Author: digitalmedium1

Fast Audio Thread Synchronization for GPU Data – Evan Mezeske – ADC23

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

Join Us For ADC24 - Bristol - 11-13 November 2024
More Info: https://audio.dev/
@audiodevcon​

Fast Audio Thread Synchronization for GPU Data - Evan Mezeske - ADC 2023

While building my GPU-based physics simulation instrument Anukari (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUO6iMcbao4), I had to solve a number of significant challenges, and I'll explain my solutions in this talk. The talk is not about Anukari per se; rather it's about some of the interesting solutions I developed as part of building it.

One challenge had to do with synchronizing the Anukari's data model from the GUI thread to the audio thread. Anukari models arbitrary networks of masses and springs, and can simulate close to a thousand masses and many thousands of springs. This data model is thus rather large, and it was nontrivial to provide model updates from the GUI to the audio thread. I designed a reliable wait-free approach that works without mutexes, without memory allocation, has support for transactions, and with minimal data transfer between threads. I will discuss a few technologies that I used together, including wait-free SPSC queues, the difference between wait-free and lock-free algorithms, reasons for avoiding mutexes and memory allocations, and custom data structures for avoiding memory allocations.

Another challenge was in regards to running GPU physics simulations at audio sample rates (48kHz). Memory bandwidth was a major issue, as well as kernel execution latency and cross-GPU-thread synchronization. I will discuss the OpenCL language and its limitations, the approaches I used to deal with OpenCL kernel execution latency, and the on-GPU thread synchronization, and memory optimizations..

And, of course, I will show how all of this ties together into a reliable system for synchronizing the GUI and audio threads with no waits, despite a large data model and compute-intensive physics simulation.

Prerequisite(s): Familiarity with C++ programming Familiarity with thread synchronization primitives like mutexes.
_

Evan Mezeske

Evan Mezeske is a software engineer and amateur musician based out of Arizona, USA. He spent the last 10 years working as a senior engineering leader on large-scale distributed systems at Google before defecting in early 2023 to found his music software company, Anukari Music. Anukari's upcoming eponymous flagship product will allow users to construct 3D arbitrary models of springs and masses and to manipulate them in real time to produce music, sound effects, and audio filters (https://www.youtube.com/@anukarimusic). Primarily a jazz guitarist, Evan also plays keyboards, produces electronic music, and enjoys learning obscure musical instruments (such as the two-chamber Peruvian Ocarina). Anyone interested in learning more about Anukari is encouraged to join Anukari's Discord server! https://discord.gg/ywwYfhGbDp
_

Streamed & Edited by Digital Medium Ltd: https://online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC23 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper
Jonathan Roper
Prashant Mishra

#adc #cppprogramming #dsp #audio

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , , ,

The Architecture of Digital Audio Workstations (& Other Time-Based Media Software) – Ilias Bergström

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

https://audio.dev/ -- @audiodevcon​

The Architecture of Digital Audio Workstations (and Other Time-Based Media Software) - Ilias Bergström - ADC23

The ADC community has produced a wonderful wealth of material on audio software development!

But there is a relative dearth on the big picture of how all these coding techniques, practices, strategies, and design patterns, can interrelate, giving rise to the complex beast that is a modern Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).

While there are some open-source DAWs to study, there is little material on their architecture, apart from the source code itself - with the main exception being the (GUI-less) Tracktion engine of course.

Although implicit / emergent architecture may be sufficient for small to medium size codebases, a large codebase such as a DAW demands deliberate attention to design.

We present the low-level design patterns for the DAW engine and presentation layers, the UI/UX design patterns these interrelate to, and the architectural design patterns for the complete system. Crucially, the main emphasis of our talk is not the details of the above, but how they all together define a modern DAW.

We then present the challenges faced in defining such an architecture to satisfy the specific Attributes of a DAW - e.g. a non-destructively alterable model, and the real-time constraints that necessitate lock-free communication between threads. We discuss the compromises needed to satisfy such conflicting needs, and some future challenges presented, as the software category evolves into the future, e.g. with MIDI 2.0 around the corner.

While we concentrate on DAWs, much of this discussion also generalises to the broader category of Time-Based Media software.

