SteamVR/Environments/Adding Sound

Adding Sound to your Environments

Sourcing and Editing Sound Assets

An introductory guide to gathering and editing sound assets: Sourcing Audio Assets.

Importing Sound Assets

To import a sound file, simply move or copy it under the SteamVR\tools\steamvr_environments\content\steamtours_addons\<your_addon>\sounds\ directory. If the sounds directory doesn't exist, create it first. The tools will automatically convert any supported file formats into a .vsnd file, which will be visible in the asset browser. The Workshop Tools only support Microsoft PCM WAV and MP3 encoded sound.

Confirm:Does the sound engine itself support 4-bit Microsoft ADPCM and 8-bit uncompressed PCM, like in , or only 16-bit uncompressed PCM?

Note: The sounds\ directory may not exist by default. If that is the case, create it and copy the file inside.

Note: The .vsnd file visible in the asset browser is a virtual file that does not exist in the actual directory. The tools use this virtual file exclusively over the actual sound file name, so the .vsnd file extension needs to be used anywhere the filename is specified.

To loop sounds, the tools rely on WAV cue points (an engine quirk dating back to Quake). The cue points need to be inserted using an third-party application. Note that this does not work for MP3 files. See the Looping a Sound page for additional information.

Soundscapes

The simplest way to add ambient sounds to your environment is through Soundscapes.

Soundevents

You can also use Soundevents, which can be set up and triggered through a point_soundevent entity, added to animations or played from scripts.

Sound advice

Layering

Your environment may sound more interesting if there are multiple layers of sounds looping, either in 2D or from various locations in 3D space. Layered loops of varying length can mask short repetitive loops to some degree, just make sure the overall sonic experience is not too busy and confusing.

The Mix

Valve SteamVR Home environments have typically been mixed to be quieter and more subtle than most VR content, in order to provide a space to relax into VR, take a break between games, and to match a focus on exploration, curiosity and social interaction. Test the audio mix of your addon to match existing content to really make it part of the family!