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Production pipeline

This is the human process around music: how an idea becomes a shippable asset.

Overview

Brief/pitch → WIP share → Review/notes → Final deliverables → QA in build → Integrated

1. Brief or pitch

Before large effort:

  • Scene / room ID or design doc reference.
  • Intended in-game hook (scene, transition, animation/event beat, or game state).
  • Mood, tempo feel, approx length, loop vs one-shot.
  • References (links or timestamps)—style, not copied audio.
  • Deadlines if milestone-driven.

The music lead (or director) approves the brief or suggests changes. Unsolicited full soundtracks are hard to integrate without this step.

If a cue has no practical game connection yet, it may be parked even when the music is good. Arrange/orchestrate effort is prioritized for ideas that are already tied to concrete game elements.

2. Work-in-progress sharing

Share short previews early:

  • MP3 or OGG at modest bitrate is fine for listening.
  • State BPM, key, and whether the clip is loopable yet.

Goal: catch wrong mood or technical mismatch before you polish a dead end.

3. Review and revision

Feedback should be specific (“too busy under dialog,” “loop seam at bar 17 clicks”). Contributors respond with versioned files (_v03, etc.).

Approval means the music lead (and any code owner for format quirks) sign off on creative and technical fit.

4. Final deliverables

Package exactly what File formats & specs asks for, typically:

  • Stems (if required) + reference stereo mix.
  • Loop documentation (bars or samples).
  • Text note listing filenames and what each is for.

Use the team’s upload location—private drive, forum moderator handoff, or issue attachment—not random public hosts with expiry links.

Draft — pending tech verification

Replace this section with concrete steps: repository path, internal tool name, build command that imports audio, and who merges assets into the game branch.

5. QA in a test build

Someone runs a recent build and checks:

  • Levels vs SFX and voice.
  • Loop behaviour in the actual room (reverb tails, room transitions).
  • File size and decode hitches on target hardware if relevant.

Bugs go back as repro steps (“enter room X, wait for loop 3”).

6. Integration and credit

After merge:

  • Name appears in credits per team policy.
  • Source sessions stay archived per composer + team agreement (not necessarily public).

Roles (typical)

Role Responsibility
Contributor Hit spec, respond to notes, deliver versioned finals.
Music lead Creative direction, final approval, consistency across score.
Programmer / tools Importer limits, loop metadata, codec support.
QA / playtest In-game verification.

Forum announcement checklist

When you post the tutorial site to Maniac Mansion Mania (or related forums):

  1. One short paragraph: music collaboration is new compared to art/animation.
  2. Link to the canonical site URL (from the README).
  3. Bullet list: setup, formats, pipeline.
  4. How to volunteer (point people to the official contact and contribution channels).

Next steps