# Error with Steamaudio and FMOD

**URL:** <https://qa.fmod.com/t/error-with-steamaudio-and-fmod/16522>\
**Category:** Unity\
**Tags:** unity\
**Created:** [December 4, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/error-with-steamaudio-and-fmod/16522 "2020-12-04T19:17:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![shisagi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/qa.fmod.com/shisagi/32/1754_2.png) [@shisagi](https://qa.fmod.com/u/shisagi)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/error-with-steamaudio-and-fmod/16522/1 "2020-12-04T19:17:56Z")

</div>

Unity: 2018.4.29  
FMOD: 2.01.05  
SteamAudio: 2.0-beta.19

SteamAudio and FMOD seem to disagree on where the phonon.dll and phonon\_fmod.dll should be located. SteamAudio documentation tells us to add the files according to the FMOD documentation:  
[SteamAudio Docs](https://steamcommunity.com/linkfilter/?url=https://valvesoftware.github.io/steam-audio/doc/phonon_fmod.html#adding-steam-audio-to-fmod-studio)  
[FMOD Docs](https://fmod.com/resources/documentation-studio?version=2.1&page=plugin-reference.html)

Using the SteamAudio FMOD unitypackage you end up with the dll’s under:  
“ **Assets\Plugins\x86\_64** ”

I got duplicate warnings just from following the documentation:

`
Multiple plugins with the same name 'phonon' (found at 'Assets/Plugins/FMOD/lib/win/x86_64/phonon.dll' and 'Assets/Plugins/x86_64/phonon.dll').
That means one or more plugins are set to be compatible with Editor.`

Additionally, FMOD is looking for the SteamAudio dll files under:  
“Assets\Plugins\FMOD\lib\win\x86\_64”

`
SystemNotInitializedException: [FMOD] Initialization failed : Loading plugin 'phonon_fmod' from 'C:/x/x/x/x/Assets/Plugins/FMOD/lib/win/X86_64/phonon_fmod.dll' : ERR_FILE_NOTFOUND : File not found.`

I have tried to manually disable the DLL’s from “Assets\Plugins\x86\_64”  
and set “Assets\Plugins\FMOD\lib\win\x86\_64” as the custom plugins directory in FMOD.

Doing this got me sound and panning, but no distance, occlusion etc…  
I have a Studio Listener and Steam Audio Listener on the player.  
I have the Studio Event Emitter and Steam Audio Source component on another object.

I’m left with this error and have no clue what to do next.

`
NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object SteamAudio.FMODAudioEngineSource.BindToFMODStudioPlugin () (at Assets/SteamAudio/AudioEngineSource_FMODStudio.cs:38) SteamAudio.FMODAudioEngineSource.FindDSP (UnityEngine.GameObject gameObject) (at Assets/SteamAudio/AudioEngineSource_FMODStudio.cs:66) SteamAudio.FMODAudioEngineSource.Initialize (UnityEngine.GameObject gameObject) (at Assets/SteamAudio/AudioEngineSource_FMODStudio.cs:26) SteamAudio.SteamAudioSource.Awake () (at Assets/SteamAudio/SteamAudioSource.cs:43) [FMOD] PostLoad::initPluginEffects : DSP plugin returned an error, bank will not load properly. UnityEngine.Debug:LogError(Object) FMODUnity.RuntimeManager:DEBUG_CALLBACK(DEBUG_FLAGS, IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr) (at Assets/Plugins/FMOD/src/Runtime/RuntimeManager.cs:32)`

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![shisagi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/qa.fmod.com/shisagi/32/1754_2.png) [@shisagi](https://qa.fmod.com/u/shisagi)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 11:21am UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/error-with-steamaudio-and-fmod/16522/2 "2020-12-07T11:21:15Z")

</div>

Solution:

Copy the necessary DLL files from “Assets\Plugins\x86\_64”  
To “Assets\Plugins\FMOD\lib\win\x86\_64”

Replace some code:

> <https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-audio/issues/132>
>
> Using:
> Unity version: 2020.1.10f1
> FMOD version: 2.01.05
> SteamAudio 2.0.18
> When using Unity + FMOD + Steam Audio the following exception occurs on start:
> NullReferenceException: Object reference...