Audio Systems¶

Core Components¶

AudioSource¶

The primary component for playing sounds:

[SerializeField] private AudioSource _audioSource;
[SerializeField] private AudioClip _shootSound;

public void PlayShoot()
{
    // PlayOneShot allows overlapping sounds from the same source
    _audioSource.PlayOneShot(_shootSound, 0.8f);
}

Key properties: - clip: The default AudioClip - volume: 0.0 to 1.0 - pitch: Playback speed (1.0 = normal). Randomize slightly for variety: Random.Range(0.9f, 1.1f) - spatialBlend: 0 = 2D (UI, music), 1 = 3D (world sounds) - loop: Enable for ambient sounds and music

AudioListener¶

Receives all audio in the scene. Rules: - Exactly one active AudioListener per scene - Usually attached to the main camera - 3D sound positioning is relative to the AudioListener

AudioMixer¶

AudioMixer provides professional audio routing, effects, and volume control.

Groups¶

Create a hierarchy of mixer groups:

Master
|-- Music
|-- SFX
|   |-- Weapons
|   |-- Footsteps
|   |-- UI
|-- Ambient
|-- Voice

Exposed Parameters¶

Expose mixer parameters for script control:

[SerializeField] private AudioMixer _mixer;

public void SetMusicVolume(float normalizedValue)
{
    // Convert 0-1 slider to decibels (-80 to 0)
    float dB = normalizedValue > 0.001f
        ? Mathf.Log10(normalizedValue) * 20f
        : -80f;
    _mixer.SetFloat("MusicVolume", dB);
}

Snapshots¶

Pre-configure mixer states for different game contexts: - Default: normal gameplay mix - Paused: duck SFX, lower music - Underwater: low-pass filter on all groups - Menu: music only, SFX muted

Transition between snapshots: snapshot.TransitionTo(0.5f).

Effects¶

Built-in mixer effects: Reverb, Echo, Chorus, Flange, Distortion, Low Pass, High Pass, Compressor.

3D Spatial Audio¶

Configure AudioSource for spatial audio: - Spatial Blend: Set to 1.0 for full 3D positioning - Min/Max Distance: Controls volume rolloff range - Rolloff: Logarithmic (realistic), Linear (predictable), or Custom curve - Doppler Level: Pitch shift for moving sources (0 = off) - Spread: Stereo width at the listener (0 = point source, 360 = surround)

Audio Pooling¶

For sounds that play frequently (footsteps, impacts, bullets):

public class AudioPool : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private int _poolSize = 10;
    private AudioSource[] _sources;
    private int _nextIndex;

    private void Awake()
    {
        _sources = new AudioSource[_poolSize];
        for (int i = 0; i < _poolSize; i++)
        {
            _sources[i] = gameObject.AddComponent<AudioSource>();
            _sources[i].playOnAwake = false;
        }
    }

    public void Play(AudioClip clip, float volume = 1f)
    {
        _sources[_nextIndex].PlayOneShot(clip, volume);
        _nextIndex = (_nextIndex + 1) % _poolSize;
    }
}

Music Management¶

Crossfading¶

private async Awaitable CrossfadeAsync(AudioSource from, AudioSource to, float duration)
{
    to.volume = 0f;
    to.Play();

    float elapsed = 0f;
    while (elapsed < duration)
    {
        elapsed += Time.deltaTime;
        float t = elapsed / duration;
        from.volume = 1f - t;
        to.volume = t;
        await Awaitable.NextFrameAsync();
    }

    from.Stop();
    from.volume = 1f;
}

Layered Music¶

Play multiple tracks simultaneously and blend between them for adaptive music: - Base layer: ambient melody (always playing) - Action layer: percussion (fade in during combat) - Tension layer: strings (fade in during stealth)

AudioClip Loading¶

Decompress On Load: Small, frequently used clips (UI clicks, footsteps). Fastest playback, uses more memory.
Compressed In Memory: Medium clips (SFX). Good balance of memory and CPU.
Streaming: Large clips (music, ambient loops). Low memory, slight CPU cost.

Common AudioManager Pattern¶

See snippets/csharp/singleton-pattern.cs for the Singleton base. Build an AudioManager that centralizes playback, manages the mixer, and provides a simple API:

AudioManager.Instance.PlaySFX("explosion");
AudioManager.Instance.PlayMusic("battle_theme");
AudioManager.Instance.SetMusicVolume(0.7f);