What are the best practices for audio in Unity?

1 Audio Sources

Audio sources are the components that play sounds in your game. You can attach them to any game object, such as a character, a weapon, or a trigger. Audio sources have various properties that control how the sound is played, such as volume, pitch, loop, spatial blend, and 3D settings. You should use audio sources wisely, as having too many of them can affect performance and memory. To optimize your audio sources, you can use pooling, culling, occlusion, and priority settings.

4 Audio Effects

Audio effects are the modifiers that change the sounds in your game. You can apply audio effects to audio sources or audio mixer groups, using the Audio Source or Audio Mixer components. Audio effects have parameters that allow you to tweak and customize the sound output, such as reverb, distortion, chorus, echo, and low-pass filter. You should use audio effects to enhance the realism, mood, and style of your sounds, as well as to create special or unique sound effects.

5 Audio Compression

Audio compression is the process of reducing the size and quality of the sounds in your game. You can compress audio files in the Audio Import Settings window, using different formats and settings. Audio compression has trade-offs between performance and fidelity, as compressing audio files can save memory and bandwidth, but also degrade sound quality and introduce artifacts. You should use audio compression wisely, as it can affect the user experience and perception of your sounds. You should also test and compare different compression options, and choose the best one for your target platform and audience.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?