The presentation is grounded in two DAW-like applications we have developed: one is a desktop application with a GUI, and the other is a "headless" embedded DAW, with a separately executed GUI application. They are both very different, each lacking central features that the other has. But together, and even more so through their differences, they serve as great illustrations of the concepts we present.

This subject area is vast, and a review of every topic and technique is impossible in the scope of a single talk. We give a good introductory overview, hopefully laying a foundation for further learning and knowledge dissemination in the community.

Link to Slides: https://data.audio.dev/talks/2023/the-architecture-of-daws/slides.pdf
_

Ilias Bergström

Senior Software Engineer, ElkComputer Scientist, Researcher, Interaction Designer, Musician, with a love for all music but specially live performance. I've worked on developing several applications for live music, audiovisual performance, and use by experts, mainly using C++. I get very excited whenever anybody mentions "control data" in my vicinity!
_

Streamed & Edited by Digital Medium Ltd: https://online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC23 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper
Jonathan Roper
Prashant Mishra

#adc #daw #dsp #audio

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , , ,

The Current State of Spatial Audio Tools and Formats – Guillaume Le Nost & Olivier Petit – ADC23

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

https://audio.dev/ -- @audiodevcon​

The Current State of Spatial Audio Tools and Formats - Guillaume Le Nost & Olivier Petit - ADC 2023

In the past few years, “spatial audio” (or rather object-based audio) has made its way from the movie theatre to the home cinema and is now reaching about a 100 million potential pairs of ears through major streaming services. For artists, space is a whole new creative dimension they can start exploring, but creative-focused tools are currently lacking. For mixing engineers, 3D panning is a new tool joining EQ and compression to achieve their goal: a clear mix where each element has its own place and contributes to a great overall result. Mastering engineers are facing unique challenges as on-device rendering of spatial audio makes it extremely difficult to control the final result.

In this talk we will look at the tools and formats currently available for music production, mixing in the studio or mixing for a live show. This includes DAWs, media engines, live renderers. We will focus on their specificities, the challenges for interoperability, as well as the missing bricks required to enable smoother and more enjoyable workflows.

Link to Slides: https://data.audio.dev/talks/2023/industry-standards/slides.pptx
_

Guillaume Le Nost

Shaping the future of live sound with immersive audio technologies and innovative Sound Experiences. Interests in spatial audio, object-based audio, creative technologies, music technology and live sound. Keen musician (flute, bass, piano).
_

Olivier Petit

After an MSc in Integrated Circuit design, I have joined the Creative Technologies department of L-Acoustics in 2018 as a C++ software engineer. I have been taking an active part in developing innovative technologies to bring immersive audio to live performances, striving to better connect the artists with their audiences. I love the challenge of deploying audio solutions at large scales with high sound quality and (of course) reliability. Making sure our products are as intuitive and easy to use is also a priority for me. Unlike most of my peers I don’t play any instrument, I love climbing though!
_

Streamed & Edited by Digital Medium Ltd: https://online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC23 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper
Jonathan Roper
Prashant Mishra

#adc #dsp #audio #spatialaudio

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , , ,

Unlock Your Audio Processing Superpowers With Rest API – Baptiste Vericel & Alexandre Louiset – ADC23

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

https://audio.dev/ -- @audiodevcon​

Unlock Your Audio Processing Superpowers With Rest API - Baptiste Vericel & Alexandre Louiset - ADC 2023

For any audio feature you need to implement in your product, API integration will grant you limitless capabilities, with numerous advantages (low code, fast deployment, scalable). During this talk we'll highlight the key concepts of Rest APIs for audio processing, its relevancy and benefits for any type of audio software and app development workflows, through a groundbreaking demo, showcasing best-in-class technologies straight from IRCAM lab we’re aiming at making accessible.
_

Baptiste Vericel

With a background in acoustics and signal processing (ENSEA, IRCAM), he has worked with a number of companies (Arkamys, Devialet) for more than a decade as a signal processing and electroacoustics engineer. Passionate about audio and live music, he set up his own podcasting company.
_

Alexandre Louiset

Alexandre is on a mission to make the IRCAM sound research technology resonate and unlock new territories for the pro audio community.
_

