Features

This section provides a comprehensive overview of Audio Inspector's features and capabilities, helping you understand both how to use the tool and how it works under the hood.

Core System Architecture

Audio Inspector is built on an architecture that leverages Unreal Engine's audio engine while providing additional tracking and visualization features:

The system hooks into Unreal Engine's audio subsystem to collect real-time data about all active sounds in your scene, providing you with a live view into what's happening with your audio as you play.

Display and Interface

Dockable Editor Window

The Audio Inspector integrates seamlessly into the Unreal Editor workflow:

• Dockable Tab Interface: View all active sounds without obscuring the game viewport
• Customizable Layout: Dock alongside other editor panels for optimal workflow
• Persistent Settings: Your layout and preferences are saved between sessions

Real-time Sound List

The core of Audio Inspector is its active sound list:

• Automatic Updates: Real-time list of all currently playing sounds
• Configurable Refresh Rate: Adjust the update interval via settings
• Smart Filtering: Quickly find sounds by name with substring filtering
• Multi-column Sorting: Sort by any available property

Sorting

• Click any column header to sort the list by that column
• Click again to reverse sort order
• Shift click a column for secondary sorting

Filtering

The filter box only filters on the Name column.

It is possible to exclude results using - , eg. tree -loop.

Example filters:

• "explosion" - Finds all sounds with "explosion" in their name
• "tree -loop" - Finds all sounds with "tre" in any their name, excluding any sounds with loop in their name

Detailed Sound Information

Audio Inspector provides comprehensive information about each active sound:

• Sound Type Support: Works with waves, sound cues, MetaSounds, and all USoundBase types
• Asset Type Icons: Visual indicators for different sound asset types
• Sound Property Visualization: Color-coded indicators for volume levels
• Footer Statistics: Voice count and master volume output overview

Available Columns

Audio Inspector displays comprehensive information about each sound through customizable columns. Right-click any column header to show/hide columns.

For detailed descriptions of all available columns, see the Columns reference page.

Interactive Features

Basic Usage

Once Audio Inspector is open and configured:

1. View Active Sounds:

   • Press Play or enable Realtime Mode in viewport
   • Audio Inspector automatically populates with all playing sounds
   • See name, volume, distance, and other properties in real-time

2. Find Specific Sounds:

   • Type in the filter box to search by name (use - to exclude, e.g., ambient -wind)
   • Click column headers to sort (e.g., by Volume to find loudest sounds)

3. Interact with Sounds:

   • Double-click to open sound in its editor
   • Shift+Double-click to locate in Content Browser
   • Select a sound to highlight its position in the world
   • Click a sound to select its owner in the level

Asset Navigation

Audio Inspector provides quick ways to access and edit sound assets:

• Asset Editing: Double-click to open sound assets in their respective editors

• Content Browser Access: Shift+Double-click to locate assets in Content Browser

• Sound Class Access: Double-click sound class values to open settings

  • Quickly check and adjust mixing properties

• Submix Navigation: Double-click submix values to open submix editor

  • Check effect chains and routing

• Attenuation Editing: Double-click to open attenuation assets

  • Quickly modify distance-based properties

Visual Indicators

Audio Inspector uses visual cues to help you understand your audio state:

• VU Meter Coloring: Optional color scheme for volume levels

• Sound Type Icons: Quick visual identification of sound asset types

• Origin Indicators: Special marking for sounds at world origin

  • Shows "At Origin" for sounds positioned at (0,0,0)
  • Helps identify sounds that may be incorrectly placed

Customization

Audio Inspector can be configured to match your workflow:

Editor Preferences

Access settings via Edit → Editor Preferences → SweejTech:

• Update Interval: Adjust how often the display refreshes (milliseconds)

  • Lower values: More responsive but higher editor overhead
  • Higher values: Less flickering and better performance

• Volume Coloring Mode: Choose how volume levels are visualized

  • VU Meter: Green for normal levels, yellow for hot, red for clipping
  • Priority: Color based on sound priority
  • None: No special coloring

• Column Visibility: Select which columns to show/hide

  • Customize the display to show only information you need
  • Right-click column headers for quick access to visibility options

Debugging Workflows

Here are some effective ways to use Audio Inspector in your audio debugging workflow:

Common Debugging Tasks

Quick reference for typical debugging scenarios:

• Find overloud sounds: Sort by Volume (descending)
• Identify misplaced sounds: Look for At Origin: true in Distance column
• Check voice count: See total count in footer
• Debug positioning: Use Angle and Distance columns

Identifying Problem Sounds

When something doesn't sound right:

1. Pause the game when you hear the issue
2. Sort by volume to find the loudest sounds at that moment
3. Open the sound by double-clicking to check its settings
4. Check the owner to see which actor triggered it

Optimizing Voice Count

If you're hitting voice limits:

1. Check the total voice count in the footer
2. Sort by priority or sound class to identify sounds that might need different limiting settings
3. Look for duplicate sounds that might be unintentionally stacking
4. Check virtualization status to see if sounds are being virtualized properly

Diagnosing Spatial Audio Issues

If 3D audio positioning seems wrong:

1. Check the Distance column to see if sounds are at expected distances
2. Look for "At Origin" flags that might indicate sounds not properly attached to locations
3. Examine angle values to see if sound direction matches visual position
4. Check attenuation settings by double-clicking the attenuation field

Finding Asset References

If you need to find where a sound is being used:

1. Filter by name to locate the sound
2. Check the Owner column to see what's playing it
3. Double-click the owner to locate it in the level
4. Shift+Double-click the sound to find it in Content Browser for additional references