So OpenAL used to be LGPL but is now proprietary. I don't get how they can just change the licence like that. Is OpenAL still free to use? There appear to be other compatible implementations that are open source, is it just Creative's implementation of OpenAL that's closed source or is it the whole standard? Should I use one of these open source implementations, should I use an earlier version? (I'm not an opensource freak but I don't like it when other companies control parts of my game)

once a project is open sourced it is forever but open source, but this does not apply updates and new versions. 1.1 latest LGPL version you can get.
When Creative bought OpenAL they essentially killed the project by not contributing anything.

you can use old OpenAL. There is also a populer fork openAL Soft http://kcat.strangesoft.net/openal.html . it is updated regularly.

Anyone know a permissive licensed (MIT,BSD,zlib,...) 3D audio library?
i would like something like that

Anyone know a permissive licensed (MIT,BSD,zlib,...) 3D audio library?
i would like something like that

When developing for windows, why not use XAudio2 (microsoft/windows) ?

When developing for windows, why not use XAudio2 (microsoft/windows) ?

You probably meant to say X3DAudio. The main hindrance for me would be that it's Windows 8 only.

Yes, XAudio2 runs from Windows XP upwards, but that's just not the same as OpenAL. XAudio2 is mixing voices, DSP, ADPCM and such, but it is nothing like "sound coming from a point in 3D space".

That said, I believe remembering that there were plans (or at least a discussion/consideration) of providing an XAudio2 backend for OpenAL-Soft at some point.

[quote name='Ashaman73' timestamp='1352462771' post='4999243']When developing for windows, why not use XAudio2 (microsoft/windows) ?

You probably meant to say X3DAudio. The main hindrance for me would be that it's Windows 8 only.

Yes, XAudio2 runs from Windows XP upwards, but that's just not the same as OpenAL. XAudio2 is mixing voices, DSP, ADPCM and such, but it is nothing like "sound coming from a point in 3D space".

That said, I believe remembering that there were plans (or at least a discussion/consideration) of providing an XAudio2 backend for OpenAL-Soft at some point.
[/quote]

XAudio2 (with the 3D positional features) does not require Windows 8.

[quote name='samoth' timestamp='1352468183' post='4999275']
[quote name='Ashaman73' timestamp='1352462771' post='4999243']When developing for windows, why not use XAudio2 (microsoft/windows) ?

You probably meant to say X3DAudio. The main hindrance for me would be that it's Windows 8 only.

Yes, XAudio2 runs from Windows XP upwards, but that's just not the same as OpenAL. XAudio2 is mixing voices, DSP, ADPCM and such, but it is nothing like "sound coming from a point in 3D space".

That said, I believe remembering that there were plans (or at least a discussion/consideration) of providing an XAudio2 backend for OpenAL-Soft at some point.
[/quote]

XAudio2 (with the 3D positional features) does not require Windows 8.
[/quote]Could you provide a reference to MSDN of a 3D positional function in XAudio2, please? I'm aware of functions to add reverb and to change pitch, sampling rate, and volume, but I am not aware of any function that relates to 3D positional information.

Could you provide a reference to MSDN of a 3D positional function in XAudio2, please? I'm aware of functions to add reverb and to change pitch, sampling rate, and volume, but I am not aware of any function that relates to 3D positional information.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee415714(v=vs.85).aspx

X3DAudio is that they call it, actually it's a couple of function that feed parameters into XAudio2.

http://msdn.microsof...e415714(v=vs.85).aspx

X3DAudio is that they call it, actually it's a couple of function that feed parameters into XAudio2.

(Link is broken, but regardless...)

X3DAudio is not XAudio2, and it is, not (at least not according to MSDN) available under Windows versions prior to Windows 8 (see for example at the bottom of X3DAudioInitialize or X3DAudioCalculate: Platform Requirements Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 (XAudio 2.8); DirectX SDK (XAudio 2.7)).

X3DAudio has been available in DirectX SDK for ages now. I have a shipped game out using it and it was shipped before Windows 8 was even announced.

I see, so both are in some way correct, you only need to bundle the DirectX redistributable then for non-Win8. Thank you for the clarification