Mid-Side Processing

FMOD Studio
1

For an audio-game, I’m trying to do some effects to enhance the perception of success and failure.

One idea was to play with mid-side processing. To do that manually, you would have to have the option to invert the phase, but I can’t find an option to do that inside FMOD. Another option would be to write a custom DSP, but I find it quite hard to get into that and I’m a bit stuck on that.

Maybe I’m missing something major because the newest question regarding this topic on the forum is from 07. How should I proceed?

Thanks in advance!

2

I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean by “enhance the perception of success and failure.” Nearly any distinctive sound effect can signify success or failure in a game; to what end do you also need mid-side processing?

3

Sorry for using such a convoluted term…
To be more precise: I’ve been playing the vr game audica, where if you miss the target, the audio-width decreases to mono and gradually gets back to a wide image when you succeed.
I think i found now a pretty good solution by taking a 3d event and setting the distance to 0. The min extent knob in combination with a volume automation does pretty much that, what I looked for.
Nevertheless I would’ve found it interesting to fool around with mid side processing, but maybe, the effect isn’t as promising as I first thought.
Thanks for your reply!

4

If you want to adjust the panning of specific events to make them sound wider or narrower, there are a number of ways to do it. You could automate the sound size property of the spatializer effect, for instance, or automate the surround extent of the panner found at the end of any bus or audio track that’s set to a surround channel format, depending on exactly what effect you want.

5

Is there any way to do Mid-Side processing though?

6

In the meantime, I did a little custom plugin with csound and cabbage, which does what I wanted. I haven’t used it “properly” with Mid-Side recordings just as an effect to normal stereo-recordings. The result is probably pretty similar by automating said parameters though.

7

I’m trying to m/s processing with stereo files. It would be great if I could only pan the mid part and leave the side 2d.

8

Yes, that would work with the approach. It just can create potential problems. When working with Unity and Windows there was no problem. I was using Cabbage if you want to dive into that rabbit hole ^^. I could help further if you’re getting stuck, but I also don’t know anything.
This was the code I was using.

a1 inch 1
a2 inch 2

amid = a1 + a2
aside = a1 - a2

amid2 = amid*kMidGain
aside2 = aside*kSideGain

aleft = amid2 + aside2
aright = amid2 + (aside2 * -1)
9

Did you manage to compile a midside panner for fmod with cabbage?

10

Yes, but I ended up writing my own mid-side plugin, as porting to different platforms is pretty painful. But cabbage worked perfectly fine for windows.
It’s not a midside panner though just mid and side gain. But the panning would be no problem to do in fmod.
If you have any questions, feel free to write.

11

I just realised, that I forgot to correct here to halve the signal left and right at the end.
For any potential future viewers, that think, that something doesn’t add up ^^

1 Like
12

Hi Capraise, 2 years ago you asked about Distance Filter for Android . do you have found solution? i have ready android project and stuck on this (very stupid) problem . i cant find Distance Filter for android- nowhere . and i have 0 experience in compiling and sdk stuff ,Could you please help.

13

I just responded you in private, but forgot, that the Fmod API includes a distance filter in their Plugin examples.
If you need assistance in compiling that for android, I could help (: