Roblox Audio

Roblox has two audio systems. The legacy system uses

Sound

SoundGroup

, and

SoundEffect

objects. The new modular system uses

AudioPlayer

AudioEmitter

AudioListener

Wire

, and

AudioDeviceOutput

. The new system is preferred for new projects but the legacy system still works and is simpler for basic use cases.

Legacy System (Sound Objects)

Where to Place Sounds

Location	Behavior	Use for
Child of block/sphere/cylinder BasePart	Volumetric: emits from entire surface, volume changes with distance AND part size	Ambient zones, large area sounds
Child of Attachment, MeshPart, TrussPart, WedgePart	Point source: emits from single point, volume changes with distance	Footsteps, impacts, small objects
Within SoundService or Workspace	Global: same volume everywhere regardless of position	Background music, UI sounds

Basic Playback

luau

-- Background music (global, in SoundService)
local SoundService = game:GetService("SoundService")
local bgMusic = Instance.new("Sound")
bgMusic.Name = "BackgroundMusic"
bgMusic.SoundId = "rbxassetid://1843463175"
bgMusic.Looped = true
bgMusic.Volume = 0.25
bgMusic.Parent = SoundService
bgMusic:Play()

luau

-- Positional sound (3D, on a part)
local waterfall = Instance.new("Sound")
waterfall.SoundId = "rbxassetid://ASSET_ID"
waterfall.Looped = true
waterfall.Volume = 0.5
waterfall.RollOffMode = Enum.RollOffMode.InverseTapered
waterfall.RollOffMinDistance = 10  -- full volume within this range
waterfall.RollOffMaxDistance = 100 -- silent beyond this range
waterfall.Parent = workspace.WaterfallPart
waterfall:Play()

RollOff Modes

Mode	Behavior
`Inverse`	Realistic falloff (1/distance). Drops quickly near source, slowly far away.
`Linear`	Linear falloff between min and max distance.
`InverseTapered`	Inverse near the source, tapers to silence at max. Most natural for games.
`LinearSquare`	Attempt at realistic with linear square curve.

```
RollOffMinDistance
```
: distance (studs) where volume starts decreasing. Default 10.
```
RollOffMaxDistance
```
: distance where volume reaches zero. Default 10000 (effectively infinite).

SoundGroups (Audio Mixer)

SoundGroups let you control volume of multiple sounds at once. Nest them for a mix tree.

luau

-- Create mix hierarchy in SoundService
local master = Instance.new("SoundGroup")
master.Name = "Master"
master.Volume = 1
master.Parent = SoundService

local music = Instance.new("SoundGroup")
music.Name = "Music"
music.Volume = 0.5
music.Parent = master  -- nested under Master

local sfx = Instance.new("SoundGroup")
sfx.Name = "SFX"
sfx.Volume = 0.8
sfx.Parent = master

-- Assign a sound to a group
bgMusic.SoundGroup = music

Adjusting

master.Volume

affects ALL nested groups. Players can control Music vs SFX independently.

Dynamic Effects

Parent these to a Sound or SoundGroup to modify audio:

Effect	What it does	Use for
`ReverbSoundEffect`	Simulates room reflections	Caves, large halls, bathrooms
`EqualizerSoundEffect`	Control volume of frequency bands	Muffled underwater, radio effect
`CompressorSoundEffect`	Reduces dynamic range	Consistent volume, ducking
`ChorusSoundEffect`	Thickens sound with copies	Ethereal voices, dream sequences
`DistortionSoundEffect`	Adds distortion/overdrive	Damaged radio, horror
`FlangeSoundEffect`	Sweeping comb filter	Sci-fi, psychedelic
`PitchShiftSoundEffect`	Changes pitch without speed	Chipmunk voice, deep voice
`TremoloSoundEffect`	Periodic volume modulation	Vibrato, pulsing

luau

-- Add reverb to all sounds in a cave zone
local caveGroup = Instance.new("SoundGroup")
caveGroup.Name = "Cave"
caveGroup.Parent = master

local reverb = Instance.new("ReverbSoundEffect")
reverb.DecayTime = 3.0
reverb.Density = 1.0
reverb.Diffusion = 1.0
reverb.WetLevel = -6  -- dB, how much reverb vs dry signal
reverb.Parent = caveGroup

Ducking (Lower music when SFX plays)

Use CompressorSoundEffect with a SideChain:

luau

-- Music ducks when SFX plays
local compressor = Instance.new("CompressorSoundEffect")
compressor.Threshold = -20
compressor.Ratio = 4
compressor.Attack = 0.01
compressor.Release = 0.2
compressor.SideChain = sfx  -- SFX group triggers the compression
compressor.Parent = music   -- Music group gets compressed

New Modular System (Audio Objects)

The new system uses explicit wiring between audio components. Each object maps to a real-world audio device:

Object	Real-world equivalent	Role
`AudioPlayer`	Media player / turntable	Produces audio from an asset
`AudioEmitter`	Speaker in 3D space	Emits audio positionally
`AudioListener`	Microphone	Picks up audio from 3D space
`AudioDeviceOutput`	Headphones/speakers	Plays to the real player
`AudioDeviceInput`	Physical microphone	Captures real player voice
`Wire`	Audio cable	Carries stream between objects
`AudioTextToSpeech`	TTS engine	Converts text to speech
`AudioEqualizer`	EQ pedal	Modifies frequency response
`AudioCompressor`	Compressor pedal	Controls dynamic range
`AudioReverb`	Reverb unit	Adds room reflections

