XAudio2

XAudio2 is an audio API for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360, the successor to DirectSound on Windows and a supplement to the original XAudio on the Xbox 360.

XAudio2 operates through the XAudio API on the Xbox 360, through DirectSound on Windows XP, and through the low-level audio mixer WASAPI on Windows Vista and higher.

The RTM release of the XAudio2 library is included in the March 2008 DirectX SDK,^[1] enabling a programmer with Visual Studio to use XAudio2 in a Windows or Xbox 360 project.

Features

XAudio2 provides mixing and signal processing for high-level audio APIs such as XACT and as well provides the programmer with high-level functions related to spatial processing.^[2]

XAudio2 abstracts audio generation by separating sound data from "voice", allowing each voice to be filtered by programmable digital signal processing and effects processing functions. Voices can be "submixed" together into a single stream.

XAudio2 can natively decompress XMA on the Xbox 360, xWMA on Windows, and various ADPCM codecs on both platforms.

References

1. ^ The XAudio 2 Beta Program is being retired! connect.microsoft.com
2. ^ XAudio 2 FAQ connect.microsoft.com