System-Supplied Audio Units in OS X

The tables in this appendix list the audio units that ship with OS X v10.5, grouped by Component Manager type. The Component Manager manufacturer identifier for all these units is kAudioUnitManufacturer_Apple.

Table C-1  System-supplied effect units (kAudioUnitType_Effect)

Effect Units

Subtype

Description

AUBandpass

kAudioUnitSubType_BandPassFilter

A single-band bandpass filter.

AUDynamicsProcessor

kAudioUnitSubType​_DynamicsProcessor

A dynamics processor that lets you set parameters such as headroom, the amount of compression, attack and release times, and so on.

AUDelay

kAudioUnitSubType_Delay

A delay unit.

AUFilter

kAudioUnitSubType_AUFilter

A five-band filter, allowing for low and high frequency cutoffs as well as three bandpass filters.

AUGraphicEQ

kAudioUnitSubType_GraphicEQ

A 10-band or 31-band graphic equalizer.

AUHiPass

kAudioUnitSubType_HighPassFilter

A high-pass filter with an adjustable resonance peak.

AUHighShelfFilter

kAudioUnitSubType_HighShelfFilter

A filter that allows you to boost or cut high frequencies by a fixed amount.

AUPeakLimiter

kAudioUnitSubType_PeakLimiter

A peak limiter.

AULowPass

kAudioUnitSubType_LowPassFilter

A low-pass filter with an adjustable resonance peak.

AULowShelfFilter

kAudioUnitSubType_LowShelfFilter

A filter that allows you to boost or cut low frequencies by a fixed amount.

AUMultibandCompressor

kAudioUnitSubType_MultiBandCompressor

A four-band compressor.

AUMatrixReverb

kAudioUnitSubType_MatrixReverb

A reverberation unit that allows you to specify spatial characteristics, such as size of room, material absorption characteristics, and so on.

AUNetSend

kAudioUnitSubType_NetSend

A unit that streams audio data over a network. Used in conjunction with the AUNetReceive generator audio unit.

AUParametricEQ

kAudioUnitSubType_ParametricEQ

A parametric equalizer.

AUSampleDelay

kAudioUnitSubType_SampleDelay

A delay unit that allows you to set the delay by number of samples rather than by time.

AUPitch

kAudioUnitSubType_Pitch

An effect unit that lets you alter the pitch of the sound without changing the speed of playback.

Table C-2  System-supplied instrument unit (kAudioUnitType_MusicDevice)

Instrument Unit

Subtype

Description

DLSMusicDevice

kAudioUnitSubType_DLSSynth

A virtual instrument unit that lets you play MIDI data using sound banks in the SoundFont or Downloadable Sounds (DLS) format. Sound banks must be stored in the /Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks folder of either your home or system directory.

Table C-3  System-supplied mixer units (kAudioUnitType_Mixer)

Mixer Units

Subtype

Description

AUMixer3D

kAudioUnitSubType_3DMixer

A special mixing unit that can take several different signals and mix them so they appear to be positioned in a three-dimensional space. For details on using this unit, see Technical Note TN2112: Using the 3DMixer Audio Unit.

AUMatrixMixer

kAudioUnitSubType_MatrixMixer

A unit that mixes an arbitrary number of inputs to an arbitrary number of outputs.

AUMixer

kAudioUnitSubType_StereoMixer

A unit that mixes an arbitrary number of mono or stereo inputs to a single stereo output.

Table C-4  System-supplied converter units (kAudioUnitType_FormatConverter)

Converter Unit

Subtype

Description

AUConverter

kAudioUnitSubType_AUConverter

A generic converter to handle data conversions within the linear PCM format. That is, it can handle sample rate conversions, integer to floating point conversions (and vice versa), interleaving, and so on. This audio unit is essentially a wrapper around an audio converter.

AUDeferredRenderer

kAudioUnitSubType_DeferredRenderer

An audio unit that obtains its input from one thread and sends its output to another; you can use this unit to divide your audio processing chain among multiple threads.

AUMerger

kAudioUnitSubType_Merger

An unit that combines two separate audio inputs.

AUSplitter

kAudioUnitSubType_Splitter

A unit that splits an audio input into two separate audio outputs.

AUTimePitch

kAudioUnitSubType_TimePitch

A unit that lets you change the speed of playback without altering the pitch, or vice versa.

AUVarispeed

kAudioUnitSubType_Varispeed

A unit that lets you change the speed of playback (and consequently the pitch as well).

Table C-5  System-supplied output units (kAudioUnitType_Output)

Output Unit

Subtype

Description

AudioDeviceOutput

kAudioUnitSubType_HALOutput

A unit that interfaces with an audio device using the hardware abstraction layer. Also called the AUHAL. Despite its name, the AudioDeviceOutput unit can also be configured to accept device input. See Interfacing with Hardware for more details.

DefaultOutputUnit

kAudioUnitSubType_DefaultOutput

An output unit that sends its input data to the user-designated default output (such as the computer's speaker).

GenericOutput

kAudioUnitSubType_GenericOutput

A generic output unit that contains the signal format control and conversion features of an output unit, but doesn't interface with an output device. Typically used for the output of an audio processing subgraph. See Audio Processing Graphs.

SystemOutputUnit

kAudioUnitSubType_SystemOutput

An output unit that sends its input data to the standard system output. System output is the output designated for system sounds and effects, which the user can set in the Sound Effects tab of the Sound preference panel.

Table C-6  System-supplied generator units (kAudioUnitType_Generator)

Generator Unit

Subtype

Description

AUAudioFilePlayer

kAudioUnitSubType_AudioFilePlayer

A unit that obtains and plays audio data from a file.

AUNetReceive

kAudioUnitSubType_NetReceive

A unit that receives streamed audio data from a network. Used in conjunction with the AUNetSend audio unit.

AUScheduledSoundPlayer

kAudioUnitSubType_ScheduledSoundPlayer

A unit that plays audio data from one or more buffers in memory.