Die cues are all about timing and taste: the same moment can read as tragic, comedic, or purely mechanical depending on the attack, vocal texture, and tail. Use the library when you just need a quick one-shot, then switch to the AI generator when you need a specific perspective, intensity, or a non-graphic performance that lands exactly on the animation.
Choose the performance type
Start by deciding what the audience should feel at the moment of defeat. A human gasp is intimate, a stinger is editorial, and a shutdown tone is clearly non-human. This choice determines how much vocal texture you want versus tonal design.
- For realistic characters: specify gasp, choke, whispery exhale, or strained breathing
- For stylized games: specify arcade blip, comedic pop, or short musical sting
- For robots and sci-fi: specify glitch ticks, power-down sweep, and minimal organic noise
Set perspective and space in the prompt
Perspective sells the shot. A close-mic death needs detail and low room, while off-screen deaths often need distance cues like rolled-off highs and more reflections. Call out the space so the tail does not fight your music bed.
- Close: dry room, intimate, low ambience, tight stereo
- Medium: subtle room tone, short reflections, balanced highs
- Distant: reduced high end, longer reflections, quieter transient
Match the cut with attack and tail
Editors usually need the cue to hit on a single frame, then get out of the way. If the tail is too long, it masks the next line or UI sound. If the attack is too soft, the moment feels weightless.
- Fast kills: sharp attack, quick decay, no lingering reverb
- Cinematic deaths: slower onset, controlled tail, gentle fade
- Comedy beats: exaggerated pitch drop, clean stop, minimal room
Avoid common death-sound pitfalls
Death audio can become unintentionally graphic, too loud, or too similar across characters. Keep it readable and respectful, and leave headroom for impacts and dialog.
- Avoid gore-heavy details if your project rating or tone is lighter
- Avoid long noisy tails that smear into the next scene transition
- Avoid clipping and harsh sibilance that spikes on phone speakers
