PortAudio

by Eric Rzewnicki

PortAudio is an open-source cross-platform audio I/O library for use in real-time audio applications.

Operating system: Windows

Publisher: Eric Rzewnicki

Release : PortAudio 18.1

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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.
In order to use PortAudio, your system must meet the following technical requirements:

• Operating System: Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux
• Processor: At least a Pentium II or equivalent
• Memory: At least 128 MB of RAM
• Disk Space: At least 10 MB of free hard drive space
• Sound Card: A compatible audio device with at least 16-bit resolution
• Compiler: A C++ compiler such as GCC, Microsoft Visual C++, or Xcode
• PortAudio Library: The latest version of PortAudio, available for free download from http://www.portaudio.com/

PROS
Supports all major operating systems and most audio output technologies.
Simple API makes it very user-friendly.
Low-latency, high-performance audio processing capabilities.

CONS
It lacks high-level features compared to other audio interfaces.
API documentation is not comprehensive or user-friendly.
PortAudio often struggles with audio latency issues.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner Liam Y*******z
PortAudio is a great software for audio output. It is easy to install and configure, and it provides a good selection of audio outputs. I have used it extensively for a variety of audio projects and have found it to be reliable and intuitive. The sound quality is good and the latency is low. I have also found the documentation to be helpful when troubleshooting any issues. It is also capable of recording audio with the right setup. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with the performance of PortAudio.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner Cole C.
PortAudio is an easy-to-use software library which provides a consistent interface for real-time audio input and output across platforms. I have been using it for a couple of years and it is quite reliable and well documented. Despite this, I have found it can be quite tricky to get working in some situations. The audio latency has also been a bit of an issue for me in the past.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner Max G.
PortAudio is a free, cross-platform, open-source audio I/O library that allows developers to create audio applications that can run on multiple platforms. It supports a wide range of audio APIs, including ASIO, ALSA, Core Audio, and WASAPI, and provides a simple, yet powerful API for managing audio input and output. PortAudio also offers advanced features such as support for multi-channel I/O, sample rate conversion, and buffer management, making it a popular choice for audio developers looking to create high-quality, cross-platform audio applications.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner Joseph
Reliable, low-latency across multiple platforms, easy integration.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner Aidan
Efficient, reliable, flexible audio processing.
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