Building an Audio Engine

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Introduction

For my honours project, I set out to design and build an audio engine for video games with a focus on memory allocation and efficiency.

The project was inspired by Rockstar’s RAGE Audio GDC talk, which first introduced me to the idea of audio budgets — an essential part of optimizing game audio. Throughout this journey, I aim to:

• Understand the structure of an audio engine.
• Analyze how asset usage can stay within a given budget.
• Compare my implementation against industry-standard engines like FMOD and Wwise.

This blog documents the key milestones, research, and challenges I faced while developing this system. The project is still ongoing and will be updated over time.

Research & Project Proposal

Before development, I was required to submit a project proposal, detailing:

What I am building → An audio engine optimized for CPU and memory efficiency. Why this matters → Audio optimization is a key factor in game development, and I wanted to explore how to build an efficient system from the ground up. How I would approach it → Researching audio engine architecture and working with existing libraries to compare performance.

Resources & Inspiration

To prepare, I explored multiple books and talks on game audio programming:

• Game Audio Programming (Guy Somberg – Vol. 1-4)
• From Beep to Boom (Simon Goodwin)
• Game Engine Architecture (Jason Gregory)

I also tested different audio libraries:

• PortAudio – Good for loading data but not ideal for real-time playback.
• Miniaudio – A lightweight single-header library supporting multi-format playback.

After gathering research, I officially submitted my proposal, marking the start of development.

Feasibility Demo – Proving the Project’s Viability

The next major milestone was the Feasibility Demo, where I had to prove that my project was achievable by showcasing early progress.

Required Deliverables:

• A Gantt chart outlining tasks until final submission.
• Research question and project scope updates.
• A running application showing core functionality.
• A UML diagram and structural breakdown of the engine.

Gantt Chart

Structure Diagram

UML Diagram

Technical Development & Key Changes

The initial development process involved setting up a repository and experimenting with different audio playback systems.

• Originally, I used PortAudio for loading and Miniaudio for playback, but I later removed PortAudio entirely.
• Why?
  1. Miniaudio could handle both loading and playback, simplifying the structure.
  2. It was easier to understand one system deeply rather than working with two.
  3. PortAudio’s .lib file was causing major repository issues, making cross-device work frustrating.

After removing PortAudio, my productivity and motivation improved, allowing me to focus more on developing the engine itself.

Final Thoughts & Future Plans

This project reinforced my passion for audio programming and game engine development.

Key takeaways:

• Audio engine optimization is both an art and a science — balancing performance, memory, and functionality.
• There is still so much to explore — I plan to continue developing this engine beyond my honours year.

This is just the beginning of my journey into game audio engine development! More updates will follow as development continues.