Getting to know Wwise: The basics.
Note: The audio of the video tutorial is available only in Spanish.
In this chapter, we begin our journey into the settings and basic organisation within Wwise, one of the leader middlewares in the market for implementing technical audio in video games and interactive experiences. In this chapter, we'll cover the main functionalities and components in a general way, as these will be explained in detail as we explore the Wwise interface.
The first question that comes to mind is: Why will learning Wwise boost our career as audio professionals? Among other reasons, the most important ones are:
It is a highly sophisticated tool that is used worldwide while offering large amounts of learning and support resources.
It offers greater visibility and marketability for professional skills within the audio industry.
A more efficient communication and understanding will be achieved between the developers team and the sound designer.
It allows us to work remotely and specialise in the area pertaining solely to the audio team, using version control platforms such as Perforce or Git.
It allows us to understand and execute the audio integration process in Unity/Unreal.
To delve into how Wwise works, it is important to understand its overall structure and the project hierarchy. We will be examining the Wwise structure using version 2025.1.9.9197, which is the latest version available at the time of this blog post's publication.
We will begin by discussing Soundbanks. Soundbanks are a crucial component, serving as the link between the game engine and Wwise. These are compiled binary files containing audio data, metadata for events to be triggered, and structural packages that allow the game engine to load them into memory. Soundbanks help optimize resource usage by enabling developers to dynamically load and unload audio assets.
The next important components are Events and they are usually found within the banks. They are a core component for audio execution, operating based on instructions received from the game engine via code as well as execution commands defined within the events themselves. Events can control playback, trigger dynamic mixing actions, and modify parameters, states, switches, and effects in real time.
Within events, we generally find different kinds of containers. These containers are key components responsible for executing the processes that bring interactivity and dynamism to the playback of audio files—whether sound effects or music—leveraging the randomization and basic logic functionalities built into them.
At the bottom of the hierarchy lie all the audio files, whether they are sound effects or music. Once an audio file is imported into Wwise, a range of features becomes available for granular control over each file. We will explore these functions in the next chapter, when we begin importing audio files.
In summary, a Wwise project consists of one or more sound banks that can be created, named, and organised according to audio categories, levels, or any specifics that the project requires. These sound banks house the various events that respond to instructions sent from the game engine.
Each event will contain containers, audio files, and/or execution instructions. Finally, the audio files can be found within these containers. All these elements are contained within Work Units.
Wwise is visually organised into layouts composed of various windows; by way of introduction, we will begin by examining the properties of the Designer layout, which contains fundamental windows such as the Property Editor and the Project Explorer. We will explore each of the layouts and windows further on.
Wwise Containers
Wwise containers can be found within the Audio tab of the Project Explorer window in the Designer layout. These containers are:
Work Units
Property Container
Random Container
Switch Container
Blend Container
Sequence Container
Playlist Container
Music Switch Container
Music Playlist Container
Music Segment
All these containers feature specific functions to control the playback behaviour of audio files, such functions that can be found in the Property Editor window. There are features available across all containers via the Property Editor. These are:
General - We can control Volume, Pitch, Low Pass Filter, High Pass Filter, and Make-Up Gain. For each of these parameters, we have the option to enable randomisation to introduce variety.
Routing - We will be able to specify which bus the main signal is sent to and we can also enable and control the signal routing to auxiliary buses.
Conversion - Here you will find the settings for audio format conversion (PCM, Vorbis, ADPCM, WEM Opus) and volume normalisation.
Positioning - In this section we can enable and control 2D positioning settings as well as enabling 3D spatialisation and control its associated properties such as attenuation and positioning within the 3D space.
Advanced - Here, we can optimize the usage and priority of audio file instances.
Containers specifically designed for music playback, such as the Music Switch and Music Playlist containers, feature additional capabilities that will be analysed later.
With the exception of the Property container, each container includes a tab named after the container itself. In these tabs you can configure playback behavior for the contained audio files using settings such as Initial Delay, Playback Mode, Loop, and Transitions, among others, depending on the specific type of container.
All containers feature commonly shared tabs such as RTPC, States, Effects, and Metadata. We will gradually discover each of these elements as we begin practicing in Wwise.
The specific elements within containers responsible for music playback will be analysed in due time when we discuss Dynamic Music Systems.
It is important to note that a container passes its settings down to any "child" containers and/or audio files contained within it. However, each "child" container offers the option to override these inherited properties—if desired—via the "Ignore Parent" setting found in the Property Editor for that specific container or audio file.
That’s all for this chapter! You now know the basic structure of Wwise and some elements of its graphical interface. In the next chapter, we will begin exploring and experimenting with the properties in the Property Editor, the Random Container, and the Sequence Container; we will start importing audio and discover the capabilities of these containers as we build our dynamic ambience. Don't miss it!
Sound on!
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