Re: Web Audio API is now available in Chrome

Hi Tom,

They are different API proposals.  The "Web Audio API" which I just wrote
about is described here:
http://chromium.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/samples/audio/specification/specification.html

Mozilla's proposal is called the "Audio Data API":
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Audio_Data_API

There has been a fair amount of discussion about the two approaches on this
list.  Here is my comparison:

Web Audio API
* implementations in WebKit - Google Chrome (Mac OS X only, but Windows and
Linux soon), Apple Safari
* high-level API - easy to do simple things like play sound now
* API is modular and scalable
* allows for the lowest possible latency - time between, for example, key
and mouse events and a sound being heard
* most of the implementation is in optimized assembly / C / C++ for
efficiency, so more can be done without bogging down the system
* more resistant to audio glitches / dropouts
* superset of Audio Data API functionality
* more advanced audio capabilities

Audio Data API
* implementation in Mozilla Firefox (Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux)
* low-level API - requires writing JavaScript code to render audio one
sample at a time - requires low-level knowledge of audio to use
* API is monolithic and "ad hoc"
* all audio processing is done in JavaScript which although fast enough for
some applications is too slow for others
* has difficultly reliably achieving low-latency, thus there's a delay heard
between mouse / key events and sounds being heard
* more prone to audio glitches / dropouts
* more limited audio capabilities

Chris


On Tue, Feb 1, 2011 at 11:14 AM, Tom White (MMA) <lists@midi.org> wrote:

>  So, for those who are interested in standards...
> Are the "Web Audio API" and the "Audio Data API" the same?
> And if not, how are they different?
> Or doesn't it matter?
>
> - TW
>
>  ------------------------------
>  Yes Olli, this is a good point. More information and examples on the
> Audio Data API (the cross-platform Firefox4 audio implementation) can be
> found here: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Audio_Data_API
>
>  <https://wiki.mozilla.org/Audio_Data_API>In case this is not clear to
> anybody, the Audio Group are currently in Incubation mode at the W3C, and
> all the specs to this point are, by nature: "suggestions". I am excited that
> we have browser developers so far ahead in implementing their ideas already,
> this puts us in a great strategic position for the future, as we can already
> begin to identify what works, how people will use the API, and so on.
>
> I am looking forward to seeing the Webkit API land cross-platform, as it
> will allow for greater community based research/feedback that can be
> utilized in the coming Audio Working Group / official Audio Spec. of the
> future.
>
> I would be particularly interested to talk to those in the wider proximity
> of the group, who would be interested in working with both existing vendor
> implementations/specs to write reviews/guides or simply collect their
> thoughts on the work thus far. If that sounds like you, please get in touch.
>
>  -- Al
>
> On Tue, Feb 1, 2011 at 11:17 AM, Olli Pettay <Olli.Pettay@helsinki.fi>wrote:
>
>> On 02/01/2011 02:03 AM, Chris Rogers wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Everybody,
>>>
>>> I'd like to announce that Google Chrome now supports the Web Audio API.
>>>
>>
>> I could remind that the other web audio API is available
>> in Firefox 4 ;)
>
>