PortAudio is a cross-platform, open-source, audio I/O library. It enables programmers to write applications that record and play audio on a wide variety of platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Unix-like systems. Its code is written in C and is free for use in any application.
At its core,
PortAudio provides a simple, consistent interface for streaming audio data between applications and audio devices. It abstracts away the complexity of the underlying audio APIs and provides a consistent interface for audio playback, recording, and mixing across multiple platforms. This allows programmers to focus on the application logic and UI, rather than on the complexities of dealing with the audio APIs directly.
PortAudio is used by many applications and frameworks, including audio editors, media players, game engines, music production software, and more. It is also the audio backend used by popular frameworks such as JUCE and libpd.
Features of PortAudio:
- Cross-platform: PortAudio runs on Windows, macOS, and Unix-like systems.
- Open-source: PortAudio is open-source software, with its code available under a BSD-style license.
- Easy to use: PortAudio provides a simple, consistent interface for streaming audio data between applications and audio devices.
- Scalable: PortAudio supports a wide range of audio formats, sample rates, and channel counts.
- Flexible: PortAudio provides a range of advanced features, such as loopback recording, real-time audio effects, and more.
- Widely used: PortAudio is used by many applications and frameworks, including JUCE and libpd.
PortAudio is designed to be easily extensible, allowing developers to add new features and capabilities. Its modular design allows for a wide range of audio processing tasks to be easily implemented. It also provides a robust set of APIs for integrating with existing audio frameworks.
PortAudio also provides support for low-latency audio. It is designed to provide deterministic behavior and low-latency audio processing. This allows for more responsive and interactive audio applications, such as real-time music production and gaming.
Overall, PortAudio is a powerful and versatile audio I/O library. It provides a simple, consistent interface for audio playback, recording, and mixing across multiple platforms. It is used by many popular applications and frameworks, and its extensible design allows for a wide range of audio processing tasks. It is also designed for low-latency audio, allowing for more responsive and interactive audio applications.
PortAudio provides a cross-platform, consistent API for accessing audio devices on a wide range of operating systems.