ritBuffer

ritBuffer is a data structure commonly encountered in real-time audio processing and digital signal processing. It is essentially a circular buffer, also known as a ring buffer. This data structure is characterized by its fixed size and its ability to overwrite old data with new data when the buffer becomes full. This makes it highly efficient for managing continuous streams of data, such as audio samples.

The circular nature of ritBuffer means that when the write pointer reaches the end of the buffer, it wraps around to the beginning. Similarly, the read pointer also operates in a circular fashion. This continuous cycling of data is what allows for the processing of audio in real-time without needing to constantly allocate and deallocate memory, which can be computationally expensive.

ritBuffer is frequently used in applications like audio playback, recording, effects processing, and buffering for network audio transmission. Its primary advantage lies in its predictable memory usage and low latency, which are critical for applications where timely data access is paramount. The implementation typically involves a fixed-size array and two pointers: a write pointer and a read pointer, which track the current positions for writing new data and reading existing data, respectively.