OpenAL Soft

[mamelicious]

Hi

Why is not OpenAL Soft chosen for the new audio system because this one is cross platform and supports WASAPI, PipeWire, ...
So why is chosen to use specific APIs on each platform instead of using this library that makes it easier ?

https://openal-soft.org/

https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft

[rb6502]

We already support PortAudio and SDL for cross-platform. We're trying to lean more into leveraging the good stuff on each platform though, so we have direct WASAPI on Windows, direct PipeWire on Linux, and direct CoreAudio on macOS.

[mamelicious]

I don't see anything that is possible in one platform's API which is not possible in another platform's API (since they all do +/- the same) and don't understand the HUGE maintainance needed for 3 different APIs.
Can you give an example what specific things the individual APIs give over the old PortAudio/SDL?

IMHO you are just recreating something like OpenAl Soft which already exists.
I think the focus in MAME is not writing a new audio library but improving the emulation.

And what about the testing of all this? There is only an official windows build of MAME, no Linux or MacOS one.
So it will probably generate a ton of problems specific for each platform.
I hope I'm wrong !

I also hope the old sound system will not be removed (as in 'never') to have a system that always works.

[mamelicious]

Are there already docs on how to switch between the old and new sound system? Or can you tell me how to do this?
Is it done in mame.ini ?

[galibert]

We didn't keep the old one. In the just-arrived current release you have the new system only.

[galibert]

So, I looked at OpenAl. It's... sad.

The problems I see:

• device enumeration is only through a non-standard extension (amusingly, the standard extension is not able to enumerate all devices) which may or may not be here
• more than two channels in only through a non-standard extension, is extremely limited in formats, and is not for input. Hint, my synth sends 32 channels of input over usb.
• no hotplug. We're in 2025, almost everybody uses bluetooth headsets, almost everybody connects usb audio interfaces.
• continuous streaming seems barely supported. It's really designed to play individual samples.
• no threading considerations. What you can do, what you can't? Undocumented
• no provisions for external volume control or routing control feedback

IOW, it's an interface from 2007 and it shows. I don't want the new mame sound support to be obsolete on arrival.

[mamelicious]

Got it! I must change my opinion after reading and TRASH my discussion ;-)