Volume difference when changing between regular stereo panner and Platform stereo panner

FMOD Studio
1

Setup:
project platform is Stereo.
Event contains stereo file.
No spatializer.
Event’s output set to automatic/stereo (showcasing the classic stereo panner knob)

Now, if I switch the event’s output to Platform (Stereo) the panner view changes to the ring with the red and white dot locked at 60 degrees width.
Sound plays louder this way than when the output was set to “regular” automatic stereo.

The question is why? I would expect no difference.

This is especially important in a project with multiple platforms/output formats where keeping Event and Busses output to “Platform” is important.

2

I have reproduced this behaviour as you have described- the issue is that the classic panner for “Stereo” is equivalent to “Platform (Stereo)” with a width of 180 degrees. By default, the “Platform (Stereo)” panner is set to a width of 60 degrees, which is why there is a volume difference. Coincidentally, this has been fixed in the latest release, so updating to FMOD Studio 2.02.11 will resolve this issue.
Here are the relevant changes from our release notes:

  • The speaker toggle buttons in the headphones panner now work correctly. They can’t be disabled.
  • Fixed location of speaker icons when in Platform Stereo/headphones mode.
  • The Project platform Surround speaker mode “Stereo”, has been renamed to “Headphones”, this change is also visible in channel output format menus.
3

Thanks for looking into this, Jeff.

I am a little confused by how the old Stereo platform is now renamed Headphones.
For all intents and purposes, can I think of it as exactly the same as before?

4

The dev team decided that it better expresses what the “Platfrom” option represents, which is the positioning of the speakers for your chosen platform. Previously there were two things called “Stereo” in the list, which was a source of confusion, with the “Platform (Stereo)” option depicting a Stereo TV speaker configuration and the “Stereo” option depicting the typical Stereo controls you get in a DAW.
For all intents and purposes, it is the same as before, but will have consistent volume when switching between “Stereo” and “Platform (Headphones)”.