Can OpenAL be used with Python?

Question

I'm from a background of using OpenAL with other languages; and I'm on a project that benefits very much from Python. I remember PyAL, but it hasn't been updated since 2013 and my computer can't even find a copy of the package to download. I'm also aware of such relative-fringe packages as alpy and python-openal; but I'm hesitant to pick them up if they are also unmaintained. (Can't be sure yet.)

Is there a library that provides a Python binding to OpenAL? Or do I simply need to either write my own or make due with one of the other, non-3D-sound, packages? If getting it is more complicated than pip, how would I go about doing so?

Thanks.

Answer 1

OpenAL being cross-plattform, C and open source can most probably be used with Python. However, indeed there seems to be curently no actively supported Python binding available.

Some current attempts I could find:

• Python OpenAL (last update 2012) and forks thereof (last change 2015)
• PyAL 0.1.0 using ctypes, released 2013 as project zip
• ALPY using Swig and a C++ Layer, no release yet, last update 2013

They all do not look very good (you can try them out though) and none is easily installable with pip.

I'm afraid but if you want a working Python binding for OpenAL you probably have to wait or start writing your own, maybe based on one of the approaches above.

As for the alternatives, they all have advantages and disadvantages too (PyGlet, PyAudio, PyDub, PyMedia, PyGame, PyQt). Support might vary.