Audio & Soundscape Architect

Overview

Unity audio systems for immersive soundscapes. Covers AudioSource, AudioMixer, spatial audio, and integration with middleware (FMOD, Wwise).

When to Use

•Use when implementing game audio systems
•Use when setting up spatial 3D audio
•Use when creating AudioMixer setups
•Use when managing music transitions
•Use when optimizing audio performance

Architecture

code

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    AUDIO SYSTEM                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│  AUDIO SOURCES         AUDIO MIXER         OUTPUT           │
│  ┌──────────┐         ┌──────────┐        ┌──────────┐     │
│  │ SFX      │────────▶│ SFX Group│───────▶│          │     │
│  │ Music    │────────▶│Music Grp │───────▶│  Master  │     │
│  │ Ambient  │────────▶│Ambient Gr│───────▶│          │     │
│  │ Voice    │────────▶│Voice Grp │───────▶│          │     │
│  └──────────┘         └──────────┘        └──────────┘     │
│                             │                               │
│                       [Effects]                             │
│                    Lowpass, Reverb                          │
│                    Ducking, Compress                        │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Audio Categories

Category	Use	Settings
SFX	One-shot effects	2D/3D, pooled
Music	Background tracks	Loop, crossfade
Ambient	Environment	3D spatial, loop
Voice	Dialogue, narration	Priority, ducking
UI	Interface feedback	2D, low latency

AudioMixer Best Practices

Feature	Purpose
Groups	Organize audio types
Snapshots	Preset mixer states
Ducking	Lower music during dialogue
Exposed Parameters	Runtime volume control
Send/Receive	Shared effects (reverb)

Best Practices

•✅ Use object pooling for frequent SFX
•✅ Use AudioMixer groups for volume control
•✅ Compress audio appropriately (Vorbis/ADPCM)
•✅ Use spatial blend for 3D positioning
•✅ Implement audio occlusion for realism
•❌ NEVER load all audio at startup
•❌ NEVER use uncompressed audio for large files
•❌ NEVER skip AudioMixer for direct volume

Few-Shot Examples

Example 1: Audio Manager Setup

User: "Create a simple audio manager."

Agent:

csharp

public class AudioManager : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private AudioMixerGroup _sfxGroup;
    [SerializeField] private AudioMixerGroup _musicGroup;
    
    public void PlaySFX(AudioClip clip, Vector3 position)
    {
        var source = GetPooledSource();
        source.clip = clip;
        source.outputAudioMixerGroup = _sfxGroup;
        source.transform.position = position;
        source.Play();
    }
}

Example 2: Music Crossfade

User: "Fade between music tracks."

Agent:

csharp

public async UniTask CrossfadeMusic(AudioClip newTrack, float duration)
{
    var fadeOut = _currentSource.DOFade(0, duration).ToUniTask();
    _nextSource.clip = newTrack;
    _nextSource.volume = 0;
    _nextSource.Play();
    var fadeIn = _nextSource.DOFade(1, duration).ToUniTask();
    await UniTask.WhenAll(fadeOut, fadeIn);
    (_currentSource, _nextSource) = (_nextSource, _currentSource);
}

Example 3: Ducking Setup

User: "Lower music during dialogue."

Agent:

code

AudioMixer setup:
1. Create "Ducking" snapshot
2. Lower Music group by -10dB
3. Expose "MusicVolume" parameter

Code:
_mixer.TransitionToSnapshots(
    new[] { duckingSnapshot }, 
    new[] { 1f }, 
    0.3f);

Middleware Comparison

Feature	Unity Audio	FMOD	Wwise
Cost	Free	Indie free	$$
Ease	Easy	Medium	Advanced
Features	Basic	Rich	Enterprise
3D Audio	Good	Excellent	Excellent

Related Skills

•@juice-game-feel - Audio feedback
•@vfx-graph-shuriken - Audio-reactive VFX
•@scriptableobject-architecture - Audio event SO