Subject: [linux-audio-dev] Re: [alsa-devel] laaga, round 2
From: Paul Davis (pbd_AT_Op.Net)
Date: Tue May 08 2001 - 17:15:22 EEST
>Objectives:
>-----------
>- integration/interconnection of audio components and audio applications
>- reuse of audio components
>- API number reduction
>- lowest latency and maximum efficiency
>- write applications that treat *all* audio components as black boxes
>with well known API
[ ... ]
>BTW Can we cease to use LAAGA acronyms or better too, can you confirm
>that LAAGA is something related to objectives I've written above?
>My interest is only a modular architecture aimed to object (plugins,
>gui, scopes, components, etc.) reusal and well defined connectivity.
Well, yes and no. As I've mentioned previously, I think that most
people here see LADSPA as the key to "small component" reuse. That is,
for things like:
* channel swapping
* reverb
* phasers
* ambisonic encoding
* EQ
* delay
the answer is a LADSPA plugin, which has the simplest API imaginable,
and other than minor problems with a few details, it seems to be
working out quite well as a way to write generic DSP code for Linux
audio applications. we have at least a half-dozen apps supporting
them, and on the order of 50-100 plugins (mostly thanks to 2 people).
LAAGA is aimed at integrating larger objects than LADSPA is, though in
theory either design could work reasonably well at the other "level".
So, to restate the objectives of LAAGA as I understand them:
- integration/interconnection of audio *applications*
- appropriate API
- lowest latency and maximum efficiency
Things that are not goals for me:
- API number reduction
* here, I side with Steinberg, Emagic and others who
have concluded that its better to use API's tailored
for specific tasks. In their case, ASIO for interacting
with hardware, VST for connecting DSP plugins and instruments,
ReWire for connecting applications.
- treating *all* components as black boxes with a well-known API
* as above.
So my own vision is a sort of parallel to Steinberg's:
ALSA PCM API <-> ASIO
LADSPA <-> VST
LAAGA <-> ReWire
I think its quite to legitimate to ask "can one API do the work of all
3?", but I haven't seen anything to convince me that its a good
idea, or even feasible.
--p
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Tue May 08 2001 - 17:38:01 EEST