Cavern active
VoidXH vunknown added 2026-05-29 verified 2026-06-19
You need object-based spatial audio rendering, room correction, and multi-format codec support in a C# audio framework
about
Cavern is a C# audio framework offering object-based spatial audio rendering with unlimited channels and advanced room correction capabilities. It handles Dolby Atmos and other immersive formats natively, providing self-calibration with microphone-based measurement that achieves sub-0.01 dB frequency response uniformity.
The framework includes filter engines, real-time surround upconversion, headphone virtualization, and codec support for E-AC-3 JOC, LAF, and various container formats. Room correction profiles export to hardware DSPs, AVRs, and software EQ solutions like Equalizer APO and CamillaDSP.
Designed for low-latency operation and Unity-like listener/source workflows, Cavern functions as both a spatial audio renderer and a comprehensive audio pipeline toolkit with measurement and analysis capabilities. Note: distributed under a custom source-available license that restricts commercial use without permission — it is not a standard OSI-approved open-source license.
related
Godot Steam Audio
GodotA GDExtension that integrates Valve's Steam Audio SDK into Godot 4.4. Provides real-time acoustic simulation including geometric occlusion, sound transmission through surfaces, distance-based attenuation, room reverb via reflections, and spatial ambisonics rendering. Supports dynamic geometry updates. Currently in alpha with working Linux and Windows builds. Includes basic scene setup nodes and runtime effects processing. Planned features include baked reflection maps for performance optimization and expanded raycasting configuration. The extension wraps Steam Audio's Apache-licensed SDK, which is used in production titles like Counter-Strike 2 and Half-Life: Alyx. Intended to provide feature parity with official Unity and Unreal plugins. Note: the author has stated they are no longer actively maintaining the project and welcome community forks.
JPL Spatial
Engine-agnosticJPL Spatial is a sound spatialization and propagation library written in C++ with no external dependencies for the core implementation. It provides Vector-Base Amplitude Panning (VBAP) and Multi-Direction Amplitude Panning (MDAP) for 2D and 3D speaker layouts, supporting source elevation and a wide range of channel configurations from mono to 9.1.6 surround. The library handles distance attenuation through custom functions, curves, or predefined models (inverse, linear, exponential), plus cone-based angle attenuation for directional sources. It exposes both low-level panners and a high-level SpatialManager API that integrates panning, direct path services, and attenuation caching for per-frame spatial updates. JPL Spatial is used in production by Hazel Engine and is cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS on x64/ARM64). The architecture separates concerns into services (PanningService, DirectPathService) that can be used standalone or orchestrated through the manager layer for real-time spatial audio rendering.
libmysofa
Standalonelibmysofa is a C library for reading and processing Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) data stored in AES SOFA files conforming to the AES69-2015 standard. It provides functions to load SOFA files, extract HRTF filters for specific spatial coordinates, and convert between Cartesian and spherical coordinate systems. The library handles automatic normalization of HRTF data, nearest-neighbor interpolation for arbitrary listener positions, and efficient caching of multiple SOFA files. It supports both integer and floating-point filter extraction with configurable sample rates and neighbor search parameters. Designed for integration into spatial audio engines and renderers, libmysofa offers both simple and advanced APIs for developers who need direct access to HRTF data without implementing SOFA parsing from scratch.
Microsoft Spatializer
UnityA cross-platform spatializer plugin that integrates spatial audio processing into Unity projects. The plugin uses efficient DSP algorithms to render head-related transfer functions (HRTF) for immersive 3D audio positioning. Designed to fit Unity's audio engine architecture, it supports both Windows and Android platforms. Version 2.0 represents a complete rewrite focused on performance optimization and cross-platform compatibility. The plugin uses a multi-source mixer architecture that reduces CPU overhead compared to previous implementations. While an older HoloLens 2-specific version (v1) offered hardware DSP offload, the current version prioritizes flexibility and integration with Unity's audio pipeline. Note: the GitHub repository was archived (made read-only) in July 2024 and is no longer actively developed, though it remains usable for existing projects. It enables realistic directional audio cues essential for VR, AR, and immersive gaming experiences.