# Precise timing issues with ruby **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [January 9, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/precise-timing-issues-with-ruby/125446 "2008-01-09T06:43:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/precise-timing-issues-with-ruby/125446/1 "2008-01-09T06:43:29Z")
I’ve got some code which needs to operate in a time-sensitive way. It makes a simple drumbeat, and needs to hit the notes at the right time. Currently this doesn’t happen. Every time you run the code you’ll get slightly different timing fluctuations. It’s not subtle, either. The effect is obvious and ruins the beat. Is there a way to solve this problem without abandoning my preferred language? – Giles B. Podcast: [http://hollywoodgrit.blogspot.com](http://hollywoodgrit.blogspot.com) Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com) Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org) Tumblelog: [http://giles.tumblr.com](http://giles.tumblr.com) ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 6:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/precise-timing-issues-with-ruby/125446/2 "2008-01-09T06:48:45Z")
> Is there a way to solve this problem without abandoning my preferred language? Never mind, sorry. False alarm! There was a problem in my code. – Giles B. Podcast: [http://hollywoodgrit.blogspot.com](http://hollywoodgrit.blogspot.com) Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com) Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org) Tumblelog: [http://giles.tumblr.com](http://giles.tumblr.com) ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/precise-timing-issues-with-ruby/125446/3 "2008-01-09T16:31:01Z")
Giles B. wrote: > I’ve got some code which needs to operate in a time-sensitive way. It > makes a simple drumbeat, and needs to hit the notes at the right time. > Currently this doesn’t happen. Every time you run the code you’ll get > slightly different timing fluctuations. It’s not subtle, either. The > effect is obvious and ruins the beat. > > Is there a way to solve this problem without abandoning my preferred language? That I think is platform-dependent, but it could be something as “simple” as building an interface to an audio library. I only know Linux, so that’s the approach I’d take. There are at least three Linux distros – JAD, Studio64 and dyne:bolic – dedicated to real-time audio processing. I haven’t done anything with dyne:bolic, but I have used both JAD and Studio64. I can’t really tell which of the two is “better” – both of them seemed to be excellent, and neither of them had anything I couldn’t get on Gentoo. That may change if I don’t get CSound running on Gentoo soon, however. 🙂 Another place you might want to look is Planet CCRMA. This is a Fedora-based collection of audio software, some of it coming from the Lisp-based CCRMA project at Stanford. ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/precise-timing-issues-with-ruby/125446/4 "2008-01-09T17:42:10Z")
> > I’ve got some code which needs to operate in a time-sensitive way. It > > makes a simple drumbeat, and needs to hit the notes at the right time. > > Currently this doesn’t happen. Every time you run the code you’ll get > > slightly different timing fluctuations. It’s not subtle, either. The > > effect is obvious and ruins the beat. > > > > Is there a way to solve this problem without abandoning my preferred language? > > That I think is platform-dependent, but it could be something as > “simple” as building an interface to an audio library. Actually, no; I’m getting the audio from third-party commercial music production software. I’m currently using Propellerhead Reason, which is at the consumer end of prosumer, and I may add in Ableton Live and/or Apple Logic, which are more at the pro end. There’s a standard protocol called MIDI which I’m using, but the timing my code was generating was completely unreliable. That was the only problem. But the error turned out to be in the code. It came from a book, the book wasn’t concerned with precise timing, just a proof of concept, so I basically just increased the resolution on the timer and I was good (which essentially meant just adding a couple zeros to a division statement). Because I’m using a standard protocol and a Ruby interface to the OS X core library which handles this standard protocol, you could essentially use my code (merged with the code from the book, which is MIT license) with any MIDI sound source, including hardware synthesizers. > Another place you might want to look is Planet CCRMA. This is a > Fedora-based collection of audio software, some of it coming from the > Lisp-based CCRMA project at Stanford. I don’t have any Linux boxes right now , but that does sound quite interesting. SynthBuilder looks particularly nifty. – Giles B. Podcast: [http://hollywoodgrit.blogspot.com](http://hollywoodgrit.blogspot.com) Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com) Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org) Tumblelog: [http://giles.tumblr.com](http://giles.tumblr.com)