RE: Web Audio API is now available in Chrome

Excellent response, Chris. 
Thanks.
 
- TW


  _____  

From: Chris Rogers [mailto:crogers@google.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 11:54 AM
To: Tom White (MMA)
Cc: public-xg-audio@w3.org
Subject: 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/specifi
cation.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 ;)