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How To Import Audio

Learn how to import audio content.

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Prerequisite Topics

In order to understand and use the content on this page, make sure you are familiar with the following topics:

We can import single and multi-channel audio files into our Unreal Engine projects. ImportAudioCoverImg.png

Goals

The focus of this guide is to give you practice importing different types of audio files.

Objectives

After going through this guide, you'll know:

  • How to import single audio files.

  • How to reference the multi-channel audio extension table.

  • How to import multi-channel audio.

Importing Single Audio Files

Unreal Engine currently imports uncompressed, little endian , 16-bit Wave (WAV) files at any sample rate (although, we recommend sample rates of 44.1 kHz or 22.05 kHz).

  1. In the Content Browser , click the Import button.

    ImportButton_UI.png

  2. Locate and select your .WAV file.

    ImportDialogBox.png

  3. Click Open to begin importing the audio file to your project.

  4. After the import progress bar fills up, a sound asset appears inside of the Content Browser , indicating that UE4 has successfully imported the audio file to your project.

    UnsavedSoundAsset.png

  5. The unsaved sound asset is marked with an asterisk, prompting you to click the Save All button.

    SaveAllButton.png

  6. Once the Save Content dialog box appears, go ahead and click Save Selected to save your imported asset.

    SaveContentDialogBox.png

  7. After clicking on the Save Selected button, UE4 removes the asterisk, indicating that the audio file has been successfully saved.

    SavedSoundAsset.png

  8. Hover over the saved asset inside the Content Browser to view a summary of the sound asset's properties.

    HoverOverSingle.png

Referencing the Multi-Channel Audio Extension Table

Prior to importing multi-channel audio, it's a good practice to reference the following table when naming your .WAV files.

Extension

4.0

5.1

7.1

FrontLeft

_fl

✓

✓

✓

FrontRight

_fr

✓

✓

✓

FrontCenter

_fc

✓

✓

LowFrequency

_lf

✓

✓

SideLeft

_sl

✓

✓

✓

SideRight

_sr

✓

✓

✓

BackLeft

_bl

✓

BackRight

_br

✓

The following steps demonstrate a specific use-case for importing a 4.0 surround sound asset into the editor. Refer to our Working with Audio documentation for information on sample rates, audio specifications, and best practices when importing audio into UE4.

  1. After exporting your multi-channel sound asset, verify that your audio files are named according to the Multi-Channel Audio Extension Table (4.0 example pictured below).

    VerifyMultiChannelNames.png

    Extension requirements for 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 channel surround sound are found in the Multi-Channel Audio Extension Table.

Importing Multi-Channel Audio

Exporting a multi-channel sound asset will create a mono .WAV file for each channel, following the Multi-Channel Audio Extension naming convention.

  1. In the Content Browser , click the Import button.

    ImportButtonUI_Multi.png

  2. Locate and select your .WAV files.

    ImportDialogBox_Multi.png

  3. Click Open to begin importing the audio files to your project.

  4. After the import progress bar fills up, a four channel sound asset (named "Surround") appears inside of the Content Browser , indicating that UE4 has successfully imported the audio file to your project.

    UnsavedSurroundSoundAsset.png

  5. The unsaved sound asset is marked with an asterisk, prompting you to click the Save All button.

    SaveAllButtonSurround.png

  6. Once the Save Content dialog box appears, go ahead and click Save Selected to save your imported asset.

    SaveContentDialogSurround.png

  7. After clicking on the Save Selected button, UE4 removes the asterisk, indicating that the assets have been successfully saved.

    SavedSurroundSoundAsset.png

  8. Hover over the saved asset inside the Content Browser to view a summary of the sound asset's properties.

    HoverOverSurround.png

Verifying Imported Assets

It's good practice to verify that .uassetfiles were imported properly onto the hard disk.

  1. Inside the editor, right-click the 'Content' folder to open the Folder Options dialog box.

    FolderDialogBox_UI.png

  2. Under Folder Options , click 'Show In Explorer' .

    ShowInExplorer_Selection.png

  3. With Explorer open, verify that UE4 created the corresponding .uasset files for your project.

    ImportedAssets_Explorer.png

Now that we've reached the end of this guide, you've learned:

✓ How to import single audio files.
✓ How to reference the multi-channel audio extension table.
✓ How to import multi-channel audio files.

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