My Workflow
There are a few things I do that I consider essential for making a truly strong sound pack. I always try to go one step further, in a positive way, to stand out from the competition.
What I Always Do
- Research first: Before I start a new pack, I study what already exists. I look for gaps, weaknesses, and ways to improve quality, variety, and usability.
- Design with purpose: I aim to create a pack that is not just “more sounds,” but a better tool for developers. Sometimes that means a different flavor, and sometimes it means a smarter system for using the sounds.
Example: How I Made My Sword Pack
When I worked on my Sword pack, I first checked what was already out there and decided I could do it too, but in a different way. Wherever I saw room for improvement, I pushed hard to improve it.
1) I Focused on Dry, Flexible Recordings
One major issue I noticed was that many sword packs had too much room sound. Echo and reverb baked into recordings makes them harder to use, because developers cannot easily place them into different environments.
So I made sure my recordings were dry.
That way, the sounds can be dropped into any game space, and developers can add reverb only if their project needs it.
2) Recording a Large Raw Library
For the Sword pack, I collected props to record with, including metal scraps and all kinds of objects that produce strong metallic impacts, scrapes, and slices.
Then I set up my recording equipment and did a lot of experimentation:
- Hitting
- Scraping
- Cutting
- Sliding
- Handling movements
This produces a massive first batch of raw recordings.
3) Cleanup and Selection in iZotope RX8
After recording, I move to my PC and open iZotope RX8, a professional tool I use for cleanup.
I remove noise when needed, then I go through the recordings and cut out the best takes. I keep the ones that have character and feel usable. That is the part that is hard to explain, but when you do this work long enough, you can tell when a sound has something special.
4) Designing the Final SFX in FL Studio
Once the best raw sounds are selected, I switch to FL Studio to design the final sound effects.
Depending on the sound, I may:
- Stretch timing
- Change pitch
- Layer multiple sounds together
- Create multiple variations for the same action (very important)
I also make sure every sound has proper fade-ins and fade-outs so there is no risk of clicks or clipping later in a game engine.
5) Consistent Levels and Clean Headroom
I match all final sounds so they feel consistent in volume and power across the pack. I make sure there is no distortion, and I leave enough headroom so the sounds can breathe when lots of other audio layers are playing in-game.
6) Export, Naming, and Presentation
For the Sword pack, all sound effects are exported as 16-bit WAV, which is a common standard for game audio. Then everything is properly named and organized, ready to drop into a project.
Finally, I create the cover art in my recognizable yellow-blue style so the pack is instantly identifiable as Cyberwave Orchestra work.
Systems That Give Developers More Value
Many of my packs are built as practical systems, not just a pile of files. Some packs let developers layer and combine sounds to create a large amount of variations tailored to their game.
Examples include:
- Footsteps
- Ultimate Magic Spells
- Sword
- Smart Striking
and more...
Trust, Transparency, and Human-Made Work
I also believe buyers value security and trust. Clear licensing and transparent creation matter.
- There is a lot of AI-generated content on the market. Some creators disclose it, and some unfortunately do not. In my view, AI cannot reliably create top-tier game sound packs. The consistency is often missing, volumes are not properly matched, and variations can feel weak or unnatural, which hurts realism. On top of that, the long-term legal situation around AI-generated audio is still not fully clear.
Staying Sharp
I believe that with hard work, smart ideas, feedback from developers, and a strong work ethic, the future is bright for a game audio designer like me who chooses not to use AI. After all, the amazing games we grew up with were built with human-made audio.
Thank you for the years of support. We keep going strong.