Set the Audio Profile and Scenario

An audio profile includes the audio sample rate, encoding scheme, number of channels, and bitrate for the encoding audio stream; an audio scenario determines the audio performance.

Different applications require different audio profiles or scenarios. This page shows you how to set the appropriate audio profile and scenario in your app using Agora SDKs.

Understand the tech

The SDK uses the AUDIO_PROFILE_DEFAULT profile and the AUDIO_SCENARIO_DEFAULT scenario by default. If the default setting does not meet your requirements, you can call the following APIs to set another audio profile or scenario:

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure that you have a project that has implemented the basic real-time engagement functionality. See Start a Video Call or Start Interactive Live Streaming.

Implementation

This section shows you how to set the audio profile and scenario in common applications. You can add the sample code in /app/java/com.example.<projectname>/MainActivity of your project.

One-to-one classroom

For the one-to-one classroom that requires the call quality with smooth transmission, add the following code to your project:

// Set the audio scenario when you create the RtcEngine instance
config.mAudioScenario = Constants.AudioScenario.getValue(Constants.AudioScenario.DEFAULT);
engine = RtcEngine.create(config);

// Set the audio profile
RtcEngine.setAudioProfile(Constants.AUDIO_PROFILE_DEFAULT);

Battle royale game

This scenario mainly requires voice clarity, no noise, and a lower bitrate. Agora recommends the following settings:

// Set the audio scenario when you create the RtcEngine instance
config.mAudioScenario = Constants.AudioScenario.getValue(Constants.AudioScenario.CHATROOM);
engine = RtcEngine.create(config);

// Set the audio profile
RtcEngine.setAudioProfile(Constants.AUDIO_PROFILE_SPEECH_STANDARD);

Murder mystery game

This scenario mainly requires high audio performance, with no volume or audio quality change when users mute or unmute the microphone. Agora recommends the following settings:

// Set the audio scenario when you create the RtcEngine instance
config.mAudioScenario = Constants.AudioScenario.getValue(Constants.AudioScenario.CHATROOM);
engine = RtcEngine.create(config);

// Set the audio profile
RtcEngine.setAudioProfile(Constants.AUDIO_PROFILE_MUSIC_STANDARD);

KTV

For the KTV that requires high-fidelity audio and a high performance to music or singing voice, add the following code to your project:

// Set the audio scenario when you create the RtcEngine instance
config.mAudioScenario = Constants.AudioScenario.getValue(Constants.AudioScenario.HIGH_DEFINITION);
engine = RtcEngine.create(config);

// Set the audio profile
RtcEngine.setAudioProfile(Constants.AUDIO_PROFILE_MUSIC_HIGH_QUALITY);

Podcast

For the podcast that uses professional audio hardware devices, and requires high-fidelity audio and stereo audio channels, add the following code to your project:

// Set the audio scenario when you create the RtcEngine instance
config.mAudioScenario = Constants.AudioScenario.getValue(Constants.AudioScenario.HIGH_DEFINITION);
engine = RtcEngine.create(config);

// Set the audio profile
RtcEngine.setAudioProfile(Constants.AUDIO_PROFILE_MUSIC_HIGH_QUALITY_STEREO);

Music education

This scenario mainly requires high-fidelity audio and support for transmitting the audio effects from the local playback to remote users. Agora recommends the following settings:

// Set the audio scenario when you create the RtcEngine instance
config.mAudioScenario = Constants.AudioScenario.getValue(Constants.AudioScenario.HIGH_DEFINITION);
engine = RtcEngine.create(config);

// Set the audio profile
RtcEngine.setAudioProfile(Constants.AUDIO_PROFILE_MUSIC_STANDARD_STEREO);

Collaborative teaching

This scenario mainly requires high-fidelity audio, support for rich audio effects, and no volume or audio quality change when users mute or unmute the microphone. Agora recommends the following settings:

// Set the audio scenario when you create the RtcEngine instance
config.mAudioScenario = Constants.AudioScenario.getValue(Constants.AudioScenario.CHATROOM);
engine = RtcEngine.create(config);

// Set the audio profile
RtcEngine.setAudioProfile(Constants.AUDIO_PROFILE_MUSIC_STANDARD_STEREO);

Reference

This section provides reference information you may need when setting the audio profile and scenario.

Sample project

Agora provides an open-source sample project that implements setting the audio profile and scenario on GitHub. You can try the sample project and view the source code.

API reference

• create [2/2]
• setAudioProfile [1/2]
• setAudioProfile [2/2]

Volume type

The audio scenario affects the volume type. See the difference between two kinds of volume type as follows:

• The in-call volume:
  • Low audio quality.
  • Cancels all echoes that are produced by the user's device, but might cause the loss of music or singing voice.
  • Cannot be adjusted to 0.
• The media volume:
  • High audio quality.
  • Has a high performance to music or singing voice, but might not completely cancel echoes that are produced by the user's device.
  • Can be adjusted to 0.

The following tables show the volume type according to different audio scenarios, user roles, and audio routes.

• In the AUDIO_SCENARIO_DEFAULT scenario:

  	Wired earphones	Speakerphone or earpiece	Bluetooth devices
  Hosts in the interactive live streaming profile Users in the communication profile	Media volume	In-call volume	In-call volume
  Single host in the interactive live streaming profile	Media volume	Media volume	In-call volume
  Audience in the interactive live streaming profile	Media volume	Media volume	Media volume

• In the AUDIO_SCENARIO_HIGH_DEFINITION, AUDIO_SCENARIO_GAME_STREAMING, or AUDIO_SCENARIO_CHORUS scenario:

  	Wired earphones	Speakerphone or earpiece	Bluetooth devices
  Hosts in the interactive live streaming profile Users in the communication profile	Media volume	Media volume	Media volume
  Single host in the interactive live streaming profile	Media volume	Media volume	Media volume
  Audience in the interactive live streaming profile	Media volume	Media volume	Media volume

• In the AUDIO_SCENARIO_CHATROOM scenario:

  	Wired earphones	Speakerphone or earpiece	Bluetooth devices
  Hosts in the interactive live streaming profile Users in the communication profile	Media volume	In-call volume	In-call volume
  Single host in the interactive live streaming profile	Media volume	In-call volume	In-call volume
  Audience in the interactive live streaming profile	Media volume	In-call volume	In-call volume