settled-reach/docs/sprints/sprint-10/audio.md

title, description, type, status, sprint, team

title	description	type	status	sprint	team
Sprint 10 — Audio Briefing	Audio asset set — 8 minimum viable files via Stable Audio Open	sprint	archived	10	audio

Sprint 10: Prove — Audio Tasks

Goal: Expand the Gauntlet test suite with new rooms and cross-room scenarios, wire the audio architecture end-to-end, and complete client UX polish from Sprint 9 carry-overs — proving the full system holds together.

Branch: audio Agents: Inigo (sound design)

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New Tickets

#	Title	Blocked by
#327	Audio asset set — 8 minimum viable files via Stable Audio Open	—

Use db/connectors/ticket show <id> for full details.

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Key Decisions

• decisions/scope.md — D-038 (audio in v0.1 — 8 files spec, hybrid generation approach)
• decisions/perception.md — D-067 (recognition chime fires at onset of cognitive delay), D-069 (audio dip profiles), D-071 (ListeningFocus boost), D-072 (universal event-driven conversation murmur)
• decisions/architecture.md — D-068 (5-bus audio architecture), D-073 (zone crossfade)
• decisions/content.md — D-074 (audio aesthetic identity — insert-tech vs organic)

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Notes

#327 — Audio asset set — 8 minimum viable files

• Existing: AudioManager autoload at client/scripts/autoloads/audio_manager.gd is fully implemented (D-068). The directory-scan registry pattern is in place — drop OGG files into res://audio/ and they register automatically. Sprint 9 delivered 6 interaction SFX and 2 revised monologue chimes (#440, #453).
• What this ticket adds: The 8 ambient and world-SFX assets specified in D-038. These are distinct from the Sprint 9 interaction sounds — they cover the continuous soundscape and footstep system.

The 8 files (D-038):

Key	File	Duration	Bus	Method
amb_station_base	amb_station_base.ogg	60-90s	Ambient	SAO — station hum + span gate vibration
amb_workplace_layer	amb_workplace_layer.ogg	45-60s	Ambient	SAO — cargo machinery
amb_bar_layer	amb_bar_layer.ogg	45-60s	Ambient	SAO — conversation murmur baked in
amb_corridor_layer	amb_corridor_layer.ogg	45-60s	Ambient	SAO — ventilation/subtle hum
sfx_footstep_metal_walk	sfx_footstep_metal_walk.ogg	0.2-0.3s	WorldSFX	SAO or manual — one footstep, walk cadence
sfx_footstep_metal_run	sfx_footstep_metal_run.ogg	0.2-0.3s	WorldSFX	SAO or manual — one footstep, run cadence
sfx_monologue_chime	sfx_monologue_chime.ogg	0.5-1.0s	UISounds	Manual synthesis — crystalline, neural-lattice feel
sfx_monologue_chime_urgent	sfx_monologue_chime_urgent.ogg	0.5-1.0s	UISounds	Manual synthesis — sharper, contradiction/anomaly variant

D-074 aesthetic split — critical:

• Ambient layers and footsteps = organic: warm, breathy, environmental reverb, natural decay. Use SAO for these.
• Monologue chimes = insert-tech: synthetic, precise, clinical, no reverb. Manually synthesize — SAO will produce too organic a character for chimes.
• The Sprint 9 chimes (#453) are acknowledged placeholders. Sprint 10 chimes are the production-quality replacements.

D-038 amendment (hybrid approach):

• SAO ceiling is ~47s. Accept 45s loops with crossfade for ambient layers (the play_loop method in AudioManager handles this).
• Sounds <200ms with precise/digital character: manual synthesis only.

Zone crossfade integration:

• AudioManager.set_zone() is currently a stub (D-073). This sprint's audio assets enable testing the stub's behavior. Inigo should verify that amb_station_base, amb_workplace_layer, amb_bar_layer, and amb_corridor_layer all loop cleanly with no audible seam — AudioManager's _enable_loop will set loop = true on OGG streams automatically.
• Full zone crossfade logic (the tween between ambient layers on zone change) is NOT in scope for this sprint — it remains a stub. The assets just need to be present and looping.

Delivery:

• Commit all 8 OGG files to audio branch under client/audio/ (which maps to res://audio/ in Godot).
• AudioManager registers them at startup via directory scan. No code changes to client branch.
• Effort: 3-4d (generation + iteration + mastering).

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Dependency Chain

#327 (8 audio assets) — standalone; AudioManager stub (D-068) already in client branch

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PR Workflow

When ready to submit, create a PR with tea CLI. All flags are required to avoid TTY prompts (see CLAUDE.md "Gitea access" section):

tea pr create --repo jpmschweitzer/settled-reach --login schweitz --title "feat(audio): sprint 10 prove — ambient + world sfx assets" --description "body" --base main --head audio