Audio Clips - Research the Options Challenge

The four checkbox options for imported audio clips are:

  • Force To Mono: If enabled, this downmixes the audio clip to a single channel sound (i.e. Mono rather than Stereo).

  • Normalize: This checkbox is only relevant when Force To Mono is enabled. If enabled, the audio clip will be peak-normalized after being converted to a single channel. This is because the down-mixing process typically produces sounds that are quieter than the original, so performing a peak normalization counteracts this. This option can be disabled if you would prefer for this not to occur.

  • Load In Background: If enabled, the audio clip will be loaded in the background (on a seperate thread) to avoid causing stalls in the main thread. This is disabled by default as the standard Unity behaviour is to load all audio clips before the scene starts playing.

  • Preload Audio Data: If enabled, the audio clip will be pre-loaded when the scene is loaded. This is enabled by default. If disabled, the audio clip will be loaded on the first call to play it, or when AudioSource.LoadAudioData() is called.

Nice work Peter! :wink:

Hi
Where’s the audio file?? I don’t see an exercise folder or the Resources

That’s strange, there should be a link to an example sound file in the resources for the lecture.
I can see it here:

1 Like

Yeah!! I see it. Didn’t see it there before!!
Thanks! Love this class. It is just super. I have been working w/Unity for over a year.
But going thru it with this course is so comprehensive that i am learning it more thoroughly.
Thank you!

No worries, glad you are enjoying the course :slight_smile:

That rocks. I’m glad you are enjoying the course. The resource may have just recently be put there so it may not have been there last you looked.

  • Force To Mono: This mixes the audio sample to a single channel sound creating a more one dimensional sound. (as opposed to the now standard stereo sound)

  • Load In Background: This ensures that all other code does not become blocked when this audio clip is called when it is not yet in memory (by loading on a separate thread). Should a play request be made the clip is not done loading the request will be postponed until it is ready.

  • Preload Audio Data: This loads the audio data before the scene starts. When disabled the audio clip is loaded on the first call or when it is manually loaded using AudioSource.LoadAudioData(). It might be useful to turn this option off to speed up level load times when dealing with a large amount of assets. If you know for sure the audio is only used in the later part of the game you can then manually load it during low CPU usage times before the player arrives there.

Force to Mono: Changes audio from stereo to single-channel sound.

Normalize: Only available if Force To Mono is checked. Mono sounds are quieter than default, so this helps prevent that

Load In Background: Audio clip will load in background without stalling.*

Preload Audio Data: Audio will loaded before the scene is loaded. If unchecked, the audio data will either be loaded when we first play the sound, or it can be loaded and unloaded in code.*

*Standard Unity behavior is for all AudioClips to have finished loading when scene the starts playing. Thus, by deafult, Load In Background is off and Preload Audio Data is on.

Force to Mono: Audio is “down mixed” into a single channel sound.

Normalize: Only available if Force to Mono was checked, helps to make sure the mono sound is not too quiet compared to the rest of the audio - brings the sound to a “normal” level

Load in Background: Starts the game scene without having to wait to finish loading the audio clip

Preload Audio Data: Default Unity behavior, waits until all audio clips have been fully loaded into the scene before playing it.

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