Lecture 16: Background Music

Introduction

In this lecture, we'll explore how to integrate background music into your Unity projects. Effective background music is crucial for creating immersive environments, enhancing gameplay, and setting the emotional tone of your game.

What Is Background Music in Unity?

Background music refers to the continuous music that plays throughout game scenes. It can help set the mood, enhance storytelling, and keep players engaged. Unity's audio system allows you to easily add and manage background music in your games.

Adding Background Music to Your Game

Ensure you're signed in to your Highrise account to access the Assets Catalog.

Steps to Add Background Music

1. Open the Assets Catalog in Highrise Studio.
2. Go to "Built-in Components" and select "Play Music."
3. Drag the "Play Music" component into your scene.
4. In the Inspector, click "Create Audio Shader" to generate a new audio shader.
5. Import an audio file from your computer that you want to use as background music.
6. Select the audio shader and assign the audio file to the "Audio Clip" field.
7. Adjust the volume, pitch, and other settings to match your game’s needs.
8. Organize your audio files in folders for better management.
9. Hit "Play" to test the background music in your scene.

Benefits of Using Audio Shaders

Audio shaders offer powerful capabilities for real-time audio manipulation, allowing for dynamic audio effects and smooth transitions. They also let you adjust the overall app volume, which impacts all audio sources in the scene.

YouTube Tutorial

Conclusion

Background music is a key element in game development that enriches player experience and immersion. By mastering Unity's audio system and utilizing audio shaders, you can create effective and captivating musical soundscapes that elevate the quality of your game.