VRChat World Audio Layers & Zones

🔊 Audio System Update — v3 (Voice Zones, World Audio & Microphones)

We’ve expanded the audio system again — v3 introduces world audio layering, speaker boost zones, and interactive microphones, while keeping all existing systems fully compatible.

This update does not replace previous features.
It adds new tools that work alongside Voice Dampening Areas and Voice Zones.

🧱 What Stayed the Same — Voice Dampening Areas

The original Voice Dampening Areas are still fully supported and unchanged.

These are ideal for:

• softening voices through walls
• reducing bleed between nearby spaces
• creating distance-based muffling
• subtle audio separation without hard cutoffs

If you’re already using dampening areas, no changes are required.

🔒 Voice Zones — Hard Audio Separation

Voice Zones remain the core of the system for strict audio isolation.

With Voice Zones:

• Players inside the same zone hear each other normally
• Players in different zones cannot hear each other at all
• This works even if players are physically close

Ideal for:

• clubs with multiple rooms
• private booths
• staff-only areas
• parallel conversations
• event spaces where audio bleed is undesirable

🔊 NEW in v3 — World Audio Layering

v3 adds World Audio Layering, allowing music and ambient sounds to follow the same zone logic as player voices.

With World Audio Layering:

• World AudioSources can be assigned to specific voice layers
• Players only hear the world audio that belongs to their current zone
• The same audio can play at different volumes per zone
• Optional smooth fades when transitioning between zones

This makes it easy to build:

• clubs with multiple music rooms
• quiet hallways vs loud dance floors
• ambient soundscapes per space
• seamless transitions between audio environments

📢 NEW in v3 — Boost Zones (Speaker Enhancement)

Boost Zones allow you to enhance a speaker’s voice when they stand in a specific area.

When a player is inside a Boost Zone:

• Their voice can be louder
• Their voice can carry farther
• The boost applies to all listeners in the same voice layer

Perfect for:

• stages
• presentation areas
• DJ booths
• podiums
• focus zones inside a room

Boost Zones layer cleanly on top of Voice Zones and Dampening Areas.

🎤 NEW in v3 — Interactive Microphones

v3 introduces pickup-based microphones that boost a speaker’s voice while in use.

Microphone behavior:

• Pick up the mic and hold Use → voice is boosted
• Release Use or drop the mic → voice returns to normal
• Boost applies only to listeners in the same voice layer
• Optional visual indicator while the mic is active

Great for:

• events and announcements
• performances
• roleplay scenarios
• guided tours

Microphones work independently of zones and can optionally override zone-based boosts.

⚙️ How It All Works (High Level)

• Zones define where players are
• Layers define who can hear who
• Profiles define how voices sound
• World Audio Emitters control music and ambient sound per zone
• All logic is evaluated locally per player

No triggers.
No per-player networking.
No state syncing beyond simple flags.

The result is a system that is:

• multiplayer-safe
• deterministic
• lightweight
• predictable
• scalable for complex worlds

🧩 Designed to Work Together

All systems are modular and can be mixed freely:

• Voice Zones for hard separation
• Dampening Areas for soft occlusion
• Boost Zones for emphasis
• Microphones for active speaking
• World Audio Layering for environmental sound

Use only what you need — or combine everything for advanced audio design.