Limiting output?

Development Audio
1

Hi. I’m currently doing sound for a game that potentially has a lot of exploding objects in it.
If i have a lot of these objects exploding at the same time (with a second or less in between), i get clipping on the output. Is there a way to compress/limit the output?

Thanks

2

Hi. I have a project with lots of explosions going on. I sometimes get clipping. Is there a way to limit the output? Or as a last resort, will turning down the master output work? What is the best way to go about this? Everything is pretty well balanced dialog/vs explosions etc.
Thanks

3

You can reduce the volume on your master class, or you can set the platform headroom (in an engine ini file). Or, if you’re using the new audio mixer, add a master compressor on the master submix.

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4

Hi, the19thbear!

If you’re using the New Audio Engine, you can add a Master Compressor Submix Effect which includes a Limiter (among other things). Refer to the sticky on the New Audio Engine for details on doing that.

However, along side of limiting output, I would also consider limiting input. Depending on what kind of explody game you’re making, you might design explosions that combine well with one another–perhaps a variety of explosions that occupy a variety of the spectral bandwidth or that on the whole have more dynamic diversity.

Prototyping in your DAW without master effects is a great way to build strong Game Audio soundscape foundations!

Good luck!

EDIT: Ah yes, one more thing, if you find explosions happening in groups often, you might design a variety of group explosions or different sized explosions and use scripting to switch between the type of explosion you want to hear depending on the gameplay scenario.

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