Mixing 5.1 Surround without Spatializer Effect

FMOD Studio
1

I’m fairly new to FMOD, and am currently working on a game in which the sound emitting events’ distances never change in relation to the listener . Because I cannot see any potential advantage to using them, I decided to remove Spatializer Effects from the project entirely. My question is: If I still want the ability to mix in 5.1 surround, will the absence of the Spatializer Effect have any other effects on my mix other than setting sound size and distance attenuation?

Also, when auditioning events with the Spatializer Effect, I noticed that there is a discernible difference between the volume of the same event with the Spatializer Effect activated, with the Spatializer Effect Bypassed, and with the Spatializer Effect deleted off of the event’s Master track (descending in volume in that order). Is there a reason for the differences in volume between the Bypassed Spatializer and the Deleted Spatializer?

2

A spatializer will mix any audio signal going into down into mono and then distribute it equally between the spatializers channels. You can force a track’s output to 5.1 by right clicking on the metering to the right or left in the deck with the track selected.

When a spatializer is present it will make the output signal change to match the “Surround Speaker Mode” setting in the Builds tab of the Preferences dialog. When bypassed, the spatializer won’t attenuate or apply any EQ based on the event’s position, but it will keep its output channel count. This is why you hear a difference between bypassed and removed spatializer effects.