---
title: Workgroup Management
framework: audiotoolbox
role: collectionGroup
role_heading: API Collection
path: audiotoolbox/workgroup-management
---

# Workgroup Management

Coordinate the activity of custom real-time audio threads with those of the system and other processes.

## Overview

Overview Real-time audio rendering often requires coordination between the threads of an app, the system, and the threads of any active Audio Unit plug-ins. Workgroups provide the mechanism to coordinate the efforts of these different processes, and ensure that they execute on the same schedule. In an Audio Unit, use a render context observer to retrieve the workgroup that the host app uses for real-time audio rendering. In an app, fetch the workgroup for a Core Audio device directly from the device or from your AUAudioUnit object. If your app has real-time rendering threads that operate on their own deadlines, create your own workgroup using the AudioWorkIntervalCreate function. Use your custom workgroup to set and update the rendering schedule for your threads.

## Topics

### Essentials

- [Understanding Audio Workgroups](audiotoolbox/understanding-audio-workgroups.md)
- [Adding Parallel Real-Time Threads to Audio Workgroups](audiotoolbox/adding-parallel-real-time-threads-to-audio-workgroups.md)
- [Adding Asynchronous Real-Time Threads to Audio Workgroups](audiotoolbox/adding-asynchronous-real-time-threads-to-audio-workgroups.md)
- [Adding Audio Unit Auxiliary Real-Time Threads to Audio Workgroups](audiotoolbox/adding-audio-unit-auxiliary-real-time-threads-to-audio-workgroups.md)

### Device Workgroup

- [kAudioDevicePropertyIOThreadOSWorkgroup](coreaudio/kaudiodevicepropertyiothreadosworkgroup.md)

## See Also

### Utilities

- [Analyzing audio performance with Instruments](audiotoolbox/analyzing-audio-performance-with-instruments.md)
- [Audio Converter Services](audiotoolbox/audio-converter-services.md)
- [Audio Session Support](audiotoolbox/audio-session-support.md)
- [Audio Toolbox Debugging](audiotoolbox/audio-toolbox-debugging.md)
- [Audio Codec](audiotoolbox/audio-codec.md)
- [Clock Utilities](audiotoolbox/clock-utilities.md)