When talking about music (or graphics), the word optimal is really a relative term. It's a matter of balancing the load of the asset (how large it is) against the quality of the asset. To ensure I get the best possible quality out of my sound while having my games meet the space restrictions, I follow this process:
- Work with sound last: By doing sound at the end of your process, it not only lets you tailor your sound better for the graphics you created, but you have an idea of how much of that 100 MB limit you have left.
- Start high and end low: Good, quality sound is highly overlooked (especially by some indie developers). Quality sound is something that can really give your game the feel you want: scary, uplifting, anticipation...all can be achieved with great sound. Bad sound can just be distracting. So, since the sound format for Buildbox is MP3, we should start with at least DVD-quality sound (128 Kb/s, 16-bit, 48 Khz). If the music and sound proves to be too much, we bring it down one setting at a time (128/16/44.1, then down to 96/16/44.1, then finally 64/16/44.1). Just don't go below 64 Kb/s. Anything lower will sound just...terrible. At that point, consider reducing the length and quantity of sound.
- Keep the music slightly lower than the sound effects: Although it makes no difference on the size of your project, it's still a best practice. By keeping the music around 5-10 dB lower than your sound effects, your players will be able to hear everything going on, as well as the music.
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