---
title: "Spatial and 3D audio"
slug: /workflows/audio-spatial/
markdown: /workflows/audio-spatial.md
section: audio
tier: 2
summary: "Set rolloff from the real listener distance, choose a spatializer, and use reverb zones for places."
sources: ['https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/ScriptReference/AudioRolloffMode.html', 'https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/Manual/class-AudioManager.html', 'https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/Manual/AudioSpatializerSDK.html', 'https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/Manual/class-AudioReverbZone.html']
canonical: https://unityworkflowlibrary.dev/workflows/audio-spatial/
read_first: /read-first.md
---

> Read first, on every prompt: [non-destructive rules](/read-first.md).

# Spatial and 3D audio

> Set rolloff from the real listener distance, choose a spatializer, and use reverb zones for places.

## Rolloff and the listener

- [AudioRolloffMode](https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/ScriptReference/AudioRolloffMode.html) has three modes: Logarithmic (real-world rolloff),
  Linear (volume lowers over the distance) and Custom (a curve).
- The Audio project settings' **Volume Rolloff Scale** applies to Logarithmic sources only; higher values attenuate
  faster, and 1 simulates the real world ([Audio settings](https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/Manual/class-AudioManager.html)).

## LISTENER-DISTANCE-SETS-THE-ROLLOFF

- The AudioListener sits on the camera. In a top-down or orbit game that camera is 30 m or more from the action, so
  default logarithmic rolloff with min distance 1 m attenuates every world sound by about 30 dB and makes loudness
  depend on where units stand. Measured: -28 to -32 dB at a 31 m listener distance. Authored Linear rolloff with min
  distance at or above the camera distance (30-90 m) brought it to 0 to -2 dB and kept full 3D pan. Set it on the
  pooled voices as authored data, and re-check it after any camera distance change.

## Spatializers

- The built-in panning only sets left and right gains from distance and angle, which gives directional cues on the
  horizontal plane ([Audio Spatializer SDK](https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/Manual/AudioSpatializerSDK.html)).
- A spatializer plugin is selected in Project Settings > Audio > Spatializer Plugin, then enabled per source with
  Spatialize (or `AudioSource.spatialize`).
- The SDK page suggests enabling the spatializer only on nearby sounds and using plain panning on distant ones to save
  mixing-thread CPU.
- Unless the plugin takes over distance attenuation, Unity applies the source's attenuation before spatialization and
  uses curve, Volume and mixer attenuation (not measured signal level) to estimate audibility for virtualization.

## Reverb zones

- A [Reverb Zone](https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/Manual/class-AudioReverbZone.html) applies a reverb preset depending on where the listener is:
  full inside Min Distance, fading in between Min and Max, none outside Max. Zones can overlap to combine effects.
- Place zones in the scene as authored objects (caves, halls), so a human can see and move their gizmos.

## Related

- [Audio topic](/topics/audio/): every audio page in reading order.
- Next: [Voices, priorities and virtual voices](/workflows/audio-voices/).