Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: mac os x vs. win for sound app (Read 5051 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

mac os x vs. win for sound app

(hi everyone)

for my license project i've chosen to develop some sort of sound related application and i'm kindly asking for opinions regarding some issues (some sort of sound related application = a simple mixing or producing software):
- mac os x or windows? i use a macbook with tiger on it (10.4.11), WMware Fusion to simulate the Microsoft env. if i should choose windows, does the fact that it's installed with the help of a virtual machine affect the way i build the application?
- tips on a developing platform that suits this subject, has some useful libraries or just makes it easier to code in this field?

the main "filter" is "making it easy" because i only have a couple of months at my disposal + obligation of attending classes in the mean time + i'm a junior. i'm not being lazy, just that it's a pretty complex subject and i dont want to waste time researching on things i wont use atm. this board has been already helpful, i found some good links and e-books on dsp and i'm starting to get into it - btw how deep should i go with the maths?

i'd appreciate any thoughts. thank you

mac os x vs. win for sound app

Reply #1 –
I have no experience with mac OSX so i can't comment on that part, other than say that usually applications would use the CoreAudio API.
There are also crossplatform libraries that you could use in windows and mac OSX without need to modify the code ( PortAudio as one ).

About using a virtual machine for windows, you'll have the following problems:

Since the soundcard is emulated, you'll have only Waveout and Directsound modes available by default. Many audio specific programs do support ASIO too, but for this you generally need soundcard drivers. There are some general-purpose ones that work with any soundcard ( Asio4All ) which would allow to make it work, although the latency won't be near as good as with a non-virtual machine.

I don't know which programming language you want to use (C++? Objective-C? Delphi?), which graphical toolkits did you have in mind ( Cocoa in Mac OSX, MFC in windows, maybe QT..? )
All that will affect your workflow, as in having to code more or less things.


Now, for the real question:  "a simple mixing or producing software" an Audacity? or a Sequencer ( cubase for example) ?  I ask this because two months (part-time) for this may either give a very simple application, or a non-functional one.

mac os x vs. win for sound app

Reply #2 –
This is a question, whose answer might, I hope, help OP.

Is it the case that an app developed for Windows on a VM on OS X will have to be very generic, in some ways (eg soundcard support), but is therefore likely to run on most conceivable Wintel machines?

mac os x vs. win for sound app

Reply #3 –
Quote from: MichaelW on
This is a question, whose answer might, I hope, help OP.

Is it the case that an app developed for Windows on a VM on OS X will have to be very generic, in some ways (eg soundcard support), but is therefore likely to run on most conceivable Wintel machines?


The virtual machine emulates specific hardware, depending on the operating system that you install, and once installed it may adds its own drivers for that emulated hardware ( vmware works this way ).

So no. The application doesn't need to be developped in any special way, because applications don't usually access to the hardware, but to API's of the operating system or extra layers ( DirectX, .NET ..)

mac os x vs. win for sound app

Reply #4 –
thank you for all the info, [JAZ]

it's going to be more like 8 months for development so i guess i'll have time to make something functional. as for the purpose of my app: sample-ing, effects, conversion or a sequencer-like soft. i'm still thinking on features, there's so much to choose from and i dont want to copy an existing software.

still open to suggestions. thanks
adina

mac os x vs. win for sound app

Reply #5 –
Quote from: adin on
thank you for all the info, [JAZ]

it's going to be more like 8 months for development so i guess i'll have time to make something functional. as for the purpose of my app: sample-ing, effects, conversion or a sequencer-like soft. i'm still thinking on features, there's so much to choose from and i dont want to copy an existing software.

still open to suggestions. thanks
adina



Mmmm... what are the requirements that you have to complete?  Concretely, do you need a complete application, or would a (group of) VST(s) be better for you?

There's a difference between implementing an application that does a concrete thing, but have to implement each part of it, and working specifically on DSP algorithms and investigate around those concepts, without the need to care about the underlying system (i.e. how audio is routed, and ultimately played). VST's (or AudioUnits in Mac, or LADSPA in linux) let you do precisely that.

mac os x vs. win for sound app

Reply #6 –
although it's a school related task, requirements for it are vague. but it needs to be a solid application so i dont believe a group of VSTs would do (not because one is easier to make than the other or anything like that). i mentioned dsp because i am not that familiar with the subject so i wasnt sure on "how much of the wheel i have to reinvent". your PortAudio link was really helpful for that matter

thank you