Sound Effects

Generate sound effects from text descriptions using .GENSoundEffect().

Basic Usage

AudioClip explosion = await "Massive explosion sound"
    .GENSoundEffect()
    .ExecuteAsync();

audioSource.clip = explosion;
audioSource.Play();

Input Types

String Input

AudioClip sfx = await "Dog barking"
    .GENSoundEffect()
    .ExecuteAsync();

Prompt Input

var prompt = new Prompt("Sound of {action} on {surface}");
AudioClip sfx = await prompt
    .GENSoundEffect()
    .ExecuteAsync();

Configuration

Duration

AudioClip sfx = await "Thunder strike"
    .GENSoundEffect()
    .SetDuration(2.5f)  // 2.5 seconds
    .ExecuteAsync();

Prompt Influence

Control how closely the AI follows your prompt (0.0-1.0):

AudioClip sfx = await "Sci-fi laser beam"
    .GENSoundEffect()
    .SetPromptInfluence(0.8f)  // Higher = stricter adherence
    .ExecuteAsync();

Unity Integration Examples

Example 1: Dynamic SFX System

public class DynamicSFXManager : MonoBehaviour
{
    private Dictionary<string, AudioClip> sfxCache = new();
    
    public async UniTask<AudioClip> GetSFX(string description)
    {
        // Check cache first
        if (sfxCache.ContainsKey(description))
            return sfxCache[description];
        
        // Generate new SFX
        AudioClip sfx = await description
            .GENSoundEffect()
            .ExecuteAsync();
        
        // Cache for reuse
        sfxCache[description] = sfx;
        return sfx;
    }
    
    public async UniTask PlaySFX(string description, Vector3 position)
    {
        AudioClip sfx = await GetSFX(description);
        AudioSource.PlayClipAtPoint(sfx, position);
    }
}

// Usage
await sfxManager.PlaySFX("Sword slash", transform.position);
await sfxManager.PlaySFX("Door creak", doorPosition);

Example 2: Procedural Weapon Sounds

public class WeaponSoundGenerator : MonoBehaviour
{
    public async UniTask<AudioClip> GenerateWeaponSound(string weaponType)
    {
        string description = weaponType switch
        {
            "laser" => "High-pitched sci-fi laser beam with echo",
            "shotgun" => "Powerful shotgun blast with reload",
            "sword" => "Sharp metallic sword swing through air",
            "magic" => "Magical spell casting with sparkles",
            _ => $"{weaponType} weapon sound"
        };
        
        return await description
            .GENSoundEffect()
            .SetDuration(1.5f)
            .ExecuteAsync();
    }
}

Example 3: Footstep System

public class FootstepSoundGenerator : MonoBehaviour
{
    private Dictionary<string, AudioClip> footstepCache = new();
    
    public async UniTask<AudioClip> GetFootstepSound(string surfaceType)
    {
        if (footstepCache.ContainsKey(surfaceType))
            return footstepCache[surfaceType];
        
        string description = $"Footsteps on {surfaceType}";
        AudioClip footsteps = await description
            .GENSoundEffect()
            .SetDuration(0.5f)
            .ExecuteAsync();
        
        footstepCache[surfaceType] = footsteps;
        return footsteps;
    }
}

// Usage
AudioClip woodSteps = await footsteps.GetFootstepSound("wooden floor");
AudioClip gravelSteps = await footsteps.GetFootstepSound("gravel");
AudioClip metalSteps = await footsteps.GetFootstepSound("metal grating");

Example 4: Environmental Ambience

public class AmbienceGenerator : MonoBehaviour
{
    public async UniTask GenerateAmbience(string environment)
    {
        AudioClip ambience = await $"Ambient sounds of {environment}"
            .GENSoundEffect()
            .SetDuration(10f)  // Longer duration for ambience
            .ExecuteAsync();
        
        AudioSource ambienceSource = gameObject.AddComponent<AudioSource>();
        ambienceSource.clip = ambience;
        ambienceSource.loop = true;
        ambienceSource.volume = 0.3f;
        ambienceSource.Play();
    }
}

// Usage
await ambience.GenerateAmbience("peaceful forest with birds");
await ambience.GenerateAmbience("busy city street");
await ambience.GenerateAmbience("underwater cave");

Example 5: UI Sound Effects

public class UISoundGenerator : MonoBehaviour
{
    private Dictionary<string, AudioClip> uiSounds = new();
    
    async void Start()
    {
        // Pre-generate common UI sounds
        uiSounds["click"] = await "Soft button click".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();
        uiSounds["hover"] = await "Subtle hover sound".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();
        uiSounds["success"] = await "Success chime".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();
        uiSounds["error"] = await "Error buzz".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();
    }
    
    public void PlayUISound(string soundType)
    {
        if (uiSounds.ContainsKey(soundType))
        {
            AudioSource.PlayClipAtPoint(uiSounds[soundType], Camera.main.transform.position);
        }
    }
}

