View source for Core Audio

{{Short description|Low level API in Apple operating systems}}
{{Distinguish|text = the [[Microsoft Windows]] Core Audio APIs, which include the [[WASAPI|Windows Audio Session API (WASAPI)]]}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Core Audio
| logo = Macosx audiovideo coreaudio 20090915.png
| developer = [[Apple Inc.]]
| released = 2003
| latest release version = 3.2.6{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}}
| operating_system = [[macOS]], [[iOS]]
| genre = [[Library (computing)|Developer library]]
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| website = https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coreaudio
}}

'''Core Audio''' is a low-level [[application programming interface|API]] for dealing with sound in [[Apple Computer|Apple's]] [[macOS]] and [[IOS (Apple)|iOS]] [[operating system]]s. It includes an implementation of the cross-platform [[OpenAL]].<ref>{{cite web | title= Core Audio Overview: OpenAL (Open Audio Library) |date=February 11, 2014 | publisher=Apple Inc | url =https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/MusicAudio/Conceptual/CoreAudioOverview/WhatsinCoreAudio/WhatsinCoreAudio.html | access-date = January 28, 2015 }}</ref>

Apple's '''Core Audio''' documentation states that "in creating this new architecture on Mac OS X, Apple's objective in the audio space has been twofold. The primary goal is to deliver a high-quality, superior  audio experience for [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] users. The second objective reflects a shift in emphasis from developers having to establish their own audio and [[MIDI]]  protocols in their applications to Apple moving ahead to assume responsibility for these services on the Macintosh platform."<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 29, 2001|title=Audio and MIDI on Mac OS X|url=http://developer.apple.com/audio/pdf/coreaudio.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311005146/http://developer.apple.com/audio/pdf/coreaudio.pdf|archive-date=March 11, 2008|access-date=August 13, 2020|publisher=Apple Computer|page=7}}</ref>

== History ==
It was introduced in [[Mac OS X 10.0]] (Cheetah).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coreaudio | title=Apple Developer Documentation }}</ref>

== Architecture ==
Core Audio supports plugins, which can generate, receive, or process audio streams; these plugins are packaged as a [[Bundle (macOS)|bundle]] with the extension {{Mono|.component}}.{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=78}}

== See also ==
* [[Audio Units]]
* [[Core Foundation]]
* [[PulseAudio]]

==References==
<references/>

=== Bibliography ===

* {{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Amit |url= |title=Mac OS X Internals: A Systems Approach |date=2006-06-19 |publisher=Addison-Wesley Professional |isbn=978-0-13-270226-3 |language=en}}

== External links ==
* [https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/MusicAudio/Conceptual/CoreAudioOverview/Introduction/Introduction.html Apple's Core Audio page]

{{Apple}}
{{Core Foundation}}
{{macOS}}

[[Category:MacOS APIs]]
[[Category:Audio libraries]]