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Modules
The Mixing Desk allows you to create different mixes based on the status of game States. If you completed Module 6: Using States, you learned how to use game States to affect the sound of the player’s heartbeat. Now you’ll see how a State can be used to modify an Audio Bus object and how the process of configuring and testing the State can be done entirely from the Mixing Desk view.
You'll set up a mix so that when the Wwizard is defeated, the Environmental sounds get quieter and less present while the music is unaffected.
Before you start, take note that there is an Editing States area at the top of the Mixing Desk, but there's nothing contained in the corresponding box. This is because none of the objects in the Mixing Desk are currently controlled by a change in a State’s value.
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Double-click the Environmental mixer strip’s header.
A floating Environmental object tab opens.
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Select the States tab, click Add State Group >>, and then click PlayerLife.
The State Group and its States are added to the Environmental bus. Instead of adjusting the properties in this window, you’ll adjust them in the Mixing Desk.
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Close the object tab window.
Notice how the Editing States area at the top of the Mixing Desk now displays PlayerLife with a drop-down list displaying the current State value.
In addition, the State’s offset values are added to the mixer strip, but you probably can’t see them.
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At the top of the Mixing Desk, set the PlayerLife State to Defeated and then scroll down and set the Bus Volume to -8 and Voice LPF to 65.
The State offset values you’ve just defined only occur when the player is defeated.
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Set the PlayerLife State to Alive.
Notice that the Bus Volume and Voice LPF settings go back to the values that are associated with the Alive State.
Now you'll audition how these changes affect the sounds that pass through the Environmental bus.
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At the top of the Mixing Desk, select Push States.
With this option enabled, the values selected for States in the Mixing Desk are reflected in the Soundcaster and Transport Control.
![[Tip]](/images/wwise101/?source=wwise101&id=tip.png)
When you are connected to a game and the Push States button is enabled, Wwise also tells the game which State to enter. For example, it can force the game to behave as if players were defeated even though they might not have been defeated in the game. This can be very useful when trying to test mixes without having to go through the gameplay necessary to reach a particular State in the game.
With the Follow States button enabled, State values in Wwise are automatically changed according to the current State values in the game.
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In the Soundcaster, click the Play button in the Fire_FireGem_Player Event.
Because the PlayerLife State is set to Alive, the sound is loud and clear.
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At the top of the Mixing Desk, set the PlayerLife State to Defeated.
Notice the significant decrease in volume and clarity.
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In the Soundcaster, stop the Fire_FireGem_Player Event.
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From the menu bar, click Layouts > Designer (F5) so you're ready to start another module.
Congratulations! You finished module 16. In this module you learned how to create a Mixing Desk and how to add objects to it. This let you fine-tune the mix of your game all in one place. Then you learned to configure ducking to lower the volume of the background music while sound effects are playing, making the sound effects a little more prominent. Finally, you learned how to create different mixes based on the status of States.
Up next, Module 17: Using Control Surfaces where you'll learn to manipulate multiple properties simultaneously, speeding up your workflow.