Why Choose Metasounds Over FMOD?

If you’re an audio designer with less dependency on coding, Metasounds’ high-performance system and intuitive interface are a perfect choice. However, if you’re creating a more complex, AAA level title requiring advanced audio behavioral synthesis and have a bigger budget, FMOD will serve better.

Key Differences Between Metasounds and FMOD

• Customizability: Metasounds offer extensive user modulation, whereas FMOD centers around complex audio behavior synthesis.
• Tools: Metasounds use non-programmer friendly Editor, while FMOD relies on coding-intensive workflows.
• Cost: Metasounds have potentially lower ownership costs, FMOD’s licensing scales with project budget.
• Release: Metasounds are a newer technology in Unreal Engine 5, FMOD has been reliable since 1995.

What Is Unreal Engine 5 and Who’s It For?

Unreal Engine 5 is the latest iteration of the widely-used game engine developed by Epic Games. It introduces MetaSounds, a potent and flexible high-performance audio system that provides robust audio design capabilities. The technology is targeted at audio designers, enabling them to construct intricate procedural audio systems with precision timing and control. Offering user customization and a powerful in-editor sound design tool, the MetaSound component of Unreal Engine 5 provides unparalleled audio rendering.

Pros of Unreal Engine 5

• Advanced MetaSounds system delivers exceptional DSP control
• In-built MetaSound Editor enables easy procedural sound creation
• Enables direct integration with gameplay systems through Blueprint or gameplay C++ code

Cons of Unreal Engine 5

• MetaSound usage may be complex for beginners
• Optimal benefits determined by game specifics, and audio interaction
• Migration from middleware audio tools like WWise and FMOD might be challenging due to existing game dependencies

What Is FMOD and Who’s It For?

Developed by Firelight Technologies, FMOD is a sound effects engine and authoring tool honed for game development and digital audio workstations. Going strong since its release in 1995, it supports a wide array of platforms and is integrated into several popular game engines. If you’re an audio designer or game developer interested in achieving AAA-level audio in-games or streamlining audio-related tasks in a digital audio workstation, FMOD is for you.

Pros of FMOD

• Offers comprehensive support for various audio formats.
• Compatible with many game engines, including Unity and Unreal.
• Various licensing schemes suitable for projects of different budgets.

Cons of FMOD

• Not compatible with no-code engines, potentially limiting complex audio behaviors.
• Might require an extension for advanced features in some specific development scenarios or game engines.

MetaSounds vs FMOD: Pricing

In stark contrast, MetaSounds comes integrated with Unreal Engine 5 at no extra cost, while FMOD implements a myriad of licensing structures based on usage and project budget.

MetaSounds

Free with Unreal Engine 5, MetaSounds, which seeks to replace middleware audio tools like WWise and FMOD, offers audio designers an advanced level of control and customization. This advanced solution is thrilling game developers with the promise to bypass licensing costs normally associated with similar tools namely, WWise or FMOD. Moreover, MetaSounds’ role is especially significant for games that heavily rely on interactive audio.

FMOD

An established product from Firelight Technologies, FMOD operates on a tiered licensing system. The pricing categories include: a Non-Commercial License, offered free for non-commercial use, an Indie License designed for commercial distributions with budgets less than US$500k, a Basic License suited for project budgets between US$500k and US$1.5m, and ultimately, a Premium License for budgets exceeding US$1.5m. Each tier caters to a different level of commercial enterprise, making FMOD an accessible choice for projects of all scales.

Code Examples for Metasounds & FMOD

Metasounds

This Metasounds snippet demonstrates creating a looping ambient sound. We initialize a synthesized harmonic sound, manipulate it using a LowPassFilter, and loop it. Your UE4 project should have Metasounds enabled which comes with Unreal Engine 5+

    class MyComponent {
      constructor(){
        this.output = new MetasoundOutput();
        this.source = new MetasoundHarmonics(200, [2, 3, 4.7], [1, 0.5, 0.25]);
        this.filter = new MetasoundLowPassFilter(this.source, 1000, 0.707);
        this.output.addSource(this.filter); 
      }
     
      playSound() {
        this.source.start();
      }
     
      stopSound() {
        this.source.stop();
      }
    }
    
    var myComponent = new MyComponent();
    myComponent.playSound();
    // Call myComponent.stopSound() to stop the sound after some time

FMOD

This FMOD code snippet showcases how to play a looping music track which could be part of your game‘s soundtrack. Remember your project should have FMOD integrated. FMOD API version should be 2.00.03 or later for optimal performance.

    var fs = require('fs');
    var fmod = require('fmod');

    var system = null;
    var sound = null;
    var channel = null;

    fmod.Init().then(function() {
      return fmod.System_Create(system);
    }).then(function(sys) {
      system = sys;
      return system.init(32, fmod.STUDIO_INIT_NORMAL, fmod.INIT_NORMAL, null);
    }).then(function() {
      return system.createStream(__dirname + '/my-soundtrack.mp3', fmod.LOOP_NORMAL | fmod.MODE_STREAM, sound);
    }).then(function(s) {
      sound = s;
      return system.playSound(sound, null, false, channel);
    }).then(function(c) {
      channel = c;
      setInterval(callback, 100);
    }).catch(function(err) {
      console.error(err);
    });

    function callback(){
      // Updates can be done here
    }

MetaSounds vs FMOD: Your Final Verdict

After delving deep into the intricacies of MetaSounds and FMOD, it’s time to conclude. This verdict is informed by their promises, realities, and use-case efficiencies.

For Indie Game Developers

In the race of MetaSounds vs FMOD, indie developers with budget constraints may find MetaSounds a better choice. With its procedural sound generation and node-based interface, it enables extensive sound customization without additional licensing costs, unlike FMOD. Additionally, the Paint-by-Numbers algorithm-based sound creation inspired by Gardner’s Mathematical Games makes audio interaction more intuitive.

For users in the No-Code Engine Realm

If you’re working in no-code engines, the accessibility of FMOD may be appealing. However, note that the lack of support for highly complex audio behaviors may prove a bottleneck in its use. Therefore, its supremacy in AAA-games and flexibility in asset management may be a sweet trade-off in this context.

For Traditional Game Developers

For game developers rooted in traditional engines like Unity, Unreal Engine 3 & 4, and CryEngine, FMOD offers a familiar control and usage patterns. Its Indie License and its versatility spanning various file formats, well-supported integration into recognized game engines, make FMOD a likely choice for this audience segment.

In the showdown between MetaSounds and FMOD, MetaSounds proves to be a powerful choice for indie game creators, favoring a reasonable balance between cost and quality. However, FMOD’s broad compatibility and integration with traditional game engines weigh heavily in its favor for experienced developers working on established platforms. Your unique needs and preferences will conclude this verdict.