Audio mixing and sound effects
Updated
Play audio files and add sound effects to enhance the audio experience.
RTC SDK makes it simple for you to publish audio captured through the microphone to subscribers in a channel. In some real-time audio and video use-cases, such as games or karaoke, you need to play sound effects or mix in music files to enhance the atmosphere and add interest. RTC SDK enables you to add sound effects and mix in pre-recorded audio.
This page shows you how to implement audio mixing and playing sound effects in your game.
Understand the tech
RTC SDK provides APIs that enable you to implement:
-
Audio mixing
Mix in music file such as background music with microphone audio. Using this feature, you can play only one file at a time.
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Sound effects
Play audios with a short duration. For example, applause, cheers, or gunshots. You can play multiple sound effects at the same time.
Prerequisites
Ensure that you have:
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Implemented the SDK quickstart in your project.
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Set a valid path to the music or sound effect file to be played.
Play sound effects and music
This section shows you how to implement playing sound effects and add audio mixing in your game.
To manage audio mixing and sound effects, RTC SDK provides the following APIs:
| Function | Sound effect | Audio mixing |
|---|---|---|
| Play or stop playing a specific audio file | PreloadEffectUnloadEffectPlayEffectStopEffectStopAllEffects | StartAudioMixingStopAudioMixing |
| Pause or resume playing an audio file | PauseEffectPauseAllEffectsResumeEffectResumeAllEffects | PauseAudioMixingResumeAudioMixing |
| Get and adjust playback position and volume | SetEffectPositionGetEffectCurrentPositionGetEffectsVolumeSetEffectsVolumeSetVolumeOfEffect | GetAudioMixingCurrentPositionSetAudioMixingPositionGetAudioMixingPublishVolumeAdjustAudioMixingPublishVolumeGetAudioMixingPlayoutVolumeAdjustAudioMixingPlayoutVolume |
| Report playback status of audio files | OnAudioEffectFinished | OnAudioMixingStateChanged |
Play sound effects
Before joining a channel, call PreloadEffect to preload the sound effect file. After joining the channel, call PlayEffect to play the specified sound effect file. To play multiple sound effect files simultaneously, set multiple sound effect IDs and call PlayEffect multiple times. After a sound effect is played, the RTC SDK triggers the OnAudioEffectFinished callback.
To implement this logic, refer to the following sample code:
// Preload sound files before joining a channel
RtcEngine.PreloadEffect(1, "File Path 1", 0);
RtcEngine.PreloadEffect(2, "File Path 2", 0);
RtcEngine.PreloadEffect(3, "File Path 3", 0);
// Play preloaded sound files after joining a channel
RtcEngine.PlayEffect(1, "File Path 1", 1, 0, 0, 0, true, 0);
RtcEngine.PlayEffect(2, "File Path 2", 1, 0, 0, 0, true, 0);
RtcEngine.PlayEffect(3, "File Path 3", 1, 0, 0, 0, true, 0);
// Triggered when local sound file playback ends
public override void OnAudioEffectFinished(int soundId)
{
Debug.Log("effect play finish :" + soundId);
}Incorporate audio mixing
To play a music file, call StartAudioMixing before or after joining a channel. After you successfully call this method, RTC SDK triggers the OnAudioMixingStateChanged callback when the mixing status changes. This callback also reports the reason for the state change.
To implement this logic, refer to the following code:
RtcEngine.StartAudioMixing("File Path", false, -1);
public override void OnAudioMixingStateChanged(
AUDIO_MIXING_STATE_TYPE state,
AUDIO_MIXING_REASON_TYPE errorCode)
{
Debug.Log(string.Format(
"AUDIO_MIXING_STATE_TYPE: {0}, AUDIO_MIXING_REASON_TYPE: {1}",
state, errorCode));
}Control playback using the following methods:
PauseAudioMixing: Pause playback.ResumeAudioMixing: Resume playback.StopAudioMixing: Stop playing.SetAudioMixingPosition: Set the playing position of the current audio file.AdjustAudioMixingPlayoutVolume: Adjust the volume of the current audio file played locally.AdjustAudioMixingPublishVolume: Adjust the volume of the current audio file played at the remote end.
If you play a short sound effect file using StartAudioMixing, or a long music file using PlayEffect, the playback may fail.
Reference
This section contains content that completes the information on this page, or points you to documentation that explains other aspects to this product.
Sample project
Agora provides an open source AudioMixing project on GitHub for your reference. Download or view the source code for a more detailed example.
