Efficient Task Scheduling in a Multithreaded Audio Engine
Algorithms and Analysis for Parallel Graph Execution
The engine of an audio application is responsible for executing tasks in a sequence that ensures prerequisites are completed before dependent tasks begin. However, computing resources are limited, even on modern, multi-core machines, and there are often more ready tasks than there are threads available to execute them. How can programs determine which tasks to assign to which threads and in what order? Are there specific challenges when it comes to scheduling tasks in real-time audio applications? How do different approaches to scheduling impact performance? This talk will address these questions and describe in particular the impact of using work-stealing queues to schedule audio processing tasks in a DAW.
Rachel Susser
Software Engineer
Ableton AG
Rachel Susser is a software engineer with over 10 years of industry experience developing real-time audio software in C++. She has worked at both the operating system and application level for companies including ROLI, Apple, and Ableton, where she is currently works on Live's audio engine. She co-coordinates the Audio Developer Meetup Berlin and is the founder of the Better Code Study Group at Ableton. Rachel is also a musician, most often seen playing flute.