Systems and methods for providing real-time audio and data
A method of delivering audio to one or more client computing devices includes receiving, by an audio server computing device, a live audio signal starting at a first time; processing, by the audio server computing device, the live audio signal, thereby creating a data representation of the live audio signal; transmitting, by the audio server computing device, via a wireless network in electronic communication with the audio server computing device, the data representation of the live audio signal to the one or more client computing devices; interpreting, by the one or more client computing devices, the data representation of the live audio signal, thereby producing an interpreted audio signal; and providing, by the one or more client computing devices, the interpreted audio signal to a user listening device starting at a second time. A latency between the first time and the second time is less than 100 milliseconds.
1. A method of minimizing total latency of a streaming audio signal produced by an audio system, the method comprising streaming a received live audio signal over a wireless network between an audio server and a user listening device coupled to a smartphone and individually minimizing a latency of each of the following audio system components that are in a path of streaming of the received live audio signal between the audio server and the user listening device:
the audio server's audio hardware interface;
the audio server's audio hardware interface driver;
an audio server application;
the audio server's wireless network stack including a wireless network hardware interface driver;
the audio server's wireless network hardware interface;
an Ethernet wireless network;
the wireless network's access port;
the wireless network;
the smartphone's hardware wireless network interface;
the smartphone's operating system wireless network stack including a hardware wireless network interface driver;
The smartphone's client application;
the smartphone's operating system including an audio hardware interface driver; and
the smartphone's audio hardware interface coupled to the user listening device,
wherein a sum of latencies of each of the above audio system components from a first time of receiving the live audio signal by the audio server's audio hardware interface to a second time of outputting the live audio signal to the user listening device by the smartphone's audio hardware interface is less than 100 milliseconds.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sum of latencies is less than 50 milliseconds.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the sum of latencies is less than 20 milliseconds.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the audio server's audio hardware interface comprises a sound card.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the audio server application comprises an audio processing software.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the audio processing software is configured to adjust at least one of bit depth, sample rate, buffer settings, or routing settings.
7. The method of claim 5 wherein the audio processing software is configured to packetize and transmit audio data over Real-time Transport Protocol.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the audio processing software is configured to packetize and transmit L16PCM audio data over Real-time Transport Protocol.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the Ethernet wireless network is capable of at least 10 Mb/s communication.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the Ethernet wireless network is capable of at least 100 Mb/s communication.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the Ethernet wireless network is capable of at least 1000 Mb/s communication.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless network is capable of supporting at least one of unicast, multicast, or broadcast.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein minimizing the latency of the wireless network comprises enabling multicasting.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein minimizing the latency of the wireless network comprises disabling multicast IGMP snooping.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein minimizing the latency of the wireless network comprises setting a beacon time.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein minimizing the latency of the wireless network comprises setting a DTIM interval.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein minimizing the latency of the wireless network comprises setting a multicast rate.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein minimizing the latency of the wireless network comprises reprioritizing multicast traffic.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein minimizing the latency of the wireless network comprises ignoring nonessential traffic.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein minimizing the latency of the wireless network comprises disabling client PSM.