Mapping data and audio using an event-driven audio server for personal computers

Abstract

Recent research suggests that auditory display offers new means forobserving and differentiating complex data. One standard method forrendering an auditory display is playback of previously generated audiofiles. This method is enhanced through playback modification usingtools such as Intel's RSX. MIDI-based synthesizers provide yet anothermethod for auditory display. These methods have various drawbacksthat are pressed to the limit when confronted with the requirements ofanalogical display systems. What is needed, therefore, is a way ofrendering audio that is to auditory display what a system like OpenGL isto graphical display. Audio Rendering Engine And Library (AREAL)is a real-time audio renderer and sound synthesis software library. It offers the software developer and auditory display designer a set oftools for developing high-quality audio applications for low-cost multimediacomputers using consumer or professional audio hardware. The primarypurpose of AREAL is to enable a "model-based" approach to audio which isbecoming common on high-end (and high-cost) workstations. This papergives a brief description of this software system and its potential foruse within the auditory display community.