2, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, CrimeCraft, and Runeward, to name a few.

In addition to her work in games, Gina continues to score feature films and TV projects, which have won awards around the world and have premiered on networks such as Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. She currently resides in New Jersey, just outside of NYC, where she creates game audio for clients worldwide. Read Less

Spencer Bambrick
Spencer Bambrick

Author & Instructor

Spencer Bambrick is a composer, educator, author, and electronic artist. His creative practice is rooted in video games, where interactivity plays a primary role. His career in the video game industry spans over a decade, shipping titles on Sony PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, as well as mobile games with millions of downloads internationally. The intersection of technology, interactivity, and social impact are major themes that Spencer explores in his work.  

What's Next?

When taken for credit, Video Game Sound Design can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:

Related Certificate Programs

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