Silvia Stefanova, Senior Music Composer and Valentin Genov, Sound Designer at Silverback Gaming, discuss how the studio approaches sound design, the need to “think outside of the box”, why sound design is so important to the overall player experience.
CasinoBeats: How important is sound to the overall game experience?
Stefanova: Sound is an integral part of the gaming experience – it profoundly impacts how we perceive visuals, adding depth and emotional context. In slot games, sound not only supports the visual aspects but also provides players with feedback on everything that happens – from big wins to those tense near-miss moments. But sound in slot games differs from sound in other entertainment options. In film and cinema, for example, it can steer the emotion in a completely different direction but in slot games, the role of sound is to amplify the emotion, not to change its direction.
Genov: Sound, and especially music, is vital for any type of visual media, slot games included. Years ago, I did an exercise that I had seen some colleagues do. I scored a movie scene with different genres of music and learned quickly that the sound and music used can turn a scene upside down and this is why sound can make or break a game.
How does sound bring a game to life while also building excitement and anticipation?
G: However brilliantly coded the game is, when playing it silently, it feels a bit bodiless. Sticking the right sound to the action makes it tangible and almost physical. Picking the exact sound that matches the animated movement on the screen is not only satisfactory for the player but keeps them engaged and involved. Player excitement levels rise with the advancement of the game and if you manage to raise the excitement in the music in line with the player’s anticipation, you’ve hit the nail on the head.
S: Sound truly brings visuals to life. For example, in the games we create at Silverback, we’ve conceptually decided that when the player is inactive, we transition from music to ambient sounds (sometimes incorporating elements from the main background music track). At that moment, through sound, we can “paint” everything that isn’t visible, bring to life a static image, and place the player in a specific setting and location, creating entire scenes as if projecting a film. And then, when the player hits the “Spin” button, it’s as if they’ve commanded us “Hey DJ, bring the beat back” – we bring back the full musical background with its complete arrangement.
We pay special attention to the sound that represents the moment of anticipation for winning a bonus. Additionally, during regular gameplay, we aim for the sounds to be more subdued and non-intrusive for longer gaming sessions, while for big wins, we don’t hold back on grandeur.
CB: What goes into designing the sound for each game?
G: There are a couple of key things here – teamwork and creativity – thinking outside the box comes in handy, too. Discussions with the designers always bring incredible results in terms of the sound we create and the overall game experience. Starting with the game theme, we always pick sounds that are typical for that specific environment so that the player feels drawn into the game’s world. In terms of creating sound, and as is the case in films, we use totally different sources from those on the screen to achieve the desired effect. For example, if I want the player to hear a crab walking on sand, I use a toothpick and rice to imitate it.
S: As Valentin said, an art concept is needed before we can start working on the music. Although the visual style usually dictates the genre of the music, we often consult the artist who created the visuals about what kind of music they listened to for inspiration while drawing. The game designer also guides us by providing examples of the kind of audio they envision for the game. We create drafts of the music tracks, align them with the responsible stakeholders, and once we get the green light that we’re on the right track, we move on to fully producing the music. As for the synchronous sound effects – they are created later, once there is a working version of the game.
CB: Is the sound for each game unique or do you have a catalogue of sounds you can use?
S: Each slot game has its own identity in terms of visuals and features, and naturally, the sound needs to reflect that. For the music, we create unique tracks for each game, never reusing the same music. As for the sound effects, we do have a library of sounds, but we use them more as layers rather than as finished products. We pull out pieces, edit, process, and record additional layers of sounds, synchronising them with the animations in the game. This way, from about 10-20 layers of sound snippets, we produce a new sound, crafted to suit the specific in-game event. Occasionally, a sound might work across multiple games – like the sounds for reel spins and stops – but they are mostly specific to each title.
G: With me, it is always a combination of both. There are sounds like winds and clicks that are in abundance in SFX libraries. But again, I always tend to tweak them in accordance with the game – be it the frequency, or the length, or the pitch. So, even if you take a ready-made sound, it needs to be adapted to your world, so that it doesn’t sound foreign or out of content with the game.
CB: What are the biggest challenges faced when it comes to game design?
G: I guess one of the challenges is that even though there are hundreds of game studios, you should try to stay fresh and original. At the same time, the game should load quickly enough, so that the player’s experience isn’t ruined. In this respect, we have to keep a perfect balance between quality and speed. Every day there are new games launched on all platforms, and we as a studio strive to maintain originality in sound, in visuals, and in code clarity and speed.
S: One of the biggest challenges in designing a game’s audio environment is striking the right balance between pursuing originality and ensuring player comfort. A sound might be brilliant on its own but may not be suitable for long gaming sessions, where it could be heard dozens or even hundreds of times. A musical track might sound like a catchy summer hit – you might start humming The melody right away – but it may not be ideal for extended gameplay. Given the need to keep the overall game file size minimal, we can’t afford to create very long musical compositions so as a result, and after numerous repetitions, even the most engaging tunes can quickly become tiresome.
CB: How do you overcome these challenges?
S: When composing music, I often leave a track to rest unfinished while I work on the next one, then revisit it with fresh ears to objectively assess its quality. The player’s experience is the top priority – if something distracts or annoys, I cut it out. Uniqueness is important, but it’s always secondary compared to providing a comfortable experience for the player. If something might irritate, I rework it so it serves and supports the overall experience, avoiding the pursuit of uniqueness for the sake of it. This is certainly the case for synchronous sounds where we need to be ready to remove or rework sounds that are otherwise excellent and fitting on their own but if there’s a chance they might overwhelm the player after many repetitions.
G: We always talk to other colleagues – designers and programmers – about how things can be optimised, especially concerning the user experience. We decide on the loudness, harshness, softness, quality, length and so on so that the combination of code, graphic design and sound achieve their final goal, which is for the player to love the game.
CB: Is sound an area where studios can innovate and differentiate? How does your company approach game sound as a point of difference?
G: I think every area, including sound, is apt for innovation. For example, the introduction of AI is a field where we can experiment. Of course, it’s obviously a very controversial topic but we can make use of the technical side where it can provide concepts, help with research and pull us out of the notorious writer’s block that creators tend to fall into occasionally.
S: We experiment with different genres and technologies to offer players something fresh and exciting. To us, sound isn’t just background noise – it’s a tool for storytelling and creating atmosphere. I believe that through sound innovation, we can make games more memorable and help them stand out in the industry.
Sound in slot games is much more than just filling the silence. It plays a psychological role, enhancing players’ actions and emotions. We truly love what we do at Silverback, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to share this passion with the world through our games.