Streamed & Edited by Digital Medium Ltd: https://online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC23 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper
Jonathan Roper
Prashant Mishra

#adc #audiodev #dsp #audio

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , , ,

Building a Music Assessment Engine: Requirements, Challenges, and Solutions – Martin Gasser – ADC23

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

https://audio.dev/ -- @audiodevcon​

Building a Music Assessment Engine: Requirements, Challenges, and Solutions - Martin Gasser - ADC23

Automatic music assessment systems have become an integral part of music (self-)education in recent years, with systems like Yousician, Smart Music, and MuseClass gaining widespread attention. In this talk, Martin Gasser will share an overview of the requirements of a music assessment system — both from a musical and a technical point of view. Technical limitations in low-resource environments like smartphones will be discussed. Solution approaches will also be described, and Martin will briefly demonstrate the performance of Muse Group's new music assessment system on real-life data.
_

Martin Gasser

Martin Gasser is a Senior Developer at Muse Group. Formerly a leading researcher in the field of Machine Learning & Music at the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Martin has years of expertise in AI, musical software development, hacking C++, and more. Full bio: https://martingasser.com/bio/
_

Streamed & Edited by Digital Medium Ltd: https://online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC23 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper
Jonathan Roper
Prashant Mishra

#adc #audiodev #ai #audio

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , ,

Music Hack Day India Winner Presentations – ADCx India 2024

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

Join Us For ADC24 - Bristol - 11-13 November 2024
More Info: https://audio.dev/
@audiodevcon​

Music Hack Day India Winner Presentations - - ADC 2023

Music Hack Day India is a gathering of researchers, developers, creative coders, musicians, makers, engineers, audiophiles and more. It was hosted on 5th & 6th Jan 2024, preceding ADCx India and included many interesting hacks from the participants.

The winners of the hackathon were invited to present their idea on the ADCx India platform.

Inspira - A Tool for Musical Inspiration

Chordeezy - Complex chord generation made simple

Fly by Ear - An Audio Game Accessible to People with Visual Impairments

Link to Slides:

https://data.audio.dev/talks/ADCxIndia/2024/music-hack-day-india-inspira.pdf
https://data.audio.dev/talks/ADCxIndia/2024/music-hack-day-india-chordeezy.pdf
https://data.audio.dev/talks/ADCxIndia/2024/music-hack-day-india-fly-by-ear.pdf
_

Edited by Digital Medium Ltd - online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC24 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Prashant Mishra

#adc #dsp #audio #audiotech #audiotechnology

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , ,

Singing Synthesis Beyond Human-Level Naturalness: Not What You Think – Kanru Hua – ADC23

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

https://audio.dev/ -- @audiodevcon​

Singing Synthesis Beyond Human-Level Naturalness: Not What You Think - Kanru Hua - ADC 2023

Achieving human-level naturalness is often viewed as the pinnacle of vocal synthesis research. While recent advances in Text-to-Speech (TTS) using deep generative models has reported subjective ratings comparable to human speech, singing synthesis hasn't reached this milestone. In this presentation, we showcase a singing synthesis system that, intriguingly, exceeds raw recordings in comparative mean opinion score tests—with statistical significance. However, as we delve deeper, we highlight the subtle but crucial differences between true human parity and competitive ratings in subjective tests, challenging our understanding of “naturalness” in this domain. We will also unpack the complexities of subjective quality evaluation, the unique challenges posed by singing versus speech, and shed light on the implications these findings hold for future designs of singing synthesis systems.

Link to Slides:
_

Kanru Hua

Kanru Hua founded Dreamtonics (developer of Synthesizer V) in 2019, after dropping out of University of Illinois. A self-taught programmer and researcher, Kanru has been focusing on bridging speech signal processing algorithms with the latest advances in generative models, as well as addressing the production challenges of deploying neural networks for audio processing. He was nominated for Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30 in 2022.
_

Streamed & Edited by Digital Medium Ltd: https://online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC23 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper
Jonathan Roper
Prashant Mishra

#adc #audiodev #dsp #audio #audiotech

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , ,

Diversity in Music Technology: Diversity Initiatives and Insights From Music Information Retrieval – by Blair Kaneshiro