Example 6: Combat Sound System

public class CombatSoundSystem : MonoBehaviour
{
    public async UniTask PlayHitSound(string weaponType, string targetMaterial)
    {
        string description = $"{weaponType} hitting {targetMaterial}";
        
        AudioClip hitSound = await description
            .GENSoundEffect()
            .SetDuration(0.8f)
            .SetPromptInfluence(0.9f)  // Precise sound
            .ExecuteAsync();
        
        AudioSource.PlayClipAtPoint(hitSound, transform.position);
    }
}

// Usage
await combatSound.PlayHitSound("sword", "metal shield");
await combatSound.PlayHitSound("hammer", "wooden door");
await combatSound.PlayHitSound("fist", "leather armor");

Prompt Engineering Tips

✅ Good Prompts

// ✅ Specific and detailed
"Heavy metal door slamming shut with echo"

// ✅ Include acoustic properties
"Crisp footsteps on dry leaves with rustling"

// ✅ Describe timing and dynamics
"Quick sword swoosh followed by metallic clang"

// ✅ Include environment context
"Distant thunder rumble in a rainy forest"

❌ Bad Prompts

// ❌ Too vague
"sound"

// ❌ Too complex/multiple sounds
"explosion then footsteps then door opening then music"

// ❌ Unrealistic expectations
"sound of colors changing"

// ❌ Non-audio descriptions
"feeling of happiness"

Provider Support

ElevenLabs

AudioClip sfx = await "Thunder strike"
    .GENSoundEffect()
    .SetDuration(2.0f)
    .SetPromptInfluence(0.8f)
    .ExecuteAsync();

Features:

✅ High-quality sound effects
✅ Duration control (0.5s - 22s)
✅ Prompt influence control
✅ Various acoustic styles

Note: Currently, ElevenLabs is the primary provider for sound effect generation.

Best Practices

✅ Good Practices

// ✅ Cache frequently used sounds
Dictionary<string, AudioClip> cache = new();

// ✅ Use appropriate durations
await "Quick click".GENSoundEffect().SetDuration(0.3f).ExecuteAsync();
await "Long ambience".GENSoundEffect().SetDuration(10f).ExecuteAsync();

// ✅ Pre-generate critical sounds
async void Start()
{
    explosionSound = await "Explosion".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();
}

// ✅ Clean up unused audio clips
Destroy(audioClip);

❌ Bad Practices

// ❌ Don't generate in Update()
void Update()
{
    await "sound".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();  // NO!
}

// ❌ Don't generate very long sounds
await "ambient".GENSoundEffect().SetDuration(300f).ExecuteAsync();  // Too long

// ❌ Don't forget to clean up
// Memory leak if clips aren't destroyed

// ❌ Don't block main thread
AudioClip clip = "sound".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync().Result;  // Blocks!

Limitations

Duration Limits: Typically 0.5s - 22s depending on provider
Quality: May not match professional sound design
Consistency: Same prompt may produce variations
Cost: Each generation counts toward API usage

Performance Tips

// ✅ Good - pre-generate and cache
async void Awake()
{
    sfxCache["explosion"] = await "Explosion".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();
    sfxCache["jump"] = await "Jump sound".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();
}

// ✅ Good - parallel generation
var tasks = new[]
{
    "Sound 1".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync(),
    "Sound 2".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync()
};
await UniTask.WhenAll(tasks);

// ❌ Bad - sequential generation
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
    await $"Sound {i}".GENSoundEffect().ExecuteAsync();  // Slow!
}

Error Handling

try
{
    AudioClip sfx = await "Thunder"
        .GENSoundEffect()
        .ExecuteAsync();
    
    if (sfx == null || sfx.length == 0)
        throw new Exception("Invalid audio clip");
    
    AudioSource.PlayClipAtPoint(sfx, transform.position);
}
catch (AIApiException ex)
{
    Debug.LogError($"SFX generation failed: {ex.Message}");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Debug.LogError($"Unexpected error: {ex.Message}");
}

Common Use Cases

Use Case

Example Prompt

Footsteps

"Footsteps on gravel"

Weapons

"Sword slash through air"

Impacts

"Heavy object hitting wood"

"Soft button click"

Ambience

"Forest ambience with birds"

Magic

"Magical spell casting sound"

Vehicles

"Car engine revving"

Weather

"Heavy rain on roof"

Next Steps

Voice Change - Modify voice characteristics
Audio Isolation - Clean up audio
Text to Speech - Generate speech

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Last updated 1 hour ago