Using Locks in Real-Time Audio Processing, Safely - Timur Doumler - ADC20

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When writing audio software in C++, we are taught that we shouldn’t lock a mutex on the real-time thread. But what should we do instead if we have to synchronise data access in a real-time safe manner?

Some developers use try_lock, while others use spinlocks. In this talk, we will discuss the typical audio uses cases where these approaches tend to occur, the reasons why they are problematic, and show a better solution. We will implement a custom lock type with a progressive back-off strategy optimised for audio use cases which is adaptable to different environments and works on both Intel and ARM architectures.
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Timur Doumler (Cradle)
Timur Doumler is a C++ developer specialising in audio and music technology, an active member of the ISO C++ committee, and Conference Chair of the Audio Developer Conference (ADC). He is passionate about building communities, clean code, good tools, and the evolution of C++.
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Special thanks to the ADC20 Team:

Céline Dedaj
Timur Doumler
Derek Heimlich
Josh Hodge
Andrew Kirk
Bobby Lombardi
Tom Poole
Ralph Richbourg
Jim Roper

[orhirshfeld]

What happen if you use xenomai locking mechanism?