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

Join Us For ADC24 - Bristol - 11-13 November 2024
More Info: https://audio.dev/
@audiodevcon​

Diversity in Music Technology: Diversity Initiatives and Insights From Music Information Retrieval - Blair Kaneshiro - ADC23

Like many STEM fields, music technology faces challenges attracting and retaining diverse community members. Since 2011, the International Society for Music Information Retrieval (ISMIR) and Women in Music Information Retrieval (WiMIR) communities have sought to address this issue through a series of initiatives – ranging from financial support to attend ISMIR conferences to workshop events and mentorship – that were launched to promote opportunities for women in the field. In this talk I will discuss the initiatives: Their motivation and formation, complementary aims, success factors, and evolution toward supporting a broader range of underrepresented groups. I will conclude with a set of insights that may inform the design of diversity initiatives in other music technology communities.

Link to Slides: https://data.audio.dev/talks/2023/diversity-in-music-technology/slides.pdf
_

Blair Kaneshiro

Director of Research & Development, Stanford University
_

Streamed & Edited by Digital Medium Ltd: https://online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC23 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper
Jonathan Roper
Prashant Mishra

#adc #audio #diversity #diversityintech #ismir

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , ,

ORCA Livecoding Soundscape for Theatre – by @[email protected] – ADCx India 2024

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

Join Us For ADC24 - Bristol - 11-13 November 2024
More Info: https://audio.dev/
@audiodevcon​

ORCA Livecoding Soundscape for Theatre - Padmanabhan J - ADCx India 2024

ORCA, an esoteric language developed by Hundred Rabbits, provides a dynamic live coding environment for users to spontaneously create generative music. This programming tool operates within the realm of a base-36 system, accompanied by 8 distinct special character functions, making it accessible and adaptable for coders and musicians alike. The design and underlying philosophy behind ORCA open new horizons in exploring programming languages as a compelling alternative to traditional musical notation and composition. In this presentation, we delve into the intriguing world of ORCA, its principles, and its potential to reshape how we conceive and create music.
_

Edited by Digital Medium Ltd - online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC24 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Prashant Mishra

#adc #audiodev #audio #generativemusic #audiotechnology

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , ,

Collaborative Songwriting & Production With Symbolic Generative AI – Sadie Allen & Anirudh Mani – ADC23

  • Lobby
  • Author Archives: digitalmedium1

https://audio.dev/ -- @audiodevcon​

Collaborative Songwriting and Production With Symbolic Generative AI - Sadie Allen & Anirudh Mani - ADC23

Generative AI has experienced remarkable advancements in various domains, including audio and music. However, despite these breakthroughs, we have yet to reach a stage where musicians can seamlessly incorporate generative AI into their creative processes. In this talk, we will delve into the techniques, proposals, and ongoing work that can facilitate collaborative songwriting and production with machine learning.

During the session, we will explore several key topics:
• Overview of existing tools and models - we will discuss the motivations behind symbolic generation versus raw audio for music production applications. Furthermore, we will highlight the contrasting approaches and techniques that aim to augment the creative process rather than replace it entirely.
• Utilization of AI-generated MIDI as a songwriting tool - this will involve examining different ML architectures for conditional MIDI generation, as well as employing reinforcement learning (RL) to generate MIDI sequences.
• Examples showcasing how speakers and other musicians currently utilize AI-generated MIDI as part of their songwriting/production process.

Attendees will gain insights into cutting-edge techniques and research, paving the way for a future where generative AI becomes an integral part of the creative process for musicians.

Link to Slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15qYW-SbgmodMZ_wiMKKvH8pXmrDCZQpY/view?usp=sharing
_

Sadie Allen
_

Anirudh Mani

I build creative AI tools for artists.I am the co-founder of Lemonaide Music. https://www.lemonaide.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudh-mani-1796934b/ https://twitter.com/anirudh3
_

Streamed & Edited by Digital Medium Ltd: https://online.digital-medium.co.uk
_

Organized and produced by JUCE: https://juce.com/
_

Special thanks to the ADC23 Team:

Sophie Carus
Derek Heimlich
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper
Jonathan Roper
Prashant Mishra

#adc #ai #dsp #audio #generativeai

Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: , , , ,