Audio

Search MetaSound node classes, ranked

Searches every MetaSound node class the editor has registered and ranks the hits: an exact name beats a prefix, a prefix beats a word-boundary hit, and that beats a loose substring. Author keywords count too, so 'pitch' finds nodes that never say pitch in their name. Spacing and case are ignored, so 'sinewave' finds Sine Wave. Pass --queries to ask several keywords in one call and get a ranked list per keyword instead of N round trips. Filter by --category or by --data-type to see only nodes that carry a given signal, e.g. Audio or Trigger.

cfa search_metasound_nodes --query pitch --max-results 5
cfa search_metasound_nodes --queries "pitch,volume,multiply,filter,subtract" --max-results 10
cfa search_metasound_nodes --data-type Audio --category Filters

Full pin schema of a MetaSound node

Returns everything the editor knows about a node class: every input and output with its name, data type, tooltip, default value and whether it is a constructor pin, plus the node's description, category and version. Pass --node-classes to describe a whole batch in one call. Names are forgiving: Multiply, UE.Math.Multiply and the display name all resolve, and an ambiguous or missing name comes back with the closest candidates.

cfa describe_metasound_node --node-class "Sine"
cfa describe_metasound_node --node-classes "Multiply,AD Envelope,Wave Player"

List MetaSound data types

Every data type registered in this editor, with the literal shape each accepts. Use this to find the exact spelling for a graph input or variable.

cfa list_metasound_datatypes --filter audio

List MetaSound interfaces

Every MetaSound interface registered in this editor with its version and member counts, which is what set_metasound_interface expects.

cfa list_metasound_interfaces --filter Source

Create a MetaSound Source or Patch

Creates a MetaSound. A source is playable and takes an output format (Mono, Stereo, Quad, FiveDotOne, SevenDotOne); a patch is a reusable graph you drop into other MetaSounds. A source is one-shot by default, meaning it finishes on its own; pass --one-shot=false for a sound that loops until something stops it.

cfa create_metasound --name MS_Footstep --path /Game/Audio
cfa create_metasound --name MS_Ambience --path /Game/Audio --output-format Stereo --one-shot=false

Summarize a MetaSound asset

Asset-level summary: type, declared interfaces, output format and channel count, whether it loops, its graph inputs and outputs, and node, connection and page counts.

cfa get_metasound_info --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Footstep

Read a MetaSound graph

Returns the graph as nodes, connections and variables. Connections name their pins rather than internal vertex ids, so what comes back is what connect_metasound_nodes accepts. Input defaults and editor positions are off by default because they roughly double the payload.

cfa get_metasound_graph --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Footstep --include-defaults

Add a node to a MetaSound graph

Adds a node by class name and returns its id, which is what connections and default-setting refer to. Run search_metasound_nodes first if you are unsure of the name.

cfa add_metasound_node --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Footstep --node-class "Wave Player" --position "0,0"

Remove a MetaSound node

cfa remove_metasound_node --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Footstep --node-id <guid>

Wire two MetaSound nodes together

Connects an output pin to an input pin. Either end may be a node id or the name of a graph input or output, so you can wire straight to the graph boundary without looking up its hidden node first. When an end names a graph input or output, its pin is unambiguous and the pin-name argument on that side is ignored. A refused connection reports both data types, since a type mismatch is the usual cause.

cfa connect_metasound_nodes --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --from-node <guid> --from-output Audio --to-node "UE.OutputFormat.Mono.Audio:0" --to-input "UE.OutputFormat.Mono.Audio:0"

Clear a MetaSound node input

cfa disconnect_metasound_nodes --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Footstep --to-node <guid> --to-input "In"

Set a literal on a MetaSound node input

Sets the value an unconnected input reads. The text is parsed against the pin's own data type, discovered from the engine's data type registry, so 440, true, Hello and /Game/Audio/SW_Beep all work without you naming a type. Array types take a comma separated list. A connected pin cannot carry a default, and says so.

cfa set_metasound_node_input_default --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --node-id <guid> --input-name Frequency --value 440

Add an input to a MetaSound's interface

Adds an input to the MetaSound's own interface so callers can drive it from Blueprint or as a parameter. A constructor input is fixed at construction time and cannot be changed while the sound plays.

cfa add_metasound_graph_input --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --name Frequency --data-type Float --default-value 440

Add an output to a MetaSound's interface

cfa add_metasound_graph_output --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --name Level --data-type Float

Remove a graph input, output or variable

cfa remove_metasound_graph_member --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --name Frequency --kind input

Set a graph input's default value

cfa set_metasound_graph_input_default --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --name Frequency --value 880

Declare a MetaSound graph variable

Declares a variable, which carries a value between parts of the graph without a wire. Pair it with add_metasound_variable_node to read or write it.

