Tags: unity, audio, fmod, wwise, middleware, 3d-attenuation, mixing, ducking, pitch, game-dev Last updated: 2026-06-27

Audio Middleware (FMOD / Wwise / Unity Audio) Cheatsheet

Quick Reference

System	Best For	Complexity
Unity Audio	Simple 2D/3D sounds, quick prototyping	Low
FMOD	Indie to AA, strong Unity integration	Medium
Wwise	AAA, complex dynamic mixing	High
Unity + Mixer	Moderate projects, snapshot-based mixing	Low–Medium

Unity Audio Basics

AudioSource Properties

Property	Description
Clip	AudioClip to play
Volume	0–1 output level
Pitch	Playback speed (0.5 = half, 2 = double)
Spatial Blend	0 = 2D, 1 = 3D
Loop	Repeat on finish
Play On Awake	Auto-play when object spawns
Priority	0–255 (0 = most important, 255 = can be stolen)

AudioSource source = GetComponent<AudioSource>();
source.Play();
source.PlayOneShot(clip, 0.8f);
source.Stop();
source.Pause();
source.UnPause();
source.mute = true;

if (source.isPlaying) { }

Pitch Variation

public AudioSource source;
public float pitchMin = 0.9f;
public float pitchMax = 1.1f;

void PlayVaried() {
    source.pitch = Random.Range(pitchMin, pitchMax);
    source.Play();
}

3D Spatial Settings

Setting	Effect
Spatial Blend	0 (2D, no distance) → 1 (3D, full attenuation)
Doppler Level	Pitch shift from relative velocity
Spread	Stereo-to-mono spread angle
Volume Rolloff	Logarithmic / Linear / Custom curve
Min Distance	Distance where volume is max
Max Distance	Distance where volume reaches zero

source.spatialBlend = 1f;
source.dopplerLevel = 0.5f;
source.minDistance = 2f;
source.maxDistance = 50f;
source.rolloffMode = AudioRolloffMode.Logarithmic;

Unity Audio Mixer

Mixer Groups & Routing

Master Group
├── Music Group
├── SFX Group
│   ├── Environment
│   └── UI
├── Voice Group
└── Ambient Group

Snapshot Transitions

AudioMixer mixer;
mixer.SetFloat("MusicVolume", Mathf.Log10(volume) * 20);
mixer.SetFloat("SFXPitch", 1.2f);
mixer.SetFloat("LowpassCutoff", 500f);

AudioMixerSnapshot pauseSnapshot;
pauseSnapshot.TransitionTo(0.5f);    # 0.5s blend

Ducking & Effects

SFX plays → music compresses → music fades back after.

Effect	Use Case
Lowpass/Highpass	Underwater, radio, distance
Echo	Large spaces, caverns
Reverb	Rooms, halls, outdoor
Chorus/Flanger	Magic, alien, weird effects
Compressor	Ducking, loudness normalisation
Distortion	Robot voices, overloaded speakers

FMOD (Overview)

Core Concepts

Concept	Description
Events	Playable audio assets (prefabs for sound)
Parameters	Float/Label values for real-time control
Snapshots	Global mixing states
Banks	Containers of events (load/unload at runtime)
Buses	Mixer signal chains
VCAs	Volume control groups

FMOD Studio Integration (Unity)

# Play one-shot
FMODUnity.RuntimeManager.PlayOneShot("event:/SFX/Explosion");

# Instance for control
FMOD.Studio.EventInstance instance =
    FMODUnity.RuntimeManager.CreateInstance("event:/Music/Battle");
instance.start();
instance.setParameterByName("Intensity", 0.7f);
instance.stop(FMOD.Studio.STOP_MODE.ALLOWFADEOUT);
instance.release();

Wwise (Overview)

Core Concepts

Concept	Description
Events	Trigger sound playback
Game Syncs	States, Switches, RTPCs (parameters)
SoundBanks	Packaged audio data
Game Objects	Unity GameObjects registered in Wwise
Listeners	Usually the camera
Auxiliary Sends	Send to reverb/effects busses

Wwise Unity Integration

AkSoundEngine.PostEvent("Play_Explosion", gameObject);
AkSoundEngine.SetRTPCValue("PlayerHealth", health, gameObject);
AkSoundEngine.SetState("Location", "Cave");
AkSoundEngine.SetSwitch("Material", "Stone", gameObject);

Choosing an Audio System

Situation	Recommendation
Small/rapid project, few sounds	Unity Audio
Indie, moderate dynamic audio	FMOD (free for indies)
AAA, complex mixing, many platforms	Wwise
In-editor workflow, quick iteration	FMOD
Non-commercial / open source	Unity Audio