FMOD Music Tutorial - Branching and Layering with Transitions

In this video, I will show you how to build an adaptive music system in FMOD that combines two powerful techniques: branching and layering, while using transitions to smoothly switch between music tracks.
You can hear the system in action at 01:00:56.

The Tutorial is structured as follows:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:05 Music System Overview
00:03:18 FMOD Project & Event Setup
00:04:55 Setting up the Tracks for the Base Stage
00:07:31 Parameter Setup
00:10:20 Lining up our Base Stage Layers horizontally
00:11:32 Lining up our Invasion Stage Layers horizontally
00:12:58 Marker Setup
00:14:28 Volume Automation Setup for the Layers
00:16:26 Transition Setup for the Base to Transition Switch (Branching)
00:20:17 Transition Setup from Invasion back to Base (Branching)
00:22:38 Setting up the transitions for the Base Stage Combat Layers
00:40:24 Invasion Stage Combat Layer Transition Setup
00:53:36 Stage Transition Setup when there is Combat
01:00:56 The System in Action
01:03:18 Final thoughts

This video requires basic knowledge of FMOD - if you are new to FMOD or game audio programming in general, I highly recommend you check out the following videos and resources first:
The FMODTV Youtube Channel and their tutorial mini series on adaptive Music (1 hour altogether):
   • Adaptive Music in FMOD Studio: 1 - Tr...  

I’ve built the exact same system in Wwise and made a tutorial about that too: in case you want to compare the two tools 🙂    • Wwise Music Tutorial - Branching and ...  

The example you can hear in this video is from Albion Online - it’s free to play, so you can hear the music in action on your own if you look for a corrupted dungeon there if you like: www.albiononline.com (or on steam)

If you saw my Talk at GACO in 2021 or at Soundtrack Cologne in 2022 - this is the system I was showcasing there.

This is my first video tutorial and I did not have enough time to do all the parts again that are a bit wonky, but I thought it’s better to have it out there a bit rough, rather than not having a tutorial on it at all! I hope it is still helpful!

Note: This Tutorial was made in FMOD Version 2.02.07