A new entry into the fray of audio drivers for music applications, AudioX is an attempt at standardization on Microsoft drivers, while extending their capabilities to do more of what professional and semi-pro audio people need. The main force behind this new API is Twelve Tone Systems, makers of PC sequencing and recording stalwart Cakewalk Pro Audio.

They make a compelling argument that sticking to standard Microsoft drivers is a better idea than relying on non-standard tools, regardless of how open they might be. The current transition to Windows 2000 is one of their arguments. Microsoft has DirectX working right now, but not everybody else in the pro audio world has moved their APIs over to the new operating system. Supporters of AudioX claim that extending the existing DirectX API will allow audio apps to move more closely with the OS, and will allow full control of the advanced functions of current sound cards, AND that there are no technical reasons not to do this.

I hear the quicker among you asking why it even needs to be extended, since I said before that DirectSound was capable of controlling DSP on cards and getting very low latency. This is sort of true. DirectSound allows minimal control of DSP on a sound card, things like the onboard synth and the odd reverb chip. It is not designed to allow control of something like a Pro Tools card, or a Soundscape Mixtreme card, or a Yamaha DSP Factory. AudioX is supposed to fix this. AudioX is an interesting concept, but suffers from the same main problem as EASI-nobody is really using it yet, save the people who wrote it. It's certainly not complete vaporware, however. Cakewalk has built an AudioX driver for the Yamaha DSP factory, a very advanced recording and mixing card based on the same chipset as the quite legendary Yamaha 02R digital mixing console. I haven't seen it in action with my own baby blues (though I admit I'd love to), but it certainly proves that the people behind AudioX are willing to put their money where their mouth is.

The other factor to consider is that Microsoft has already stepped forward and announced their support for AudioX. That kind of stamp of approval is nothing to sneeze at. Still, the jury is very much out on how many cards will be supported, and what the latency numbers will be when they are.