OwnAudioSharp 0.89.65

OwnAudio is a platform-independent C# audio library that provides a high-level API for audio playback, recording, and processing. By default, it uses Miniaudio for audio I/O. If FFmpeg or PortAudio is installed, it automatically uses Portaudio and FFmpeg. This way, it can work with MiniAudio without any external dependencies. The implementation of MiniAudio also allowed the API to be used on mobile platforms. It is possible to manipulate audio data in real time (pitch change, tempo change, and various real-time effects). The API is able to detect musical chords from audio and create a timed list of chords. A feature has been built in to help game developers manage sound effects.

Features

• Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS)
• Audio playback with support for various formats via FFmpeg, or MiniAudio (mp3, wav, flac) formats
• Audio recording capabilities through input devices
• Time stretching and pitch shifting using SoundTouch
• Mixing multiple audio sources
• Volume control and custom audio processing
• Seeking within audio files
• Real-time audio processing with custom sample processors
• Audio data visualization customizable waveform display
• Built-in audio effects (Reverb, Delay, Distortion, Equalizer, Compressor, etc.)
• Detecting musical chords from audio data Real-time or offline chord detection from musical notes
• New feature: SourceSpark, a useful resource for game developers, is ready. See description below!

🚧 Work in Progress

• Load an unlimited number of audio files (sound effects, noises, etc.), which can be played at any time during playback, even in a loop.

Upcoming Features

• Developing and testing mobile application support

Sample Application

Check out the sample application OwnAudioSharpDemo that demonstrates the capabilities of the OwnAudioSharp audio library through an Avalonia MVVM application using ReactiveUI. MainWindowViewModel.cs contains the core logic for audio processing, playback, effects application, and UI control.

Documentation

<a href="../../wiki"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Wiki-OwnAudio%20API%20documentation%20step-blue" alt="Wiki OwnAudio documentation"> </a>

Supported Systems

The table below summarizes the supported operating systems, the APIs used, and their testing status.

The library will attempt to find these dependencies in standard system locations but also supports specifying custom paths.

Installation

You can add this library to your project via NuGet or by directly referencing the project.

NuGet\Install-Package OwnAudioSharp

Optional dependencies: PortAudio and FFmpeg

By default, our code includes MiniAudio, which is ready to use for all systems, so you can get started right away!

If you want to use PortAudio and FFmpeg on certain platforms for extended functionality, you can configure them as follows:

Windows

1. Grab the FFmpeg 6 files and extract them to a folder.

2. Copy the PortAudio 2 DLL file to the same folder.

3. When you initialize OwnAudio in your code, just point to the folder path.

Linux

1. Use Synaptic package manager (or your distribution's equivalent) to install portaudio19-dev (this usually provides PortAudio v2) and ffmpeg (version 6 or compatible).

• For example, on Debian/Ubuntu based systems:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install portaudio19-dev ffmpeg

(Note: Package names may vary slightly depending on your Linux distribution. Make sure you get libraries compatible with FFmpeg version 6.)

2. OwnAudio is smart and will automatically find and use them if they are installed systemwide.

macOS

1. Launch the terminal and use Homebrew:

brew install portaudio
brew install ffmpeg@6

2. After installation, the code will automatically detect and prioritize PortAudio and FFmpeg.

Android and iOS

• Good news! MiniAudio works out of the box on Android and iOS. These platforms don't require any additional steps to handle audio.

Support My Work

If you find this project helpful, consider buying me a coffee!

<a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ModernMube" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.buymeacoffee.com/buttons/v2/arial-yellow.png" alt="Buy Me A Coffee" style="height: 60px !important;width: 217px !important;" > </a>

Basic Usage

Here's a quick example of how to use OwnAudio to play an audio file:

using Ownaudio;
using Ownaudio.Sources;
using System;
using System.Threading;

// Initialize OwnAudio
OwnAudio.Initialize();

// Create a source manager
var sourceManager = SourceManager.Instance;

// Add an audio file
await sourceManager.AddOutputSource("path/to/audio.mp3");

// Play the audio
sourceManager.Play();

// Wait for the audio to finish
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to stop playback...");
Console.ReadKey();

// Stop playback and clean up
sourceManager.Stop();
OwnAudio.Free();

Advanced Features

Mixing Multiple Audio Sources

// Add multiple audio files
await sourceManager.AddOutputSource("path/to/audio1.mp3", "Track1Name");
await sourceManager.AddOutputSource("path/to/audio2.mp3", "Track2Name");

// Adjust volume for individual sources
sourceManager["Track1Name"|.Volume(0.8f);  // 80% volume for first source
sourceManager["Track2Name"].Volume(0.6f);  // 60% volume for second source

// Play mixed audio
sourceManager.Play();

Audio Recording

// Add an input source
await sourceManager.AddInputSource();

// Start recording
sourceManager.Play("output.wav", 16);  // 16-bit recording

Time Stretching and Pitch Shifting

// Change tempo without affecting pitch (value range -20 to +20)
sourceManager["Track1Name"].Tempo(10.0);  // Speed up by 10%

// Change pitch without affecting tempo (value range -6 to +6 semitones)
sourceManager["Track1Name"].Pitch(2.0);  // Raise pitch by 2 semitones

Seeking Within Audio

// Seek to a specific position
sourceManager.Seek(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30));  // Seek to 30 seconds

Audio Processing with Built-in Effects

OwnAudio includes a comprehensive effects library:

// Apply reverb effect
var reverb = new Reverb(0.5f, 0.3f, 0.4f, 0.7f);
sourceManager.CustomSampleProcessor = reverb;

// Apply delay effect
var delay = new Delay(500, 0.4f, 0.3f, 44100);
sourceManager.CustomSampleProcessor = delay;

// Apply compressor
var compressor = new Compressor(0.5f, 4.0f, 100f, 200f, 1.0f, 44100f);
sourceManager.CustomSampleProcessor = compressor;

// Apply equalizer
var equalizer = new Equalizer(44100);
equalizer.SetBandGain(0, 100f, 1.4f, 3.0f);  // Boost bass
sourceManager.CustomSampleProcessor = equalizer;

Available Effects

• Reverb: Professional quality reverb based on Freeverb algorithm
• Delay: Echo effect with feedback control
• Distortion: Overdrive and soft clipping
• Compressor: Dynamic range compression
• Equalizer: 10-band parametric EQ
• Chorus: Multi-voice modulation effect
• