Pros of libsoundio

• Cross-platform support: libsoundio provides a cross-platform API, allowing developers to write audio applications that work on multiple operating systems.
• Low-level access: libsoundio offers a low-level interface to the underlying audio system, giving developers more control and flexibility.
• Asynchronous I/O: libsoundio supports asynchronous I/O, which can be beneficial for real-time audio applications.

Cons of libsoundio

• Smaller community: OpenAL-Soft has a larger community and more widespread adoption compared to libsoundio.
• Limited documentation: The documentation for libsoundio may not be as comprehensive as that of OpenAL-Soft.
• Fewer features: OpenAL-Soft provides a more feature-rich set of capabilities, such as support for 3D audio and HRTF processing.

Code Comparison

Here's a brief code comparison between OpenAL-Soft and libsoundio:

OpenAL-Soft (kcat/openal-soft):

ALCdevice *device = alcOpenDevice(NULL);
ALCcontext *context = alcCreateContext(device, NULL);
alcMakeContextCurrent(context);

ALuint source;
alGenSources(1, &source);
alSourcef(source, AL_PITCH, 1.0f);
alSourcef(source, AL_GAIN, 1.0f);
alSource3f(source, AL_POSITION, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
alSource3f(source, AL_VELOCITY, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
alSourcei(source, AL_BUFFER, buffer);
alSourcePlay(source);

libsoundio (andrewrk/libsoundio):

struct SoundIoOutStream *outstream;
soundio_outstream_open(outstream);
soundio_outstream_start(outstream);

int frame_count = 1024;
float **frames = malloc(sizeof(float *) * outstream->layout.channel_count);
for (int i = 0; i < outstream->layout.channel_count; i++) {
    frames[i] = malloc(sizeof(float) * frame_count);
}

soundio_outstream_begin_write(outstream, &frames, &frame_count);
soundio_outstream_end_write(outstream);

Pros of rtaudio

• Supports a wide range of audio APIs, including ASIO, JACK, CoreAudio, and more, making it more versatile than OpenAL-Soft.
• Provides a simple and consistent API for cross-platform audio programming.
• Actively maintained with regular updates and bug fixes.

Cons of rtaudio

• Smaller community and fewer resources compared to the larger OpenAL-Soft project.
• May have fewer features and optimizations compared to the more specialized OpenAL-Soft library.
• Requires more manual configuration and setup compared to the more plug-and-play nature of OpenAL-Soft.

Code Comparison

OpenAL-Soft (kcat/openal-soft):

ALCdevice *device = alcOpenDevice(NULL);
ALCcontext *context = alcCreateContext(device, NULL);
alcMakeContextCurrent(context);

alGenSources(1, &source);
alSourcef(source, AL_PITCH, 1.0f);
alSourcef(source, AL_GAIN, 1.0f);
alSource3f(source, AL_POSITION, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
alSource3f(source, AL_VELOCITY, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
alSourcei(source, AL_BUFFER, buffer);

rtaudio (thestk/rtaudio):

RtAudio audio;
if (audio.getDeviceCount() < 1) {
    std::cout << "No audio devices found!" << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

RtAudio::StreamParameters parameters;
parameters.deviceId = audio.getDefaultOutputDevice();
parameters.nChannels = 2;
parameters.firstChannel = 0;

audio.openStream(&parameters, NULL, RTAUDIO_FLOAT32, 44100, &bufferSize, &callback, (void*)&data);
audio.startStream();

Pros of miniaudio

• Simplicity: miniaudio is a single-file audio library, making it easy to integrate into projects without the overhead of a larger library.
• Cross-platform: miniaudio supports a wide range of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and embedded systems.
• Flexibility: miniaudio provides a simple and flexible API that allows developers to easily customize the library to their specific needs.

Cons of miniaudio

• Limited features: Compared to OpenAL-soft, miniaudio has a more limited set of features, such as fewer audio file format support and less advanced audio processing capabilities.
• Smaller community: OpenAL-soft has a larger and more active community, which can mean more support, documentation, and third-party integrations.
• Potential performance trade-offs: The simplicity and single-file design of miniaudio may come with some performance trade-offs compared to a more comprehensive library like OpenAL-soft.

Code Comparison

OpenAL-soft (kcat/openal-soft):

ALCdevice *device = alcOpenDevice(NULL);
ALCcontext *context = alcCreateContext(device, NULL);
alcMakeContextCurrent(context);

ALuint source;
alGenSources(1, &source);
alSourcef(source, AL_PITCH, 1.0f);
alSourcef(source, AL_GAIN, 1.0f);
alSource3f(source, AL_POSITION, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
alSource3f(source, AL_VELOCITY, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
alSourcei(source, AL_BUFFER, buffer);
alSourcePlay(source);

miniaudio (mackron/miniaudio):

ma_device_config config = ma_device_config_init(ma_device_type_playback);
config.playback.format   = ma_format_f32;
config.playback.channels = 2;
config.sampleRate        = 44100;
ma_device device;
ma_device_init(NULL, &config, &device);
ma_device_start(&device);

ma_pcm_frames_t frames = ma_data_source_read_pcm_frames(data_source, buffer, 1024);
ma_device_write(&device, buffer, frames);

Pros of SDL

• SDL provides a comprehensive set of APIs for various multimedia tasks, including window management, input handling, and audio/video playback.
• SDL has a large and active community, with extensive documentation and a wide range of third-party libraries and tools available.
• SDL is cross-platform, supporting a variety of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Cons of SDL

• SDL can have a steeper learning curve compared to OpenAL-Soft, especially for developers who are new to game development or multimedia programming.
• SDL may have a larger memory footprint and higher resource requirements compared to OpenAL-Soft, which is more focused on audio-specific tasks.

Code Comparison

OpenAL-Soft (kcat/openal-soft):

ALCdevice *device;
ALCcontext *context;

device = alcOpenDevice(NULL);
context = alcCreateContext(device, NULL);
alcMakeContextCurrent(context);

// Set up audio sources and buffers
alGenSources(1, &source);
alGenBuffers(1, &buffer);
alBufferData(buffer, AL_FORMAT_MONO16, audio_data, audio_size, sample_rate);
alSourcei(source, AL_BUFFER, buffer);

SDL (libsdl-org/SDL):

SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_AUDIO);
SDL_AudioSpec want, have;
SDL_AudioDeviceID dev;

want.freq = 44100;
want.format = AUDIO_S16SYS;
want.channels = 2;
want.samples = 2048;
want.callback = my_audio_callback;
want.userdata = NULL;

dev = SDL_OpenAudioDevice(NULL, 0, &want, &have, 0);
SDL_PauseAudioDevice(dev, 0);