Version
menu_open

Defining the playback behavior for objects

Each object within your project has a certain set of behaviors. The behaviors determine how many times an object will play each time it is called and whether the object is stored in memory or streamed directly from the DVD, CD, or hard drive.

You can define the following behaviors for objects:

Creating loops

By default, objects play once from beginning to end. You might, however, want an object to play more than once. In this case, you can create a loop. When you decide to loop an object, you must define the number of times it will be looped. You have the option to loop the object indefinitely or to specify the number of times it will be looped.

By default, the entire object is looped, but if loop region markers have been added to the audio file, you can loop one part of an object. In a full loop, the entire object plays from beginning to end. When the object reaches its end, it returns back to the beginning to play again. It will play repeatedly until it reaches the number of loops specified.

In a region loop, only the region defined by the markers is looped. The object plays from the beginning until it reaches the end of the looped region. It then returns to the beginning of the marked region and plays the looped region repeatedly until it reaches the number loops specified. After the looping is finished, the last portion of the object is played. If the looping is infinite, the last portion of the object is never played. Wwise supports only one loop region, so make sure that only one region is defined in the audio file.

[Note]Note

Region markers (or start/end samples in Audition) must be created in a third-party application, such as Adobe® Audition® and Sound Forge®. Other third-party applications might work, but they are not officially supported by Wwise.

To loop a sound:

  1. Load an object into the Property Editor.

  2. Select the Loop option.

    The Loop options become available.

  3. Select one of the following options:

    Infinite to specify that the entire object or defined loop region in the file will be repeated indefinitely.

    No. of Loops to specify a particular number of times that the entire object or defined loop region will be played.

  4. If you selected the No. of Loops option, type the number of times you want the object or defined loop region to be played.

Looping compressed audio files

Since compressed file formats, such as ADPCM, require that file lengths and region markers fall on sample boundaries, the zero-based samples are padded during the conversion process. This extra padding can cause problems when sounds are looped. To avoid these problems, Wwise prompts you to re-convert looped sounds to ensure that:

  • Padding does not occur at the end of the file.

  • Loop region markers are aligned with sample boundaries.

Wwise uses a pitch shift during the re-convert process to ensure that the files meet the requirements of the compression format. The loops remain sample accurate and the sample rate of the file is not changed.

[Note]Note

Any loop markers in the audio file that are shorter than the sample boundaries are removed when converted in Wwise.

Streaming media

You can determine which objects will be played from memory and which ones will be streamed from a hard drive, CD, or DVD. When media is streamed from the disk or hard drive, you also have the option to avoid any playback delays by creating a small buffer that covers the latency time required to fetch the rest of the file. You can specify the size of the buffer so that it meets the requirements of the different media sources, such as hard drive, CD, and DVD. Unlike the rest of the streamed file, this small buffer is actually stored within a SoundBank and loaded with the SoundBank into memory at the appropriate point in the game.

[Note]Note

Audio playback in Wwise is always streamed regardless of whether the streaming options have been selected. The Stream settings, therefore, only apply when generating SoundBanks, and playing back from a remote platform or game.

To stream a sound:

  1. Load an object into the Property Editor.

  2. Select the Stream option.

    The Stream options become available.

  3. Select the Zero Latency option to have no delay from the time the object is triggered to when it is actually played. To achieve zero latency, a certain portion of the beginning of the data file must be stored in memory to cover the latency time required to fetch the rest of the file from the media.

  4. In the Prefetch length text box, type the number of milliseconds of the data file that you want to store in memory.


Was this page helpful?

Need Support?

Questions? Problems? Need more info? Contact us, and we can help!

Visit our Support page

Tell us about your project. We're here to help.

Register your project and we'll help you get started with no strings attached!

Get started with Wwise