Godot Audio

Problem

Godot audio code often trips up on small but expensive mistakes: treating volume_db as linear so 0.5 is nearly full volume; misspelling a bus name so get_bus_index() returns -1; retriggering the same AudioStreamPlayer and cutting off short SFX; forgetting loop settings on .ogg or .wav streams; missing an AudioListener3D / Camera3D or over-tight attenuation for 3D audio; and relying only on get_playback_position() for beat sync, which adds jitter.

How the Skill Works

This skill targets Godot 4.3+ and organizes audio implementation into node selection, stream setup, bus routing, decibel control, and beat compensation:
- Choose AudioStreamPlayer, AudioStreamPlayer2D, or AudioStreamPlayer3D based on whether the sound is positional.
- Assign an AudioStream, typically .ogg for music and loops, and .wav for short SFX.
- Route players to named buses such as Music or SFX, then configure volume, mute, solo, reverb, compressor, and other bus effects in the Audio panel.
- Map sliders with linear_to_db / db_to_linear, and drive bus volume_db and mute through AudioServer by bus index.
- For beat-accurate timing, add get_time_since_last_mix() and subtract get_output_latency() to reduce output-latency drift.

Boundaries and Notes

It covers in-engine playback, buses, effects, 3D audio, and timing, but not engine-agnostic adaptive music design, mixing philosophy, or external asset encoding. When wiring it up, avoid linear_to_db(0.0) returning -inf; clamp the linear value or special-case mute. For short SFX, use separate players, AudioStreamPolyphonic, or per-shot freed players.