Staying Composed: Designing Sound for a New Game

Gina Piccirilli , 04/12/2026

Prologue

Hello! For a little introduction, I am a 3rd year game design and development major, and I am now nearing the end of my second semester with echoes. Last semester was the end of the production for a set of four games, where I created the sound effects for Jelly Beach (see my previous blog post if you would like to hear more). This semester, I got to experience what the beginning of the game cycle is like at echoes. Currently, I am working on the sound effects and composing for the game Reverb, and I plan to do the same next semester. However, I am graduating a semester early so that will be my third and final semester with echoes. On the plus side, my last semester will be in the middle of the production cycle, so I will get that experience as well.

Comparison

In my blog post from last semester, I discussed how I was unsure if it would be easier to make sfx for a game when starting at the beginning or end of it, and wondered what it would be like to have the creative freedom of making audio for a fresh game. Since I have now experienced both, while they are not perfectly comparable experiences, I can say that it has been harder for me at the beginning. Since I am now composing as well as making sfx, unlike last semester where Jelly Beach already had music, there is more room for creativity yet also more to figure out. Having the freedom to set the audio aesthetic of the game is a bit nerve wracking. It is fun to be able to experiment, but it is hard to know when you are “done” or if you’ve got the right sound since there isn’t yet much of a game to work with. Not really knowing what sfx are needed yet is one thing, but not quite knowing yet what the vibe of the game is is another. Audio is a big part of the game, and it is hard to know if I am setting up the audio to work well with what we want the game to be. This has led to the occasional “writer’s/artist’s block”, getting stuck on not knowing where to go from what I have or how to expand on it. Team feedback has helped greatly, and while being the sole audio producer, I am definitely not alone in making these decisions. At the start, my inspirations and plans were based off of what we pictured the game to be, and it has been adjusting as time goes on and more is developed. Also in my last post, I discussed how I have been learning to use FL Studio (producer edition) as a digital audio workstation (DAW). I have gotten pretty good at using it for sfx and audio editing, but this is my first time trying to properly create music with it. I have limited plugins to work with and am still learning the capabilities and potential of the few I do have. What takes up a lot of time is searching through them to find the right sound. I have been playing and making music for the majority of my life, but this is my first time properly composing for a game.

Experience

I have less stories to tell and less work to talk about this semester, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had fun. An experience that sticks out this semester was the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Gamefest, where we brought the four echoes games from previous semesters. While I spent most of the day at the Jelly Beach table, there were also two other games there that I make the sound effects for: Pull It Together (whose main team includes echoes member and Reverb game director Jack Keegan ) and Office Party Panic. I think that this is especially awesome, given that last semester with echoes was the first time I made sfx for a game. It was great to be able to spend the day with echoes members, talking about and playing games. It was a bit of a drive from RIT but I am glad that I was able to go, and it was a great first game festival experience.

While I cannot say for certain what it will be like next semester working on Reverb, I am very excited that I get to work with the game as it grows. Knowing what I do now from these last two semesters, I am hopeful that composing will become easier as I get more experience and as the game’s aesthetic becomes more solid and clear. I am definitely getting my footing and I think I will be able to take advantage of the creative freedoms more and more. With this being my first time composing and making audio for a new game the difficulties have been expected, and it has been a really helpful experience to learn more about my creative process and grow as a producer.