Exercise - Add spatial audio to your unity project

  • 2 minutes

Through this module series, you'll learn how to use head-related transfer function (HRTF) offload on HoloLens 2 and how to enable reverb when using HRTF offload.

The Microsoft Spatializer GitHub repository has a completed Unity project of this tutorial sequence.

For an understanding of what it means to spatialize sounds using HRTF-based spatialization technologies and recommendations for when it can be helpful, see spatial sound design.

Create and prepare the Unity project

In this section, you'll create a new Unity project and get it ready for MRTK development.

For this, first follow the Initializing your project and first application, excluding the Build your application to your device instructions, which includes the following steps:

  1. Creating the Unity project and give it a suitable name, for example, MRTK Tutorials
  2. Switching the build platform
  3. Importing the TextMeshPro Essential Resources
  4. Importing the Mixed Reality Toolkit
  5. Configuring the Unity project
  6. Creating and setting the scene and give the scene a suitable name, for example, SpatialAudio

Then follow the Changing the Spatial Awareness Display Option instructions to ensure the MRTK configuration profile for your scene is DefaultHoloLens2ConfigurationProfile and change the display options for the spatial awareness mesh to Occlusion.

Add Microsoft Spatializer to the Project

Enable the Microsoft Spatializer plugin

  • After importing the Microsoft Spatializer you need to enable it. Open Edit -> Project Settings -> Audio, and change Spatializer Plugin to "Microsoft Spatializer".

    Screenshot of Project Settings showing spatializer plugin.

Enable Spatial audio on your workstation

  • On desktop versions of Windows, Spatial audio is disabled by default. Enable it by right-clicking on the volume icon in the task bar. To get the best representation of what you'll hear on HoloLens 2, choose Spatial sound -> Windows Sonic for Headphones.

    Screenshot of Desktop spatial audio settings.

    Note

    This setting is only required if you plan to test your project in the Unity editor.