[openal] OpenAL Soft 1.17.0 is released!

[Chris Robinson]

OpenAL Soft 1.17.0 has now been tagged and released:

http://kcat.strangesoft.net/openal.html

Changes in this version include: a new JACK backend, support for 
B-Format (both input[1], and output via the wave writer), a new HRTF 
extension[2], Sinc-based resamplers, and a new panning algorithm based 
on higher-order ambisonics (which should provide better side and back 
positioning cues for surround sound output).

It also includes fixes for identical device names in a few backends, 
clearing up a potential lockup when closing a suspended PulseAudio 
device, and a fix for device names on Windows not being identified as 
for OpenAL Soft.

There's plenty of other fixes, changes, and additions listed in the 
release update and changelog, and probably a few things I forgot to note 
down.

Tentative plans for 1.18 include improving the quality of the reverb 
(using FFTs to improve the frequency modulation, using ambisonics to 
create fully 3D reflections and reverberation, and perhaps even with new 
properties to allow the app to control the apparent geometry of the 
room), support for the frequency shifter effect, support for 
multi-channel effects, as well as improving HRTF-related options (better 
enumeration names, and better support for HRTFs provided by apps, in 
particular). I also want to support the AL_EXT_SOURCE_RADIUS extension, 
which will require dropping/replacing the AL_SOFT_buffer_sub_data and 
AL_SOFT_buffer_samples extensions.

Aside from that, I also plan on doing more work with Alure, and making a 
proper release of the new 2.0 API.

Thanks for looking! If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or 
bug reports, please let me know either here, or by opening a new issue 
on GitHub: <https://github.com/kcat/openal-soft>

[1] via the B-Format buffer extensions:
<https://icculus.org/alextreg/index.php?operation=op_showext&extname=AL_EXT_BFORMAT>
<https://icculus.org/alextreg/index.php?operation=op_showext&extname=AL_EXT_MULAW_BFORMAT>

[2] <http://kcat.strangesoft.net/openal-extensions/SOFT_HRTF.txt>