soundcraft/docs/hardware-parity.md

Hardware parity

Last reviewed: 2026-10-10 · Last updated: 2026-10-12 · Change: minor (audio device, rate and buffer choice; ASIO feature) · Target: Avid Pro Tools Ultimate 2026.4.1

A DAW is judged by how it drives audio interfaces, MIDI gear, control surfaces and sync. This is SoundCraft's weakest dimension. Ours is measured from crates/playback (cpal) and the absence of any MIDI-device or control-surface code; Pro Tools' from its documentation and Setup menus.

Hardware: ~12 % ready (estimated). Performance: ~35 % (estimated; nothing benchmarked against Pro Tools). Remaining ≈ 110–180 h for hardware, 40–70 h for performance.

Legend: ✅ works · 🟡 partial · ❌ missing.

Audio interfaces

Feature	Pro Tools (macOS / Windows)	SoundCraft macOS	Windows	Linux	FreeBSD	Web
Driver API	Core Audio / ASIO	🟡 Core Audio via cpal	🟡 WASAPI shared via cpal; ASIO with the opt-in asio build feature (verified with an SSL 2+)	🟡 ALSA/Pulse via cpal; no JACK	🟡 cpal (ALSA layer)	🟡 Web Audio
Choose playback device	✅ Playback Engine	🟡 Setup › Playback Engine (not yet verified on macOS)	✅ Setup › Playback Engine (WASAPI, ASIO)	🟡 (not yet verified)	🟡 (not yet verified)	❌
Choose input device	✅	🟡 Setup › Playback Engine (not yet verified on macOS)	✅ (WASAPI, ASIO)	🟡 (not yet verified)	❌ no recording	❌
Buffer size (32–2048)	✅	🟡 device buffer when the driver allows it (not yet verified); mix in 512-sample blocks	🟡 device buffer 16–8192 (verified 128 on ASIO, 256 on WASAPI); mix in 512-sample blocks	🟡 (not yet verified)	🟡	❌
Duplex stream on one clock	✅	❌ separate input/output streams	❌	❌	❌	❌
Hardware I/O mapping (I/O Setup to physical channels)	✅	🟡 multichannel output in order; no per-channel map	🟡	🟡	🟡	❌
Low-latency monitoring	✅	❌ (options.low_latency_monitoring is a stored flag)	❌	❌	❌	❌
Latency reporting and record offset compensation	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Sample rate follows the session; resample when it can't	✅ (switches device)	🟡 resamples (input pitch bug fixed, #28)	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟡
Avid HDX / HD Native DSP, Hybrid Engine DSP mode	✅	❌ (out of reach: Avid hardware)	❌	❌	❌	❌
Disk allocation / record to disk	✅	❌ recording into RAM (PR #84)	❌	❌	❌	❌

MIDI

Feature	Pro Tools	SoundCraft (all platforms)
MIDI input devices (keyboards, pads)	✅	❌ no MIDI device layer at all (setup.midi_input_devices stores names)
MIDI output to external gear	✅	❌
MIDI Thru, input filter	✅	❌ (stored flags only)
MIDI Beat Clock out, MTC generate/chase	✅	❌
MIDI learn / controller mapping	✅ (via surfaces and plug-in maps)	❌
Virtual MIDI keyboard	✅ (MIDI Keyboard window)	🟡 window exists, no live audition path

Control surfaces

Feature	Pro Tools	SoundCraft
EUCON (S1/S3/S4/S6, Dock, Control app)	✅	❌ Avid-proprietary SDK; owner decision
HUI	✅	❌
Mackie Control Universal	✅ (via HUI emulation and personalities)	❌
Generic MIDI controller personalities	✅	❌

Sync and video hardware

Feature	Pro Tools	SoundCraft
LTC / MTC chase, 9-pin machine control	✅ (Ultimate)	❌
Word clock / video reference awareness	✅ via interface	❌
Video output to a second display or video card	✅	❌ (video window only)
Satellite linking of systems	✅	❌

Performance

Feature	Pro Tools	SoundCraft	Evidence
Parallel mixing across cores	✅	✅	soundcraft-mix renders independent strips in parallel (rayon)
Plugin delay compensation	✅	✅
Disk streaming of long sources	✅	❌	Whole files decoded into the SourcePool
Track count (Ultimate: 2,048 voices)	✅	unmeasured	No benchmark exists; add cargo xtask bench
Real-time audio thread discipline	✅	✅	No blocking/allocation in steady state, audio-thread-aware logger
Freeze / commit to save CPU	✅	🟡	track.commit renders; track.freeze only sets a flag (no CPU saved)
GPU-accelerated UI	—	✅ (wgpu/glow via eframe)	llvmpipe X11 issue #107

Revision history

Date	Change	Summary
2026-10-12	minor	Audio device settings: system, output, input, sample rate and buffer size; opt-in ASIO
2026-10-10	major	Created: audit of audio interface, MIDI, control-surface, sync and performance support against Pro Tools 2026.4.1