Preview and edit audio clips when FMOD replaces Unity audio
With FMOD for Unity installed and Unity audio disabled, Audio Tools plays, draws and exports clips through FMOD automatically, with no setting changes.
Many teams use FMOD Studio for game audio, and FMOD for Unity recommends disabling Unity’s own audio system on every platform. Its setup wizard has a button for exactly that. The side effect shows up the next time you click an AudioClip: Unity’s documentation says plainly that preview is unavailable while Unity audio is disabled, and an issue report about the inspector preview (UUM-16395) was closed with a UI and documentation change rather than a fix. Searches for a fix lead to pages about previewing FMOD events, not the WAV files in your project.
You still have those files, though: UI sounds, recorded lines, sources you want to trim before they go into an FMOD bank. Audio Tools keeps working on them.
It just works
When Unity audio is disabled and a supported FMOD for Unity version is installed (FMOD Core 2.02 through 2.04), Audio Tools uses FMOD for everything it does: playback, waveforms, fades, normalization, selection previews and WAV export. There is no backend to pick and no setting to change, and Audio Tools never switches your project’s audio setting back on. Open a clip with Edit Audio and edit it as described in the trimming guide.
When nothing can play
If Unity audio is disabled and no usable FMOD installation or audio output is found, Audio Tools does not keep reporting decoding errors. It explains how to enable audio, offers Open Audio Settings to review the project setting, and a Retry button for after you have fixed the installation or output. The clip and your edit settings are kept, so Retry continues where you were.
Where Audio Tools fits next to FMOD Studio
FMOD Studio edits sounds inside its own events: you trim an instrument by dragging its edges on the event timeline, and fades are part of the event. That is the right place for edits that belong to one event. Audio Tools is for the source file itself: a trimmed, clean WAV in your project that every event, bank and Unity component can use. Many projects use both, for example cutting the silence off a recording in Audio Tools before adding it to an FMOD event.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I preview audio clips in Unity after installing FMOD?
FMOD for Unity recommends enabling Disable Unity Audio in the project's audio settings, and Unity's documentation says that AudioClip preview is unavailable while Unity audio is disabled.
Do I have to configure anything in Audio Tools for FMOD?
No. When Unity audio is disabled and a supported FMOD for Unity version is installed (FMOD Core 2.02 through 2.04), Audio Tools uses FMOD automatically. You do not choose a backend, and your project's audio settings stay as they are.
Which features work through FMOD?
All of them: playback, waveforms, processing, selection previews and WAV export. The editor looks and works the same as with Unity audio.
What if neither Unity audio nor FMOD is available?
Audio Tools explains how to enable audio, offers Open Audio Settings and a Retry button, and keeps your clip and edit settings for when you try again.
Trim, fade and normalize audio without leaving Unity.
Keep reading
Use caseTrim audio clips in Unity without leaving the Editor
Unity cannot trim an audio file on its own. Open the clip in Audio Tools, select the part you need on the waveform, loop it, and save a numbered WAV copy next to the original.ComparisonWhat Unity can do with audio clips on its own
Unity has no audio editor, but it has several ways to change what a clip sounds like in the game. What import settings, Timeline, scripting and the AI Assistant can and cannot do, and when editing the file is simpler.Article