Overview
Unreal Engine contains a “Quartz” subsystem specifically designed for tying gameplay events to background audio and vice versa, without any timing hitches.
Considering soundtrack programming/implementation one of the most underrated aspects of game development and having never used such a system before, I decided to dive into a 2-week research using the system and creating a simple prototype.
Key features
Gameplay-based music
Music is tied to player actions. The faster you go, the more layers are added to the background music. Game over results in a quick fadeout. Progression to the next music section is done only at the next most applicable time (bar or beat).
Music-based gameplay
Major gameplay elements and obstacles animate according to the rhythm of the music.