cfa add_metasound_variable --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --name Gain --data-type Float --default-value 0.5

Add a get or set node for a variable

Adds an accessor node for an existing variable. A delayed get reads the value from the previous block, which is how you build a feedback loop without a cycle. A variable has at most one set node.

cfa add_metasound_variable_node --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --name Gain --accessor set

Add or remove a MetaSound interface

Adds or removes an interface, which also adds or removes the graph members that interface declares. Removing UE.Source.OneShot is how a source becomes looping. Some interfaces are fixed for their asset type and cannot be changed; the error says so.

cfa set_metasound_interface --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Ambience --interface-name UE.Source.OneShot --add=false

Build a whole MetaSound graph in one call

Builds nodes, their input defaults, connections, graph inputs and outputs, and variables in a single call, then lays the result out. Node ids in --nodes are yours to choose and are what --connections refer to; a connection endpoint that is not one of them is treated as a graph input or output name. Everything is resolved before anything is written, so a bad node class fails the call rather than leaving a half-built graph.

cfa build_metasound_graph --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --nodes '[{"id":"osc","node_class":"Sine","inputs":{"Frequency":"440"}}]' --connections '[{"from_node":"osc","from_output":"Audio","to_node":"UE.OutputFormat.Mono.Audio:0","to_input":"In"}]'

Re-position a MetaSound graph

Re-lays out the graph left to right, a column per dependency depth, measuring every node from its real Slate widget so a Plate Reverb's twelve pin rows and a Mixer's inline fields take the room they actually draw, and aligning each node to the pins it feeds. Wires that would cut across a node are then routed onto reroute lanes instead. Re-running is idempotent: the previous run's reroutes are dissolved first, so knots never stack up. A MetaSound is laid out through its asset editor's graph, which only exists while that editor is open, so this opens the asset (or focuses it if already open) and reports an error if it cannot.

cfa layout_metasound_graph --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone
cfa layout_metasound_graph --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone --route-knots=false

Check a MetaSound for faults

Checks the things that make a MetaSound silent or unstable: an audio output nothing ever writes, inputs with neither a connection nor any default, and an empty graph. Returns a verdict of pass, pass_with_warnings or fail, because a command reporting success is not the same as the sound working.

cfa validate_metasound --metasound-path /Game/Audio/MS_Tone

List Sound Cue node classes

Every Sound Cue node class available, including any the project defines, with how many children each accepts. A node with zero children is a leaf, like a wave player.

cfa list_sound_cue_node_types --filter random

Create a Sound Cue

Creates a Sound Cue. Give it sound waves and it wires them up for you: one wave becomes a wave player, several become a random node feeding one player each.

cfa create_sound_cue --name SC_Footstep --path /Game/Audio --sound-waves "/Game/Audio/SW_Step1,/Game/Audio/SW_Step2"

Read a Sound Cue's node tree

cfa get_sound_cue_graph --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep

Add a node to a Sound Cue

Adds a node and returns its id. Pass --sound-wave for a wave player, and --is-root to make it the node the cue plays from.

cfa add_sound_cue_node --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep --node-class Random --is-root

Remove a Sound Cue node

cfa remove_sound_cue_node --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep --node-id SoundNodeRandom_0

Attach a Sound Cue child to a parent

Attaches a child node to a parent slot, growing the parent's inputs when it allows more children. Pass root as the parent to make the child the cue output. Slots are grown through the engine's own child-insertion path, so the node's pins stay in step with its children.

cfa connect_sound_cue_nodes --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep --parent-node SoundNodeRandom_0 --child-node SoundNodeWavePlayer_0

Build a whole Sound Cue tree in one call

Builds nodes with their waves, per-node properties and then the parent and child links, in one call, then lays the tree out. Node ids are yours to choose; use root as a parent to set the cue output. Classes and waves are resolved before anything is written, so a bad name fails the call rather than leaving a half-built cue.

cfa build_sound_cue_graph --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep --nodes '[{"id":"rand","node_class":"Random"},{"id":"w1","node_class":"SoundNodeWavePlayer","sound_wave":"/Game/Audio/SW_Step1"}]' --connections '[{"parent":"root","child":"rand"},{"parent":"rand","child":"w1"}]'

Every editable property of one Sound Cue node

Lists every editable property on a Sound Cue node with its type, tooltip and current value, read by reflection rather than a hand-written list, so a node type the engine adds or changes needs no update here. Use it to find out what set_sound_cue_node_properties will accept on a given node.

cfa get_sound_cue_node --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep --node-id SoundNodeDelay_2

