Lock-free Queues in the Multiverse of Madness
Lock-free queues are the unsung heroes of audio software systems, quietly enabling ultra-low latency and thread-safe communication across a dizzying variety of scenarios. But just like navigating a multiverse, the world of lock-free queues is filled with many different variants-each with their own quirks, trade-offs, and hardware demands.
In this talk, we’ll embark on a journey through this multiverse, starting with the simplest dimension: the single-producer, single-consumer queue. We’ll uncover why lock-free designs often outshine traditional lock-based approaches in real-time audio environments, and explore various implementations along with their pros and cons.
From there, we’ll warp into more complex realities featuring single-producer, multi-consumer and multi-producer, multi-consumer queues. Along the way, we’ll tackle mind-bending concepts like memory ordering, cache coherence, and platform-specific behaviour.
By the end of this adventure, you’ll have the insight needed to confidently select and implement the perfect lock-free queue for your audio projects-no matter how mad the multiverse gets.
Dave Rowland
CTO
Tracktion/Prism
Dave Rowland is the CTO at Audio Squadron (owning brands such as Tracktion and Prism Sound), working primarily on the digital audio workstation Waveform, and the engine it runs on. David focuses on the architecture and real-time elements of the software.
In academia, David has taught on several modules at the University of the West of England on programming for audio. David has a passion for modern C++ standards and their use to improve code safety and brevity, has spoken at Meeting C++, C++ on Sea, C++ Online and is a regular speaker at the Audio Developer Conference and related monthly meetup. Past presentations: https://github.com/drowaudio/presentations/