Audio Engine v2
As we celebrate the release of Babylon.js 7.0, we’re also looking forward and planning for next year’s Babylon.js 8.0 release and beyond.
One of the features we’re looking into updating is the audio engine.
The current audio engine is decent, but it is aging poorly and has design issues that make it difficult to build on while retaining backward compatibility. For these reasons, we’re considering creating a new audio engine and we want your input!
Design goals
As ever with Babylon.js, the main design goals for a new audio engine are the same:
- It must be performant.
- It must be familiar and easy to use for people of all skill levels, from novice to professional.
- We must be able to easily add advanced features.
- It must be easy to test so code defects are reduced.
- It must be implemented in BabylonNative.
Roadmap
The milestones we would want to hit for the Babylon 8.0 release look like this:
- 0–3 months: Get community feedback and finalize architecture.
- 3–6 months: Achieve feature parity with the current audio engine.
- 6–9 months: Add new features (feature list to be determined).
- 9–12 months: Test, document and prepare for release.
Longer-term we want to add more audio-related tools and advanced features, and we’re considering the feasibility of integrating with middleware like FMOD and Wwise, both of which have web capabilities.
Feedback
We want it!
Absolutely let us know what you think about the possibility of a new audio engine. We want to hear which existing features are important to you and which new features you would like to have first. We also want to hear what your pain-points are in the existing audio engine so we can improve on them. So don’t hold back. The more feedback we get, the better the audio engine will be. Head on over to the forum and make your voice heard by following this link!
Andy Fillebrown
