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MetaSounds Integration

Requirements and Limitations​

Version Requirement

This integration works only on UE >= 5.3.

There's a separate version of Runtime Audio Importer with MetaSounds support included: MetaSound Runtime Audio Importer

Plugin Conflict

If you have the regular Runtime Audio Importer plugin installed, please remove it before installing the MetaSound version.

Current Limitations

Due to scaling issues that are not resolved in MetaSounds yet, only Imported sound waves are supported, without their derived waves (e.g. Streaming and Capturable sound waves are not supported).

UE 5.6 Known Issue

Unreal Engine 5.6 has an assertion-related bug that may cause crashes when importing sound at runtime into MetaSound in the editor or development builds.

Workarounds:

  • Shipping builds: Package your project with the Shipping configuration setting - crashes will not occur
  • Custom engine builds: Apply the fix from this commit if you're using a custom UE 5.6 engine build
  • Upgrade to UE 5.7: This issue has been resolved in Unreal Engine 5.7 and later versions

If you're using UE 5.6 for editor or development testing, consider the workarounds above or upgrade to UE 5.7.

Setup Process​

1. Enable MetaSound Plugin​

First, you need to enable the MetaSound plugin for your project.

Enable MetaSound plugin

2. Configure MetaSound Graph​

In the MetaSounds editor, create a new Imported Wave input, which should be converted to a Wave Asset type using the ImportedWaveToWaveAsset node.

Imported Wave To Wave Asset node

After conversion, you can use all the same functionalities that are available for the Wave Asset type, such as playing it using the Wave Player node.

MetaSound playback example

Implementation Workflow​

1. Import and Prepare Audio​

The workflow for importing audio data is the same as the standard Runtime Audio Importer process. However, after your sound wave is ready, you must also call the appropriate function to prepare the sound wave for use by MetaSounds.

Prepare Sound Wave For MetaSounds

2. Set Wave Parameter​

You can then set the wave parameter for your MetaSound's audio component and play it back as needed.

Set Wave Parameter node

Complete Example​

Here's a complete implementation example:

Blueprint Implementation​

Import audio for MetaSounds example

MetaSound Graph​

Play audio in MetaSounds example

Best Practices​

When working with MetaSounds and Runtime Audio Importer:

  1. Always prepare the sound wave specifically for MetaSound using the PrepareSoundWaveForMetaSound function
  2. Use the ImportedWaveToWaveAsset node to convert between types in the MetaSound graph
  3. Remember that only Imported sound waves are currently supported (not Streaming or Capturable)
  4. If experiencing crashes in UE 5.6, refer to the known issue section above for workarounds