Effect Parameter Automation by game interaction

Unreal Engine
1

Hi. I am new to game development, game sound and visual scripting for games, but I have done visual scripting for synthesis and VSTi plugins (synthedit and puredata).

I am using Unreal Engine 4.

So, my question is:
How much can I automate in FMOD by game interaction? For example: is it possible to turn the filter cutoff down by moving my character into a collision box? How many of the effects and their parameters can be affected by in-game interaction?

I have been looking into using puredata, Max/MSP or some other programming environment to make something that I can import in Unreal Engine 4 and have parameters change by in-game interaction. Lets say I want to make a 3D enviroment synth with parameters that reacts to x/y/z coordinates, so that the filter cutoff changes in one direction and the pitch in another, and a reverb effect wetness in the third direction. Would this be possible in FMOD? Do I even need another application or can FMOD do all of this from the get-go?

Is there any way of using something made in puredata or another synthesis program in Unreal Engine 4, and have the parameters change with game interaction?

Thanks so much for any answer on any of my questions :slight_smile:

2

You are able to automate any float parameters on effects via FMOD Studio. This can be based on input from your game. There are 2 ways of doing this:

  1. You can automate values in events based on a parameter set from the game (using the Set Parameter blueprint). Automation is added by right clicking a dial in the even, and selecting ‘Add Automation’.
  2. Within a snapshot, you can modify settings in the global mixer (where all audio signals from events get mixed together). So if you wanted to modify cutoff when a character enters a collision box, you could hook that up in blueprint to play/stop a snapshot. Please see the following video for example of how a snapshot is used for changing reverb setting in a similar way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KK9PIm3MEg. In your case, you could modify a lowpass/highpass effect., you could modify a lowpass/highpass effect.