The Microsoft® DirectSound® application programming interface (API) is the audio component of the DirectX® Programmer's Reference of the Platform Software Development Kit (SDK). DirectSound provides low-latency mixing, hardware acceleration, and direct access to the sound device. It provides this functionality while maintaining compatibility with existing device drivers.
New in this release of DirectSound are capabilities for audio capture. Also new is support for property sets, which enable application developers to take advantage of extended services offered by sound cards and their associated drivers.