2D Audio (non-positional)

AudioPlayer → Wire → AudioDeviceOutput

luau

-- In SoundService:
local player = Instance.new("AudioPlayer")
player.AssetId = "rbxassetid://MUSIC_ID"
player.Looping = true
player.Volume = 0.5
player.Parent = SoundService

local output = Instance.new("AudioDeviceOutput")
output.Parent = SoundService

local wire = Instance.new("Wire")
wire.SourceInstance = player
wire.TargetInstance = output
wire.Parent = SoundService

player:Play()

3D Audio (positional)

AudioPlayer → Wire → AudioEmitter (on Part)
AudioListener (on Camera/Character) → Wire → AudioDeviceOutput

luau

-- On the part that emits sound:
local player = Instance.new("AudioPlayer")
player.AssetId = "rbxassetid://SFX_ID"
player.Parent = workspace.CampfirePart

local emitter = Instance.new("AudioEmitter")
emitter.Parent = workspace.CampfirePart

local wire = Instance.new("Wire")
wire.SourceInstance = player
wire.TargetInstance = emitter
wire.Parent = workspace.CampfirePart

-- AudioListener is auto-created by SoundService.ListenerLocation setting
-- AudioDeviceOutput is auto-created when ListenerLocation is Character or Camera

player:Play()

AudioEmitter.DistanceAttenuation

controls the volume-over-distance curve.

Triggering Audio from Scripts

luau

-- Basic trigger pattern
local audioPlayer = script.Parent -- AudioPlayer
local part = audioPlayer.Parent

part.Touched:Connect(function(hit)
    if hit.Parent:FindFirstChildOfClass("Humanoid") then
        audioPlayer:Play()
    end
end)

Patterns

Preloading Critical Audio

luau

local ContentProvider = game:GetService("ContentProvider")

local criticalSounds = {
    Instance.new("Sound"), -- temp instances for preloading
    Instance.new("Sound"),
}
criticalSounds[1].SoundId = "rbxassetid://HIT_SOUND"
criticalSounds[2].SoundId = "rbxassetid://JUMP_SOUND"

ContentProvider:PreloadAsync(criticalSounds)
-- Now these assets are cached and play instantly

One-Shot SFX (auto-cleanup)

luau

local function playSFX(parent: BasePart, soundId: string)
    local sound = Instance.new("Sound")
    sound.SoundId = soundId
    sound.RollOffMode = Enum.RollOffMode.InverseTapered
    sound.RollOffMinDistance = 10
    sound.RollOffMaxDistance = 80
    sound.Parent = parent
    sound:Play()
    sound.Ended:Once(function()
        sound:Destroy()
    end)
end

Client-Side Playback

Play sounds on the client for zero-latency feedback. Server tells client WHAT to play:

luau

-- Server
SFXRemote:FireClient(player, "hit", workspace.Enemy.HumanoidRootPart.Position)

-- Client
SFXRemote.OnClientEvent:Connect(function(sfxName: string, position: Vector3)
    local part = Instance.new("Part")
    part.Position = position
    part.Anchored = true
    part.Transparency = 1
    part.CanCollide = false
    part.Parent = workspace
    playSFX(part, SFX_IDS[sfxName])
    task.delay(3, function() part:Destroy() end)
end)

Common Mistakes

Playing sounds on the server for feedback: Server sounds have network latency. Play on client for responsive SFX. Server only for sounds ALL players must hear identically.
No RollOff configuration: Default RollOffMaxDistance is 10000 studs (basically infinite). Set it explicitly or sounds bleed across the entire map.
Stacking rapid sounds: Playing the same sound 10x in 0.1s creates ear-splitting overlap. Check
```
sound.IsPlaying
```
or use a cooldown.
Forgetting Looped = false on one-shots: Default is false, but if you clone from a template that has Looped = true, your SFX plays forever.
Not destroying one-shot sounds: Sounds parented to destroyed parts get GC'd, but sounds in SoundService accumulate. Always Destroy() after Ended.
Volume > 1: Causes clipping/distortion. Keep ≤ 1. Use SoundGroup volume for amplification.
Using legacy system for voice chat integration: The new AudioPlayer/Wire system is required for voice chat features (AudioDeviceInput, AudioSpeechToText).
No SoundGroup hierarchy: Without groups, players can't independently control music vs SFX volume in settings.

roblox-audio

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Roblox Audio

Legacy System (Sound Objects)

Where to Place Sounds

Basic Playback

RollOff Modes

SoundGroups (Audio Mixer)

Dynamic Effects

Ducking (Lower music when SFX plays)

New Modular System (Audio Objects)

2D Audio (non-positional)

3D Audio (positional)

Triggering Audio from Scripts

Patterns

Preloading Critical Audio

One-Shot SFX (auto-cleanup)

Client-Side Playback

Common Mistakes