synchronizing audio over a network

Question

I\'m in startup of designing a client/server audio system which can stream audio arbitrarily over a network. One central server pumps out an audio stream and x number of clients

Answer 1

"...as long as it is perceived to be in sync by a human listener" - Very hard to do because the ear is less forgiving than the eye. Especially if you want to do this over a wireless network.

I would experiment first with web based technologies, flash audio players remote controlled by a server via Javascript.

If that gave bad results then I would try to get more control by using something like python (with pygame).

If progress was being made I would also try using ChucK and try some low level programming with the ALSA audio library.

If nothing satisfactory comes out I would come and revisit this post and actually read something sensible by an expert audio programming guru and, if my livelihood depended on it, probably end up forking the 14 English pounds for the commercial NetChorus application or something similar.