FMOD Studio: One-Sheet

📝 Note

Table of Contents

FMOD Studio vs FMOD Engine

FMOD Studio is the application (similar to a DAW).

FMOD Engine gets imported into a game engine (e.g. Unity or Unreal) and is what interacts with the content created in FMOD Studio to add the sounds and music to a game/experience.

Organization

FMOD organizes projects to both handle in-game assets efficiently and to maximize control over signal flow.

Project Structure

An FMOD Studio Project is organized bottom to top as Assets (Audio Files) > Instruments > Tracks > Events > Banks.

Signal Flow

In an FMOD Studio Project audio begins as an Asset (an audio file) which is played back within an Instrument. The audio generated by each instrument then flows to its Track and on to the Event’s Master Track. The audio from each Event’s Mater Track ****flows to an assigned Group track in the Mixer (unless the event is embedded within another event, via an Event Instrument, in which case the output of the embed event flows to the track on which it is embedded).**

Tracks

Tracks in FMOD Studio are very similar to the audio, return, or master tracks found within most DAWs.

Audio Tracks

Audio Tracks hold instruments and audio effects, but can also serve as sub-mixes within an event by rerouting other audio track’s outputs to a single audio track.

Return Tracks

Return tracks receive audio input from send effects inserted on audio tracks within the same event.

Master Tracks

An event always contains exactly one master track that cannot be routed into other tracks. Instead, its output is always routed to the project mixer.

Automation Tracks

Similar to “automation lanes” in most DAWs, Automation Tracks are a special kind of track that do not have audio flowing through them. Instead, they display automation data.

Events

FMOD events can be either 2D or 3D and initialized with or without a timeline.

2D Events

Stereo/Headlocked. Does not move about the world.

3D Events

Spatialized. Moves about the world according to the sources spatial relationship to the listener.

Action Events

Intended for SFX/One-shots.

Timeline Events

Intended for looped, tempo synchronized, or evolving events.

Instruments

Instruments are the source of audio in an event, and can also trigger behavior through snapshots and commands. They appear as colored boxes on the action sheets, audio tracks, and master tracks of an event when that event is displayed in the editor.

Synchronous & Asynchronous Instruments

Synchronous Instruments

Synchronous Instruments always playback the portion of the audio file at the current playback location.

Only the following instruments can be set to synchronous when placed on an Event’s Timeline:

Single
Multi
Programmer

Asynchronous Instruments

Asynchronous instruments trigger the playback of their contents when the playhead passes the instrument’s start location and continue to play from that point forward independent of the playhead’s location. All the following FMOD instruments can be set as asynchronous:

Single
Multi
Event
Scatter
Command
Programmer
Snapshot

Single Instruments

Single instruments are one of the most commonly used types. When triggered, a single instrument produces output based on a single specified audio file.

Multi Instruments

Multi instruments are similar to single instruments, but feature a playlist of options instead of just one audio file.

Event Instruments

Event instruments create instances of events elsewhere in the project. The output of the new event instance is routed into the track that holds the event instrument, instead of into the mixer.

Scatterer Instruments

Scatterer instruments are similar to multi instruments, but feature spatial and temporal randomization at the cost of being more complex.

Programmer Instruments

Programmer instruments pass a callback to your game’s code when triggered, allowing you to specify an audio file to play in your game’s code. This is most useful for situations when there are a very large number of audio files that could be selected from, such as when playing lines of dialogue in games with conversation systems.

Command Instruments

Command instruments do not produce audio. Instead, they issue commands to your FMOD Studio project, allowing the event to control other event instances throughout your game. Command instruments can be used to start and stop other instances of other events, or to change the values of local and global parameters.

Snapshot Instruments

Snapshot instruments do not produce audio. Instead, they create and play instances of snapshots, allowing the event to control the mix of your entire game.

Parameters

Every event has a series of variables known as parameters that will appear at the top of the Event’s window. All event content not on action sheets is controlled by parameters, and setting the values of parameters is the only way to influence the behavior of a playing event. The timeline that appears in some events is just a special kind of parameter that automatically advances over time while the event plays.