[wdmaudiodev] Re: Multi-channel audio USB driver development
- From: "Daire O'Neill" <oneill.daire@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <wdmaudiodev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2010 21:42:28 +0900
Hi Tim, many thanks for your reply.
>
>> ASIO also operates like this for low-latency, does this mean that ASIO
>> is essentially an audio driver that follows the WDM-KS format?
>
> Well, not really. ASIO is mostly a user-mode framework. It allows
> applications to bypass the intermediate layers and talk directly to the
> manufacturer's audio driver, much like DirectKS. An ASIO "driver" is a
> (thin) user-mode wrapper around an existing kernel-mode driver. It
> would be possible, I suppose, to create a separate kernel-mode driver
> that pairs directly with an ASIO driver, but to my knowledge no one does
> that.
>
>> DirectKS is an API that can be used to write kernel streaming drivers,
>> with similarly low latency to ASIO.
>
> No. DirectKS is a user-mode API that allows applications to access
> kernel streaming drivers. It is not used to WRITE kernel streaming drivers.
So, I need to write a "wrapper" around the existing kernel-mode driver
(eg usbaudio.sys), possibly
using the DirectKS API? How does DirectKS relate to the AVStream class?
The DDK docs mention that WDMAud.sys performs I/O for the WaveIn / Out
APIs, so I can use
those APIs to send audio directly to the driver kernel?
> Nothing. If your device meets USB Audio Class, you don't write
> anything. Microsoft provides usbaudio.sys, and ASIO4ALL provides the
> ASIO layer for ASIO applications.
However, doesn't this assume that the end user will have ASIO4ALL installed?
What if I want my hardware to operate independently of ASIO4ALL, then
I need to write a
"wrapper" driver similar to ASIO4ALL, as mentioned above?
> USB audio device manufacturers don't write drivers.
Really? Even in the absence of an ASIO4ALL driver on the users PC?
What about for pro-audio products, which is what I am developing for?
For example this company provides their own USB drivers:
http://www.esi-audio.com/
I have read the same as what you are saying from the DDK docs:
"When an audio device identifies itself as USB Audio-compliant
during Plug and Play device enumeration,
the system automatically loads the USBAudio driver to drive the
device. USBAudio drives the device directly,
without the aid of a proprietary adapter driver. This means that a
device that complies with the USB audio specifications
requires no proprietary adapter driver."
But, if thats the case, why do companies such as above provide
drivers? This confuses me, so if you could explain it would be great.
> Up to this point, you have not defined what "low latency" means to you.
I'm estimating about 20ms.
Could you recommend the most sensible way to approach writing for multiple OS,
namely Win2K, XP, Vista, 7? I would like to re-use as much code as possible.
Do you think 6 months is a reasonable estimate for development time?
Many thanks, its really appreciated.
Daire
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