[Openal-devel] Final draft of ALUT spec?

[Jason Daly]

Steve Baker wrote:

> That's effectively what I proposed - except my way *also* allows you to
> position the two channels of the stereo so that you could simulate 
> walking
> around in your living room with your HiFi playing.
>
> All three cases would work out quite naturally:

...

>
> Walking Around in your Living room:  Use my proposed enum to position
>             the two stereo channels relative to the center of your
>             boom-box - then position the boombox in the room in the
>             usual way.  This is a useful mode that you just can't do
>             right now.


Well, you can, it just takes multiple sources.

>
> ...and I bet we could come up with half a dozen other uses if we
> tried.


I'm not so sure.  I really don't see it as an oft-used feature.  I could 
be proven wrong, though.

> All without straining the concept of how OpenAL works and (most
> importantly IMHO) preventing people from having difficulties
> understanding why they aren't getting doppler, panning and range
> attenuation just because they accidentally picked up a stereo
> sample.


I do agree that the API could be a bit more intuitive with how 
multichannel buffers are handled, certainly with respect to the question 
of "monoize and spatialize" vs. "play as-is and don't spatialize".  I 
wouldn't be opposed to including the "play as-is and spatialize" mode as 
well, with the separation parameter (it wouldn't hurt to have it, even 
if it's not used).  Maybe this should be written up as an extension.

-- 

--"J"

"I'm a castaway stranded in a desolate land,
 I can see the footprints in the virtual sand."
	--Neil Peart