Interactive Engine Audio Sandbox (Unity + FMOD)

A playable spaceship prototype where player input drives engine sound in real time. A C# controller turns throttle into RPM and Load values and streams them to FMOD, which blends engine layers, bends pitch, and fades in mechanical strain as the ship accelerates.

▶ Play it in the browser: deniztugluaudio.com/demo (hold W to accelerate, ← / → to switch ships, headphones recommended)

Signal flow

Player input (throttle) → SpaceshipController.cs → Engine_RPM + Engine_Load → FMOD event → layered engine sound

How it works

C# controller — Assets/Scripts/SpaceshipController.cs

• Maps throttle input to a target RPM between idleRPM and maxRPM.
• Smooths RPM with Mathf.SmoothDamp, using separate spool-up (timeToReachMax) and spool-down (timeToDropToIdle) times, so engines rev and settle believably.
• Derives Load from how fast RPM is rising compared with the ship's maximum expected acceleration (0–1), so hard acceleration reads as strain.
• Sends both values to FMOD every frame with setParameterByName, and keeps the event's 3D position in sync with the ship.
• All tuning values are exposed in the Inspector, so one script can power different ships: a heavy transport that revs slowly, or a fighter that responds instantly.

FMOD event — TechDemoFMOD/

• RPM drives pitch (AutoPitch) and crossfades between idle, mid, and high recordings without audible seams.
• Load fades in layers of mechanical strain and exhaust rumble when the ship accelerates hard.
• Swapping the source recordings creates a new ship profile while the mixing logic stays the same.

Opening the project

• Unity 6000.3.0f1 (Unity 6) with the FMOD for Unity integration (included under Assets/Plugins/FMOD).
• The FMOD Studio project lives in TechDemoFMOD/; built banks are in Assets/StreamingAssets/.
• Open Assets/Scenes/Main.unity and press Play.

Credits

• Design, programming, implementation and sound design: Deniz Tuglu
• Shaders and UI: Onur Şahin Şentürk
• 360° skybox image: José Francisco
• Spaceship models: Niko-3D-Models

License

My code in this repository is MIT licensed (see LICENSE). Third-party assets keep their own licenses: the FMOD for Unity integration, TextMesh Pro, the spaceship models, the skybox image, and the shaders/UI credited above.

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More of my work: deniztugluaudio.com · LinkedIn