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https://github.com/miniant-git/REAL

Reduce audio latency on Windows 10
https://github.com/miniant-git/REAL

Last synced: 3 months ago
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Reduce audio latency on Windows 10

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README 

        
![REAL](img/logo.png)



---



## Features



* Audio latency reduction on the default playback device

* Automatic updates

* Starting minimised



## Requirements



* Windows 10 64-bit

* [Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable (x64)](https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/VC_redist.x64.exe) 



## Setup



1. Install Windows' in-box HDAudio driver (optional, might improve latency):

    1. Start **Device Manager**.

    2. Under **Sound, video and game controllers**, double click on the device that corresponds to your speakers.

    3. In the next window, go to the **Driver** tab.

    4. Select **Update driver** -> **Browse my computer for driver software** -> **Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer**.

    5. Select **High Definition Audio Device** and click **Next**.

    6. If a window titled "Update Driver warning" appears, click **Yes**.

    7. Select **Close**.

    8. If asked to reboot the system, select **Yes** to reboot.

    > **Be careful**: the new driver might reset your volume to uncomfortably high levels. 

2. Download the [latest version](https://github.com/miniant-git/REAL/releases/latest) of **REAL**.

3. Launch `REAL.exe`. The latency reduction is in effect as long as the application is kept running.



## Command-Line Options

* `--tray` Launches the application minimised to the system tray



## Building



1. Make sure **Microsoft Visual Studio 2017** is installed and updated.

2. Install [CMake 3.12](https://cmake.org/download/) or later and configure your `PATH` environment variable to find `cmake` if necessary.

3. Clone the repository:

    ```bat

    git clone https://github.com/miniant-git/REAL.git miniant-real

    cd miniant-real

    ```

4. Configure Visual Studio project with CMake:

   ```bat

   cd real-app

   ./run-cmake.bat

   ```

5. Open the generated solution:

   ```bat

   start build/miniant-real.sln

   ```

6. Right-click on the `real-app` project in the **Solution Explorer** and select **Build**.

   * The resulting executable will be placed inside `real-app/build/Debug/` folder.



## FAQ



### How does this work?



As described in Mirosoft's [Low Latency Audio FAQ section](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/audio/low-latency-audio#span-idfaqspanspan-idfaqspanfaq), by default, all applications in Windows 10 use 10ms buffers to render audio. However, if one application requests the usage of small buffers, then the Audio Engine will start transferring audio using that particular buffer size. In that case, all applications that use the same endpoint (device) and mode (either exclusive or shared) will automatically switch to that small buffer size. We make use of this Audio Engine property by starting a rendering stream which requests the minimal buffer size that is supported by the audio driver.



### What are the downsides?



Since the application reduces audio sample buffer size, the buffer runs out faster and needs to be refilled more frequently. This increases the odds of audible audio cracks appearing when the CPU is busy and unable to keep up.