Version
menu_open

Authoring Audio Objects

The following sections cover the four main steps required to author Audio Objects and ensure they reach the System Audio Device for possible conversion to System Audio Object(s):

Enabling 3D audio and Audio Objects for your project

The following steps ensure that the processing status of the Master Audio Bus will be resolved as Processing Audio Objects and that the System Audio Device will sort its output into three streams: Main Mix, Passthrough Mix, and System Audio Objects.

  1. In the Audio tab of the Project Explorer, double-click the System Audio Device to open the Audio Device Editor.

  2. In the Audio Device Editor, select Allow 3D Audio and Allow System Audio Objects.

  3. Set the value of Minimum System Audio Objects Required to the minimum number of discrete 3D mono sounds you believe your project needs at any one time to achieve a reasonable listening experience. Keep in mind, if this value is greater than the number of Audio Objects supported by the endpoint, all Audio Objects received by the System Audio Device are routed to the Main Mix. The number of Audio Objects supported by the endpoint must be verified in the documentation of the endpoint.

    When profiling, you can verify whether or not 3D Audio is supported by and enabled on the endpoint. This is indicated in the Audio Device Editor by the status of Is 3D Audio Active.

If authoring for Windows, refer to Enabling 3D Audio in the Wwise SDK documentation for further details.

Routing ambient background sounds to the Main Mix

The Main Mix is best suited for sounds that benefit from binaural processing, while not requiring the precision of Audio Object positioning. Also known as a Spatialized Bed, the Main Mix is an intermediate representation of sounds and their positions rendered in a channel-based format (for example, 5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4, or ambisonics). This produces a mix suitable for virtualization (that is, virtual positioning according to ideal speaker positions) and binauralization.

  1. In the Audio tab of the Project Explorer, right-click the Master Audio Bus and select New Child > Audio Bus. Type the desired name.

  2. Open the Property Editor for the new Audio Bus. In the General Settings tab, set the Bus Configuration to Same as main mix.

  3. For each ambient background sound that you would like sent to the endpoint as part of the Main Mix, open the Property Editor for the object and select the newly created Audio Bus as the Output Bus. You might need to select Override parent.

Routing music to the Passthrough Mix

The Passthrough Mix is a stereo configuration that bypasses any 3D processing that might otherwise occur at the endpoint. This ensures that the full frequency range and original channel configuration of the sounds are preserved. For this reason, the Passthrough Mix is well suited to music and other non-diegetic sounds like user interface feedback.

  1. In the Audio tab of the Project Explorer, right-click the Master Audio Bus and select New Child > Audio Bus. Type the desired name.

  2. Open the Property Editor for the new Audio Bus. In the General Settings tab, set the Bus Configuration to Same as passthrough mix.

  3. For all objects that you would like sent to the endpoint as part of the Passthrough Mix, open the Property Editor for the object and select the newly created Audio Bus as the Output Bus. You might need to select Override parent.

Routing sounds that would benefit from spatial precision to an Audio Objects bus

Audio Objects are ideal for sounds that would benefit from precise positioning, typically those associated with a game object. Each Audio Object includes metadata (for example, position and spread) that can be used by the endpoint to simulate directionality. This is done in accordance with the end user’s listening configuration and hence results in the best possible spatial precision.

  1. In the Audio tab of the Project Explorer, right-click the Master Audio Bus and select New Child > Audio Bus. Type the desired name.

  2. Open the Property Editor for the new Audio Bus. In the General Settings tab, set the Bus Configuration to Audio Objects.

  3. For each sound that you would like sent to the endpoint as a System Audio Object, open the Property Editor for the sound.

    • In the General Settings tab, select the newly created Audio Bus as the Output Bus. You might need to select Override parent.

    • In the Positioning tab, ensure:

      • Listener Relative Routing is enabled.

      • 3D Spatialization is set to Position or Position + Orientation.

      • Speaker Panning / 3D Spatialization Mix is set to 100%.

  4. For each sound you have routed to an Audio Objects bus, right-click the sound and select Show in Schematic View. The Schematic View opens.

  5. Inspect the path of the sound as it progresses through the bus hierarchy. Ensure it is never routed to a mixing bus . When Audio Objects are routed to a mixing bus, their Metadata, including 3D positional information, is destroyed.

  6. Ensure all Audio Objects are ultimately routed to the System Audio Device. Any other type of Audio Device renders the Audio Object.

Refer to The Role of the System Audio Device for details on the rest of the pipeline.


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