# Scatter Instrument Follow/Rotate Behaviour

**URL:** <https://qa.fmod.com/t/scatter-instrument-follow-rotate-behaviour/23864>\
**Category:** FMOD Studio\
**Created:** [January 6, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/scatter-instrument-follow-rotate-behaviour/23864 "2026-01-06T14:03:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SonarSoundSB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@SonarSoundSB](https://qa.fmod.com/u/SonarSoundSB)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/scatter-instrument-follow-rotate-behaviour/23864/1 "2026-01-06T14:03:08Z")

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Hello,

So I want to implement some 3D distant random sounds into our soundscape and the easiest, most controlled way I would think to do that is just put a scatter instrument emitter onto the player and start/stop it when entering/exiting an area.

However I’ve always had problems with the setup, mainly the fact that any spawned sounds just follow the listeners rotation so act like a 2D event. There’s only one clean solution I can see which would just be to lock the emitter’s rotation in update, something like

`void Update() => transform.forward = Vector3.one;`

Would I be correct in assuming that’s the simplest way to get the behaviour I’m looking for?

One other question… So I read somewhere that the spawned sounds from a scatter instrument have their own spatializer, is there no way to control the properties of sound’s spatializer or would the solution just be to trigger nested events with multi instruments which have a spatializer on their master? instead of using normal instruments inside the scatter instrument?

Thanks for your time

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**Author:** ![cameron-fmod](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/qa.fmod.com/cameron-fmod/32/261_2.png) [@cameron-fmod](https://qa.fmod.com/u/cameron-fmod)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://qa.fmod.com/t/scatter-instrument-follow-rotate-behaviour/23864/2 "2026-01-14T02:46:46Z")

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> [@SonarSoundSB](#):
>
> However I’ve always had problems with the setup, mainly the fact that any spawned sounds just follow the listeners rotation so act like a 2D event. There’s only one clean solution I can see which would just be to lock the emitter’s rotation in update, something like
> 
> `void Update() => transform.forward = Vector3.one;`
> 
> Would I be correct in assuming that’s the simplest way to get the behaviour I’m looking for?

I think you are correct, overriding the object’s rotation is likely the easiest solution for this.

> [@SonarSoundSB](#):
>
> So I read somewhere that the spawned sounds from a scatter instrument have their own spatializer

This is correct, however there isn’t really any way to control the spatializer outside of the settings given in the scatterer.

[https://www.fmod.com/docs/2.03/studio/working-with-instruments.html#scatterer-instruments](https://www.fmod.com/docs/2.03/studio/working-with-instruments.html#scatterer-instruments)  
The easiest way to control the spatializer of scattered sounds is to use Events in the scatterer which contain their own spatializer. For example in your case, you could setup an Event containing a multi-instrument of sounds and a spatializer on the Master. Then add that even to a scatterer instrument and you can control the spatializer through the event being referenced in the scatterer.