3D PANNER FOR MUSIC FOR VIDEO GAMES
Game soundtracks the player hears all around them.
Players spend hours in headphones. 3D Panner lets game composers and sound designers place music layers, ambience and effects around the listener with HRTF binaural rendering, right in the DAW where you write.
Where it fits in game audio
In-game positional audio, where a sound follows the player's camera in real time, is handled by the engine or by middleware such as FMOD and Wwise. 3D Panner works one step earlier, in your DAW: it builds the 3D placement into the audio you export.
That makes it the right tool for everything that isn't tied to the player's position: the soundtrack, menu and loading music, cutscenes, trailers and ambient beds.
Adaptive and interactive music
Adaptive music is usually built from stems that the game fades in and out. Give each stem its own place around the listener, a choir above or percussion behind, and the player feels the music change around them when a layer comes in. Export each stem as its own stereo file and bring it into FMOD, Wwise or your engine as usual.
What you can do with it
- Spread soundtrack stems around and above the player for a wider, deeper score.
- Build ambient game music and environment beds that surround the player.
- Make trailer and cutscene sound effects fly past the viewer.
- Move layers with tempo-synced LFOs or a path you draw on the XY pad, so a loop still feels alive.
- Choose from up to 20 different HRTF measurements to find the one that sounds most natural to you.
How to make 3D video game music with 3D Panner
- Write and arrange in your DAW as usual.
- Load 3D Panner on the layers you want around the player: pads, choirs, percussion and ambience. Keep the melody and bass in front.
- Place each layer. For adaptive music, give every stem a different position.
- Add slow movement with an LFO synced to your tempo, with a cycle that fits the loop length, so the loop point stays seamless.
- Export each stem or the full mix as stereo and import it into your engine or middleware.
QUESTIONS
Does 3D Panner work inside Unity, Unreal, FMOD or Wwise?
3D Panner is a DAW plugin (VST3, AU and AAX). You use it while writing and mixing, then import the exported audio into FMOD, Wwise, Unity, Unreal or any other engine.
Is this the same as in-game positional audio?
No. In-game positional audio follows the player in real time and is handled by the engine. 3D Panner builds the placement into your music, cutscenes, trailers and ambience.
Is it a good fit for indie game music?
Yes. All you need is a DAW and a pair of headphones.
Do players need special headphones?
No. Any regular headphones or earbuds work.
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