Introduction

Sound is a very important part of the gaming experience. In fact, we can't stress enough how crucial it is to the player's immersion in a virtual environment. Just think of the engine running in your favorite racing game, the distant urban buzz in a simulator game, or the creeping noises in horror games. Think of how these sounds transport you into the game.

The big picture

Before getting on with the recipes, let's step back and have a quick review on how sound works on Unity 5.

Audio files can be embedded into GameObjects through the Audio Source component. Unity supports 3D sounds, which means that the location and distance between the audio sources and Audio Listener matter in the way the sound is perceived in terms of loudness and the left/right balance. This is unless the audio source is specified as 2D sound (which is usually the case for the background soundtrack music).

Although all sound is sent to the scene's Audio Listener (a component that is usually attached to the...