Maestro MPTK includes a built-in spatial audio system that allows sounds to react naturally to distance and orientation relative to the listener — without requiring any external plugin.
This integrated solution is designed to cover the most common spatial audio needs in games and interactive applications, while remaining lightweight, easy to configure, and fully consistent across all MPTK prefabs.
What Spatialize sound is?
Audio Spatializers use “physical” characteristics of a scene, such as the distance and angle between an AudioListener and an AudioSource, to modify the properties of sound transmitted to the user. Spatialization can improve the perception that a sound originates from a specific location in a scene.
Built-in MPTK Spatialization (No Plugin Required)
MPTK provides its own spatialization features directly inside its audio engine:
- Distance-based attenuation (all version) using Unity’s built-in rolloff, min/max distance, and volume curves
- Orientation-based audio behavior (Pro version), including:
- smooth left/right stereo panning
- front/back volume attenuation
- subtle filtering when the sound source is behind the listener
These effects are applied automatically based on the relative position and orientation between the sound source and the AudioListener.
- No additional plugin is required.
- No scripting is needed for standard use cases.
- The behavior is identical across all MPTK prefabs (
MidiFilePlayer,MidiStreamPlayer, etc.).
This makes MPTK spatialization ideal for:
- moving sound sources
- musical objects in a 3D scene
- interactive audio feedback
- lightweight and performant spatial audio setups
How It Works
By default, the camera holds the AudioListener.
When an MPTK prefab is placed in the scene, its audio output is automatically processed according to:
- the distance from the listener
- the angle relative to the listener’s forward direction
As the source moves:
- sounds smoothly pan left and right
- volume decreases with distance
- sounds become slightly attenuated and filtered when coming from behind
These cues closely match how sound is perceived in real life and significantly improve immersion — even without full HRTF processing.
When Should You Use an External Spatializer Plugin?
While MPTK’s built-in spatialization covers most needs, Unity spatializer plugins can still be used for advanced audio simulations, such as:
- sound occlusion by geometry
- obstruction and diffraction
- environment-based reflections
- binaural or HRTF-based rendering
MPTK has been tested with Unity external spatializers such as:
- Steam Audio
- Meta XR Audio SDK Works without an Occulus!
Tips:
- With an external spatializer, disable MPTK spatialization properties, Attenuation and Orientation in the MPTK inspector. So, MPTK will not change settings in the 3D Audio Source.
- Do not forget to manually (or by script) defined AudioSource Settings for 3D (see Unity documentation).
Choosing the Right Approach
| Use case | Recommended solution |
|---|---|
| Basic 3D positioning | MPTK built-in spatialization |
| Musical objects in a scene | MPTK built-in spatialization |
| Lightweight, no-setup solution | MPTK built-in spatialization |
| Occlusion / obstruction | External spatializer plugin + Your AudioSource Settings. |
| HRTF / binaural audio | External spatializer plugin + Your AudioSource Settings. |
Summary
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MPTK includes a ready-to-use spatial audio system
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It works out of the box, with no plugin and no scripting
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It handles distance and orientation in a perceptually convincing way
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External plugins remain available for advanced acoustic effects
Start simple with MPTK’s built-in spatialization — and extend it only if your project really needs it.
