Miles Sound System (MSS), formerly known as Audio Interface Library (AIL), is a

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...

software system A software system is a system of intercommunicating components based on software forming part of a computer system (a combination of hardware and software). It "consists of a number of separate programs, configuration files, which are used to s ...

primarily for

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

s and used mostly as an alternative for low-end audio chipsets. It uses little

CPU A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, an ...

time while providing adequate audio output. It was originally a

middleware Middleware is a type of computer software that provides services to software applications beyond those available from the operating system. It can be described as "software glue". Middleware makes it easier for software developers to implement c ...

driver library for soundcards to use in DOS applications when no viable alternative was available. Epic Games Tools (formerly RAD Game Tools) acquired the technology from Miles Design in 1995. The 1992 AIL version 2 for DOS has been released by John Miles as

open-source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...

(

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

without restrictions) in 2000. The package can be found on his personal site (''KE5FX.com'') and contains

source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comment (computer programming), comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a Computer program, p ...

for both

real-mode Real mode, also called real address mode, is an operating mode of all x86-compatible Central processing unit, CPUs. The mode gets its name from the fact that addresses in real mode always correspond to real locations in memory. Real mode is char ...

and

protected-mode In computing, protected mode, also called protected virtual address mode, is an operational mode of x86-compatible central processing units (CPUs). It allows system software to use features such as virtual memory, paging and safe multi-tasking ...

programs.

Reception

The Miles Sound System was used in its history by over 7,000

s across 18 platforms.miles
on radgametools.com ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...

'' stated in 1994 that "Many of the game publishers have decided to support only those sound cards which are supported by the Miles drivers", especially the

Sound Blaster Sound Blaster is a family of sound cards designed by Singaporean technology company Creative Technology (known in the US as Creative Labs). Sound Blaster sound cards were the de facto standard for consumer audio on the IBM PC compatible system ...

References

External links

Miles Sound System
at RAD Game Tools
KE5FX
by John Miles Audio libraries Media players Public-domain software with source code 1991 software {{Multimedia-software-stub