We view OpenAL as a state machine that controls a multichannel
processing system to synthesize a digital stream, passing sample
data through a chain of parametrized special purpose (low pass)
filters. This model should engender a specification that satisfies the
needs of both programmers and implementors. It does not, however,
necessarily
provide a model for implementation. Any conformant implementation
must produce results conforming to those produced by the specified
methods, but there may be ways to carry out a particular computation
that are more efficient than the one specified.