Audio settings can quietly become a frame-time cliff: random spikes, memory bloat, and loading hitches that look like gameplay bugs. If you leave importer defaults untouched, you are likely burning cycles where players feel it most.
This module breaks the tradeoffs down with evidence, not myths. You compare Force To Mono, load modes, codecs, preload behavior, and background loading so you can choose settings by measurable impact instead of guesswork.
The proof is concrete: Force To Mono can cut clip memory roughly in half in the documented tests, and preload/decompression choices can shift CPU cost from startup into first-playback spikes. You also get decision criteria for PCM vs ADPCM vs Vorbis, plus when streaming is worth the latency risk and when it is a bottleneck.
Your next step is clear: pick one representative SFX and one music track, profile Decompress on Load vs Compressed in Memory vs Streaming, and compare CPU spikes, memory footprint, and first-playback latency in Unity Profiler.
CEO/Producer translation: you avoid performance regressions and asset-size creep by standardizing import choices into repeatable, low-risk production rules.
Unlock this module and apply the full audio decision matrix so your mix sounds good without killing performance.
In this module:
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