Services & Pricing

Slade Audio publishes per-minute rates that scale with project size, from $650 per finished minute for projects under 15 minutes down to $500 per minute at 90+ minutes. Live ensembles are priced per minute on top of the base rate. The calculator on this page returns the total based on your inputs.

Adaptive music changes with what the player is doing: a combat layer enters when a fight starts, an exploration layer fades back in afterward, all without jarring cuts. It is a core Slade Audio specialty. Action and exploration games tend to benefit most, while a linear puzzle game or visual novel may be fine with looped tracks.

Most projects run between two and six months of active composition, depending on scope and complexity. Shorter projects (a few minutes of music) can be finished in weeks. Larger projects with adaptive systems or live recording sessions take longer. A clear timeline is built into the written scope you receive after the initial conversation.

Revisions are built into the process. Music is delivered in stages, and each milestone includes a round of revisions so the score stays on brief as your project evolves. If a piece is heading in the wrong direction, you say so and it gets reworked. Because payments are tied to milestone approval, you only move forward on music you have actually heard and approved.

Most clients do not, and that is completely fine. You do not need to know musical terms or read notation to brief a score. Reference tracks, a description of the mood or feeling you are after, and context about the moment in your game are more than enough to work from. Part of the job is translating your vision into music, so plain language and examples are exactly what is needed.

MIDI and soloists means high-quality sampled instruments combined with real recorded solo performances where appropriate. It is the standard offering, with no upcharge. A string ensemble adds a real recorded string section at +$250 per minute. A symphonic orchestra is a full live orchestral session, used for the most cinematic scores, at +$425 per minute.

Every project includes implementation guidance and documentation, along with stems and files in the formats your engine needs. Hands-on integration in FMOD or Wwise can be arranged on request, with the rate scoped per project in the written agreement before work begins.

You receive fully mixed and mastered tracks, stems (the separate musical layers), and seamless looping versions where a piece needs to loop in game, delivered in the formats and sample rates your engine requires. Alternate mixes or trailer versions are scoped in the written agreement up front.

You own the music. Slade Audio composes work-for-hire, and full ownership transfers to you on final delivery. You can use the music in your game, in marketing, in trailers, and on soundtrack releases without further fees.

Yes. Payments are structured around production milestones rather than charged upfront. The plan is designed to protect you: you never pay for work you have not approved, and you never pay for material that is not yet delivered. Specific terms are agreed on as part of the written scope.