Set any properties on a Sound Cue node

Sets any reflected property on a Sound Cue node: a Delay's range, a Mixer's per-input gains, a Random's weights, an Attenuation node's settings. Nested struct paths and array indices work. A Wave Player's sound wave is special-cased, because the wave lives in two private properties (a serialized soft pointer and a transient cache) and writing either alone leaves the node broken. Reports a warning when a per-child array such as InputVolume no longer matches the node's child count, since the engine indexes those unchecked at playback.

cfa set_sound_cue_node_properties --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep --node-id SoundNodeDelay_2 --properties '{"DelayMin":0.1,"DelayMax":0.4}'
cfa set_sound_cue_node_properties --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep --node-id SoundNodeWavePlayer_3 --properties '{"SoundWave":"/Game/Audio/SW_Step","bLooping":true}'

Re-position a Sound Cue node tree

Lays a Sound Cue out right to left from its root, measuring every node from its real Slate widget so each takes the room it actually draws. Nothing in the engine positions a cue node that a human did not drop, so a tree built by command otherwise sits entirely on the origin.

cfa layout_sound_cue_graph --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep

Check a Sound Cue for faults

Checks for a missing root, nodes unreachable from it, empty child slots, wave players with no wave, and child counts outside what a node allows. That last one matters: a node whose children and pins disagree crashes the editor the next time the graph is relinked. Returns pass, pass_with_warnings or fail.

cfa validate_sound_cue --sound-cue-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep

Export an audio asset's full state to JSON

Writes everything about an audio asset to a JSON file and returns the path, so a whole graph can be read without pulling it through the reply. A MetaSound exports every node with its class, version, pins, vertex ids, literal defaults and editor position, every connection by pin name as well as id, plus variables, graph inputs and outputs, declared interfaces and the source's own settings. A Sound Cue exports the node tree from the root down with each node's full property set, its wave, and any unreachable nodes flagged. Anything else, attenuation, concurrency, submixes, classes, buses and effect presets, exports as a complete property dump. Every asset the export references is listed, so you can see what a sound actually depends on.

cfa export_audio --asset-path /Game/Audio/MS_ProceduralArp
cfa export_audio --asset-path /Game/Audio/SC_Footstep
cfa export_audio --asset-path /Game/Audio/ATT_Footstep

List creatable audio asset classes

Every audio asset class this editor can create, grouped by family: attenuation, concurrency, sound classes, mixes, submixes, buses, effect presets, dialogue, modulation and wavetables. The list is discovered from the running editor, so a class from a plugin that is switched off is simply absent rather than reported as broken.

cfa list_audio_asset_types --kind effect --filter delay

Create any audio asset by class name

Creates an audio asset of any class the editor knows: attenuation, concurrency, sound class, mix, submix, audio bus, source bus, reverb, any source or submix effect preset, dialogue, modulation and more. Properties can be set in the same call through reflection, so nothing is hardcoded per type. Almost every audio setting lives inside a struct, so use a dotted path: Concurrency.MaxCount, Attenuation.FalloffDistance. Effect presets are created without the class-picker dialog the editor would normally show. An existing asset of that name is refused rather than overwritten.

cfa create_audio_asset --class-name SoundAttenuation --name ATT_Footstep --path /Game/Audio
cfa create_audio_asset --class-name SourceEffectFilterPreset --name SFX_Filter --path /Game/Audio
cfa create_audio_asset --class-name SoundConcurrency --name CONC_Footsteps --path /Game/Audio --properties '{"Concurrency.MaxCount":4,"Concurrency.ResolutionRule":"StopOldest"}'

Identity and hierarchy of an audio asset

Reports what an asset is and how it sits in a hierarchy, including submix and sound class parents and children. Use get_asset_properties for its full property set.

cfa get_audio_asset_info --asset-path /Game/Audio/SM_Music

Re-parent a Sound Submix

Re-parents a submix through the engine's own helper, which unlinks it from its old parent and links it to the new one in a single step. Omit the parent to detach it. Endpoint submixes are always roots and cannot be parented.

cfa set_submix_parent --asset-path /Game/Audio/SM_Music --parent-path /Game/Audio/SM_Master

Re-parent a Sound Class

Re-parents a Sound Class, writing both sides of the link. Unlike submixes the engine offers no helper here, so a half-written hierarchy is a real hazard this command avoids. Omit the parent to detach it.

cfa set_sound_class_parent --asset-path /Game/Audio/SC_Music --parent-path /Game/Audio/SC_Master

Set an audio effect chain

Sets the ordered effect chain on a Sound Submix or a Source Effect Preset Chain. Pass an empty list to clear it. Presets are type checked against the chain they are going into.

cfa set_audio_effect_chain --asset-path /Game/Audio/SM_Music --effects "/Game/Audio/SFX_Reverb,/Game/Audio/SFX_EQ"