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> AAudio API for Pro Audio: AAudio is a new native API that's designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio. It's always seem

> AAudio API for Pro Audio: AAudio is a new native API that's designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio. It's always seemed so weird to me how terrible audio latency is... not just on android, but also on consoles (guitar hero, rockband etc), where it makes them utterly unplayable as instruments - I'm thinking mainly of the drumkits here. Yes, iPhone is better than android, but it's still not workable as an instrument. OTOH fully electronic digital instruments have been mainstream for decades. Is it because we are somehow able to accept terrible visual latency in games (recently exacerbated by network latency)? And so our systems get optimized for throughput performance (resolution, fps etc) at the cost of latency? Though the latency problem rears its ugly head again in VR. Seems to need to be sub 10-15ms, end-to-end (from human input to output), for both VR visual and audio. Anyway, I think better audio latency requires a redesign of the entire system, and it's not clear than this new API has that support behind it.

pjmlp 10y ago
I assume this API is based on the work of Samsung has done for their own private APIs. http://developer.samsung.com/galaxy/professional-audio http://developer.samsung.com/galaxy/professional-audio Last Google IO they had a session about all workarounds for improving the audio developers experience and they got Samsung on stage to talk about their SDK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZDp-eNrh4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZDp-eNrh4
emsy 10y ago
Audio latency on ios devices is less than 10 ms (iirc about 6-7 ms). It's not ideal but saying it's "not workable" is an exaggeration. Also I don't believe the latency for computing devices is worse compared to digital instruments because we accept it, but because digital instruments have always had an advantage due to their specialization.
bahndoos 10y ago
> > AAudio API for Pro Audio: AAudio is a new native API that's designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio. > It's always seemed so weird to me how terrible audio latency is... not just on android, but also on consoles (guitar hero, rockband etc), where it makes them utterly unplayable as instruments - I'm thinking mainly of the drumkits here. > Yes, iPhone is better than android, but it's still not workable as an instrument. > OTOH fully electronic digital instruments have been mainstream for decades. Is it because we are somehow able to accept terrible visual latency in games (recently exacerbated by network latency)? And so our systems get optimized for throughput performance (resolution, fps etc) at the cost of latency? Though the latency problem rears its ugly head again in VR. Seems to need to be sub 10-15ms, end-to-end (from human input to output), for both VR visual and audio. > Anyway, I think better audio latency requires a redesign of the entire system, and it's not clear than this new API has that support behind it. > > AAudio API for Pro Audio: AAudio is a new native API that's designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio. > It's always seemed so weird to me how terrible audio latency is... not just on android, but also on consoles (guitar hero, rockband etc), where it makes them utterly unplayable as instruments - I'm thinking mainly of the drumkits here. > Yes, iPhone is better than android, but it's still not workable as an instrument. > OTOH fully electronic digital instruments have been mainstream for decades. Is it because we are somehow able to accept terrible visual latency in games (recently exacerbated by network latency)? And so our systems get optimized for throughput performance (resolution, fps etc) at the cost of latency? Though the latency problem rears its ugly head again in VR. Seems to need to be sub 10-15ms, end-to-end (from human input to output), for both VR visual and audio. > Anyway, I think better audio latency requires a redesign of the entire system, and it's not clear than this new API has that support behind it. > > AAudio API for Pro Audio: AAudio is a new native API that's designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio. > It's always seemed so weird to me how terrible audio latency is... not just on android, but also on consoles (guitar hero, rockband etc), where it makes them utterly unplayable as instruments - I'm thinking mainly of the drumkits here. > Yes, iPhone is better than android, but it's still not workable as an instrument. > OTOH fully electronic digital instruments have been mainstream for decades. Is it because we are somehow able to accept terrible visual latency in games (recently exacerbated by network latency)? And so our systems get optimized for throughput performance (resolution, fps etc) at the cost of latency? Though the latency problem rears its ugly head again in VR. Seems to need to be sub 10-15ms, end-to-end (from human input to output), for both VR visual and audio. > Anyway, I think better audio latency requires a redesign of the entire system, and it's not clear than this new API has that support behind it. "iPhone is better than android" Are you comparing iPhone to the totality of Android-running devices available, or iOS to the Android OS?

pjmlp 10y ago

I assume this API is based on the work of Samsung has done for their own private APIs. http://developer.samsung.com/galaxy/professional-audio http://developer.samsung.com/galaxy/professional-audio Last Google IO they had a session about all workarounds for improving the audio developers experience and they got Samsung on stage to talk about their SDK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZDp-eNrh4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZDp-eNrh4

emsy 10y ago

Audio latency on ios devices is less than 10 ms (iirc about 6-7 ms). It's not ideal but saying it's "not workable" is an exaggeration. Also I don't believe the latency for computing devices is worse compared to digital instruments because we accept it, but because digital instruments have always had an advantage due to their specialization.

bahndoos 10y ago

> > AAudio API for Pro Audio: AAudio is a new native API that's designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio. > It's always seemed so weird to me how terrible audio latency is... not just on android, but also on consoles (guitar hero, rockband etc), where it makes them utterly unplayable as instruments - I'm thinking mainly of the drumkits here. > Yes, iPhone is better than android, but it's still not workable as an instrument. > OTOH fully electronic digital instruments have been mainstream for decades. Is it because we are somehow able to accept terrible visual latency in games (recently exacerbated by network latency)? And so our systems get optimized for throughput performance (resolution, fps etc) at the cost of latency? Though the latency problem rears its ugly head again in VR. Seems to need to be sub 10-15ms, end-to-end (from human input to output), for both VR visual and audio. > Anyway, I think better audio latency requires a redesign of the entire system, and it's not clear than this new API has that support behind it. > > AAudio API for Pro Audio: AAudio is a new native API that's designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio. > It's always seemed so weird to me how terrible audio latency is... not just on android, but also on consoles (guitar hero, rockband etc), where it makes them utterly unplayable as instruments - I'm thinking mainly of the drumkits here. > Yes, iPhone is better than android, but it's still not workable as an instrument. > OTOH fully electronic digital instruments have been mainstream for decades. Is it because we are somehow able to accept terrible visual latency in games (recently exacerbated by network latency)? And so our systems get optimized for throughput performance (resolution, fps etc) at the cost of latency? Though the latency problem rears its ugly head again in VR. Seems to need to be sub 10-15ms, end-to-end (from human input to output), for both VR visual and audio. > Anyway, I think better audio latency requires a redesign of the entire system, and it's not clear than this new API has that support behind it. > > AAudio API for Pro Audio: AAudio is a new native API that's designed specifically for apps that require high-performance, low-latency audio. > It's always seemed so weird to me how terrible audio latency is... not just on android, but also on consoles (guitar hero, rockband etc), where it makes them utterly unplayable as instruments - I'm thinking mainly of the drumkits here. > Yes, iPhone is better than android, but it's still not workable as an instrument. > OTOH fully electronic digital instruments have been mainstream for decades. Is it because we are somehow able to accept terrible visual latency in games (recently exacerbated by network latency)? And so our systems get optimized for throughput performance (resolution, fps etc) at the cost of latency? Though the latency problem rears its ugly head again in VR. Seems to need to be sub 10-15ms, end-to-end (from human input to output), for both VR visual and audio. > Anyway, I think better audio latency requires a redesign of the entire system, and it's not clear than this new API has that support behind it. "iPhone is better than android" Are you comparing iPhone to the totality of Android-running devices available, or iOS to the Android OS?