Audio Setup

Working with Audio Components

Challenge 1: Audio Setup

3D Audio in Unity

Challenge 2: Create 3D and 2D Audio

Audio Reverb Zones

Challenge 3: Add Reverb Zones to Customize the Environment's Effect on the Audio

Sound Effects Scripting

Challenge 4: Trigger Audio Playback via C# Script

Challenge 5: Create a Custom Audio Mix in the Scene

Submissions - Beginning Audio in Unity

Recorded Live Session - Beginning Audio in Unity

LiveSession_AudioAssets.zip

This project features the classic Windridge City project with the addition of the Standard Assets first person controller. The project includes a few key areas that will benefit from the addition of audio. You will have the opportunity to configure both 2D and 3D audio, create Reverb Zones to enhance the environmental audio effects, trigger audio from a custom C# script, and master the scene’s audio using the Audio Mixer. 

Beginning Audio in Unity

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Getting Set Up

Working with Audio Reverb Zones

Next Steps

Audio Reverb Zones add soundscape realism to your Scene by controlling how a 3D environment’s space may affect the qualities of sound reverberating or echoing off of surfaces. Consider a game character’s footsteps. The sound effect of the footsteps would vary depending on the environment. Audio resonating in an open spacious environment has properties of sound that will change upon entering an enclosed corridor. Audio Reverb Zones address these types of changing sound environments.

AI, ML Curricular Framework Resources 

In this tutorial, we will demonstrate Audio Reverb Zones using Assets provided in the 3D Game Kit. 

For the detailed instructions on how to install the 3D Game Kit Template, refer to the Audio Setup tutorial. It is not required, however, to download the complete 3D Game Kit Template package for this tutorial. Feel free to practice with Audio Reverb Zones by using the Assets of your own project. To get set up:

1. Include an area within your environment which may have unique sound properties or characteristics such as a tunnel or canyon. To create a stone tunnel structure from the 3D Game Kit Template, assemble Prefabs within the 
3DGamekit > Prefabs > Environment > Structures folder in the Project window, and then drag/drop them into the Scene to arrange them together in an environment. Alternately, to sculpt a canyon into your terrain, refer to the Working with the Terrain Editor tutorial.

2. Ensure that your Scene has an Audio Listener component. Use the default camera, or attach an Audio Listener component to a character.

3. Include a GameObject with an Audio Source component to play sound.

In this tutorial’s example Scene, the third-person character Prefab Ellen already has the audio source of footsteps included within the Prefab. We will control her running from a grassy terrain, into a stone corridor tunnel, illustrating how the footstep’s audio properties will change upon entering an Audio Reverb Zone.

An example Scene depicts an environment containing a stone tunnel structure comprised of 3D GameKit Template structure Prefabs assembled together in the Scene

An assembled stone tunnel structure, comprised of 3D GameKit Template structure Prefabs

An example Scene depicts an environment containing a game character standing on a grassy terrain with a stone tunnel structure in the background

The example Scene

We will proceed to add an Audio Reverb Zone. Audio Reverb Zones can be attached to any GameObject as a component, or simply added from the menu drop-down.

GameObject > Audio > Audio Reverb Zone. Orient the position of the Audio Reverb Zone GameObject to center it upon where you want the sound to echo in your Scene. Here the Audio Reverb Zone is centered around the tunnel structure. 

2. Set the Reverb Preset to a preset setting of your choice to match the conditions in your Scene. In the example Scene, Stone Corridor is selected from the drop-down menu. 

We will now set the Minimum and Maximum Distance values, represented by the GameObject’s blue spherical gizmo. When the listener is outside of the outer sphere’s Maximum Distance range, the Reverb Zone will have no effect. As the character approaches the inner sphere’s Minimum Distance, the reverb effect increases. Once inside the inner sphere, the reverb will have full effect.

3. Set the Audio Reverb Zone’s Min Distance and Max Distance values to match your Scene’s environment. In the example Scene, the Min Distance is reduced to 5.5, and the Max Distance is reduced to 8. 

4. Enter Play mode to preview the audio. Control the character to run into the Audio Reverb Zone to hear the audio properties echo and reverberate through the stone corridor. 

You will be able to hear that the Reverb Zone’s audio properties depict the way sound interacts within an enclosed hollow environment, simulating how physical sound waves reflect off of surfaces.

5. To make further specific customized adjustments for any of the Reverb Presets, ranging from Cave to Cathedral, select User from the Reverb Preset drop-down menu, and adjust any of the individual value sliders.

Room: adjusts the room effect output levels in mB.

Room HF: adjusts the room effect output levels in mB at high frequencies.

Room LF: adjusts the room effect output levels in mB at low frequencies.

Decay Time: adjusts the reverberation decay time at low frequencies in seconds.

Decay HF Ratio: adjusts the high frequency to low frequency decay time ratio.

Reflections: adjusts the early reflections level relative to the room effect in mB.

Reflections Delay: adjusts the early reflections delay time relative to the room effect in mB.

Reverb: adjusts the late reverberation level relative to the room effect in mB.

Reverb Delay: adjusts the late reverberation time relative to the first reflection in seconds.

HF Reference: adjusts the reference high frequency in Hz.

LF Reference: adjusts the reference low frequency in Hz.

Diffusion: adjusts the reverberation diffusion (echo density) in a percentage.

Density: adjusts the reverberation density (modal density) in a percentage. 

The Audio Reverb Zone GameObject is highlighted in the Hierarchy and Inspector windows, showing its Transform Position X, Y, and Z coordinates, as well as the Audio Reverb Zone’s component values.

The Audio Reverb Zone GameObject centered on the tunnel structure

The Audio Reverb Zone component’s Reverb Preset is highlighted, showing the list of presets from the drop-down menu. Stone Corridor is being selected.

The Audio Reverb Zone component’s Reverb Preset drop-down menu settings

The Audio Reverb Zone component’s adjusted Min and Max Distance values are being highlighted

The Audio Reverb Zone’s adjusted Min and Max Distance values

The game character Prefab Ellen is running through the Scene’s stone corridor environment during Play mode

The game character Prefab Ellen running through the stone corridor

The Reverb Preset drop-down menu is set to User in the Audio Reverb Zone component

The Reverb Preset set to User

When working with Audio Reverb Zones in Unity, practice setting up various different or multiple scenarios within a 3D sound environment. Experiment with the different preset settings, or even your own custom settings to hear their audio qualities. Unity’s Audio Reverb Zones offer a highly configurable means to represent how sound interacts with the Scene. 

Audio Reverb Zones

1. Getting Set Up

2. Working with Audio Reverb Zones

3. Next Steps

Complete this tutorial