By importing wav files within the Content browser and placing them within a WavePlayer in the Metasounds, their quality remains the same. The moment I start the simulation, the sounds lose a lot of their quality. I am new to Unreal Engine so please bear with me if I should point out something obvious.
It seems that the sound turns from stereo to mono and loses about 50% of its original quality.
As a first step I checked the audio Project Settings but to no avail.
My version of Unreal is 5.3.
I have tried to solve the problem in the following ways but to no avail:
Sample Rate: UE recommends a sample rate of 44,100 Hz at 16Bit. I also checked the settings in the project settings for the Audio Mixer sample rate to match 44,100 and for the Max Resempling quality to be set to 44,100. I also tried importing Wav with a higher Sample Rate and at 24Bit but nothing.
From the Wav File settings I tried all Default Audio Compression Type; theoretically with PCM I should have no compression at all and albeit with higher CPU usage the quality should remain the same. I also tried different types of compression and eliminating it altogether but nothing.
I tried looking at Metasound’s settings, disabling my Default Attenuation Setting but to no avail. I also checked that Sound Class and Sound Class Mix had no settings that affected the quality (they are just channels for grouping sounds into categories).
Also in the Project Settings there is no real General Audio Output section but it is referred only to the platforms. For example, if one wanted to set the output to 5.1 or 7.1? Does one take Metasound or Wavfile as a reference? Could it be that there is no general output management system?
I thank you for your attention and hope to solve the problem as soon as possible.
In terms of quality it’s like if the Sample Rate decrease from 44.100 to at least half of the quality. To give you a simple example, it is as if you sent a wav file through what’s app. The file loses a lot of its quality.
he most common cause for this exact issue (stereo → mono + significant quality loss when the MetaSound plays) in Unreal Engine 5.3 is the Compression Quality Modifier setting.Quick Fix to Try First:
Go to Project Settings → Platforms → Windows → Audio.
Find Compression Quality Modifier and make sure it is set to 1.0 (the default).
If it is set to 0 or any value below 1, the engine applies heavy compression at runtime, which often results in exactly the symptoms you described (massive quality drop and channel reduction).
After changing this value, restart the editor and test again.Additional Important Checks for Stereo:
In your MetaSound asset, click the MetaSound Settings button (gear icon at the top).
Set Output Format to Stereo (it defaults to Mono).
Ensure your Wave Player node is properly connected to a Stereo Mixer (not just a Mono Mixer) if you’re mixing multiple sources.
Other Recommendations:
Keep your source WAV files at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, 16-bit or 24-bit PCM.
In the Sound Wave asset itself, use PCM (no compression) for highest quality, especially during development.
For multichannel output (5.1 / 7.1), you can also set the MetaSound Output Format accordingly, and configure it per platform in Project Settings → Platforms → [Your Platform] → Audio.
The engine does not have a single “global output” setting outside of the platform-specific sections — the MetaSound’s Output Format is usually the authoritative reference for how your sound is rendered.Let us know if setting the Compression Quality Modifier to 1.0 resolves it. This has fixed the exact same “sounds great in the browser, terrible in-game” issue for many people.Welcome to Unreal audio — MetaSounds are powerful once you get past these initial hurdles!
Apologies if I didn’t get your message.