[linux-audio-dev] API for Input / Output plugins

J_Zar romaninz at aruba.it
Tue May 11 21:28:48 UTC 2004


Hi all,

	the reason of this mail is searching for opinions about an API for input / 
output plugins.

	Besides I see around the LADSPA API for sound processing but nothing similar 
for input / output.

	From some months I'm playing around with audio I/O libraries: I met too much 
libraries but no one really complete satisfacting my needs( thinking to 
latency and other advanced issues having on djing programs as an example). 
Not talking about driver complete support: PortAudio does not support ALSA, 
libao does not support Win,MacOsX and so on...

	Playing with plugins about some program I had another problem: I played with 
Alsaplayer ( very nice and powerful program! ) trying to reuse its plugins. I 
found although, that using them means including ( with hardcode ) lot of the 
Alsaplayer code. I played with Xmms too: this time the work is easier and 
there are all sort of plugins but mostly are thinked for merely playback 
withouth latency control... ;-(

	However, what about writing an advanced API for I/O plugins, completely 
detached from other programs ( as Xmms ), potentially multiplatform, to suit 
the needs of the big part of audio programs? I mean, a plugin written for a 
certain API ( i.e. ALSA, OSS, Jack, OsX etc... ) will be usable for all other 
applications with all advantages of a plugin architecture and standard 
code... Input plugins are important too: I see lot of apps rewriting 
continuosly Ogg, Mp3 or Wav support in any kind of flavour, but not always 
reusable code.  About writing it once for all?

	I wanna know: there are people interested in this? My discussion is out of 
any order, not clever, low level? There is disadvatages on this idea? 
Suggestions?

	If there is a reason: Plugin API For Input Output ( PAFAIO ) sounds well???

	Hoping in some answers....   Cheers,

-- 


             J_Zar
        Gianluca Romanin
        ----------------
      see you at OpenJay.Org




More information about the Linux-audio-dev mailing list