Tips and Best Practices for C++ Real-time Audio Development

After listening to the grandious WolfTalk Podcast episode with Fabian Renn-Giles I have written down some interesting points from this interview.

It’s more targeted on people who want to become professional Audio Developers, but maybe also for enthusiasts who want to dive into the very interesting and challenging field of audio development.

1. Start with a Strong Foundation

Understanding the low-level workings of computers, such as memory and hardware interactions, is crucial. This foundational knowledge is vital for real-time programming, as it provides insight into how systems handle processes and memory.

2. Real-time Programming Concepts

Learn and understand real-time programming principles deeply. This includes recognizing what is real-time safe and what is not. A bottom-up approach, starting from the hardware level, is beneficial for grasping these concepts.

3. Tools and Resources

Use Godbolt Compiler Explorer to examine assembly code. This helps in understanding how high-level C++ code is translated into machine instructions, ensuring that the code is optimized and free of performance bottlenecks.

Refer to Clang performance annotations to understand why certain optimizations may not be applied by the compiler.

4. Writing Real-time Safe Code

Avoid locks in real-time code as they can cause priority inversion and are not predictable. Instead, use lock-free programming techniques and data structures.

Ensure that all code running in the audio thread is deterministic and bounded in execution time.

5. Performance Optimization

Focus on writing simple and clear code, following the advice to write code as if it were Java—simple and understandable.

Avoid over-engineering and excessive use of complex features like templates and polymorphism unless necessary.

Understand and leverage SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) operations where appropriate for DSP (Digital Signal Processing) tasks.

6. Learning and Development

Continuous learning and staying updated with the latest developments in C++ and real-time programming are essential.

Experiment with real-time systems and learn from failures. Debugging and understanding why something doesn’t work as expected is a powerful learning tool.

7. Community and Collaboration

Engage with the developer community, participate in forums, and attend conferences like the Audio Developer Conference (ADC). These platforms provide opportunities to learn from others, share knowledge, and stay connected with industry trends.

8. Mentorship and Peer Reviews

Value mentorship and peer reviews. The importance of learning through code reviews and community feedback is emphasized.

Be open to feedback and use it to improve coding practices and understanding of real-time systems.

9. Balance and Work-Life Integration

Maintain a balance between professional and personal life. It is important to avoid overworking and find time for personal interests and family.

10. Practical Advice

Start small and gradually tackle more complex projects. Build a portfolio of projects that showcase skills in real-time audio development.

Consider giving talks and sharing knowledge with the community as a way to establish expertise and network with potential clients or collaborators.