[gmpi] Re: on mutliple sample types (OT, but let's finish?)

  • From: Tim Hockin <thockin@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: gmpi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 12:33:32 -0800

On Tue, Dec 16, 2003 at 11:51:56AM -0800, Chris Grigg wrote:
> Tim said:
> >I think it is dubious whether people will really mix float and non-float in
> >any meaningful way.
> 
> Can I just press you on this point?  Because the rest of your 
> response seems to  kind of depend on this.

Please do - I'd love to find a more solid answer than our collective
speculations.

> Say I buy a nice DSP accelerator -- I dunno, TC Works or Universal 
> Audio or something -- for my (hypothetical, unfortunately) 
> dual-processor G5 running Digital Performer.  Why would I not want to 
> be able to insert DSP (fixed) plugs and native plugs (float) in any 
> desired order?  I think that's exactly what people will want to be 
> able to do, indeed will expect.  Do you see it differently?

We've got a requirement that says all plugins present a GMPI native
interface to the host.  So your DSP accelerated plugins either have a
wrapper for each plugin which does the magic, or they come with a sub-graph
plugin which is GMPI on the outside but can chain a set of DSP-accelerated
plugins on the inside.

I like the sub-graph plugin because it does the absolute minimum number of
conversions necessary - only at the edges of the clump.  The clump of
plugins may be 1 or 100, but as long as they are clumped together, there is
no need to convert float to int back to float to int to float...

This sub-graph concept could also work for GMPI (float) hosts to support
double or int or fixed-point plugins.  Which is why I am not so worried
about the decision on this topic, because it CAN be solved.

> Most likely I'm just being dense; if so, sorry in advance.

No apologies - better that we're all clear before we agree or disagree.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Generalized Music Plugin Interface (GMPI) public discussion list
Participation in this list is contingent upon your abiding by the
following rules:  Please stay on topic.  You are responsible for your own
words.  Please respect your fellow subscribers.  Please do not
redistribute anyone else's words without their permission.

Archive: //www.freelists.org/archives/gmpi
Email gmpi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx w/ subject "unsubscribe" to unsubscribe

Other related posts:

  1. Home
  2. gmpi
  3. Archive
  4. 12-2003