Sound for OpenB3D using openAL

Started by angros47, October 24, 2019, 23:56:57

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Derron

NG might get its soloud.mod updated - it has 3d positional audio, audio streams, ... maybe it can replace freeaudio.mod later on


bye
Ron


Derron

OpenAL is not default installed on all linux desktops - maybe it even cannot get installed.
(Soft)-OpenAL requires a .dll to ship with your binary - not everyone likes that. Exception is if your application is LGPL(compatible) too - means source available etc.

Not everyone wants to use that then. For our purposes (NG-platforms, 3D audio, streaming) SoLoud sounds promising - and more lightweight than OpenAL. Aside of thaet: At the end people use what is offered and "works".


bye
Ron

angros47

#18
OpenAL provides some effects that are useful for reverberation, I can't see anything equivalent in soLoud.

Also, how is soLoud 3D audio compared to openAL? A complete 3d sound should implement not just appropriate panning between left and right channel, but also phase difference, and filtering to simulate the distortion of outer ear, that allows to tell if the sound source is in front, or behind the listener. This is called Head Related Transfer Function (HTRF), and it's used in realistic binaural sound. Also, a 3d sound system should be able to support more than two channels, if available (for Dolby surround, for example).

According to documentation, soLoud for the 3d sound is able to support multiple channels, but cannot do HTRF, nor surround:
https://sol.gfxile.net/soloud/soloud_20150512.html#can-soloud-do-hrtf

True 3D sound should be an abstraction: one would set listener and source 3d coordinates, and the system would produce the most realistic sound using the available output: binaural if on headphones, surround if more than two speakers are available, and so on. OpenAL supports stereo, binaural and surround sound, soLoud supports only stereo at the moment.

(although the most recent manual states that surround is now supported)