Re: [Algorithms] Spherical harmonics for room acoustic modelling

[Oscar F. <os...@tr...>]

>
> You can calculate the impulse response of any environment analytically
> these days.
> The main problem is that it's really computationally expensive to apply a
> very long convolution response to all sound.
> Creative tried 10-15 years ago to drive up the compute power for sound,
> with the Live! series (based on E-mu DSPs) and the (somewhat finicky) EAX
> API.
> Another company, called Aureal, actually went a step further, and allowed
> you to specify a crude representation of your geometry, but they died before
> they could get mainstream traction.
> However, what actually happened was that nobody cared, and sound is now
> just a 50 cent DAC hooked to a raw DMA engine on the south bridge of the
> motherboard, so any processing has to use that precious resource, the
> very-expensive general-purpose core CPU.
>

This is a real shame because good sound REALLY enhances the sense of
immersion in any game. Echoes in a valley for example.

I guess the problem is that I've taken a 2.5 year hiatus from games dev and
have been working on hardcore audio processing algorithms.  As a result
whenever I play a game now I'm ACUTELY aware of just how badly wrong things
sound.  Its either hugely exaggerated or just plain wrong.


> Good luck telling your AI, rendering and physics people that you'd like 1/4
> the CPU power for applying audio effects :-(
>

hehehe ... I was more thinking about 1/4 of the GPU power as I'd have doubts
you'd get good enough response time on CPU alone ...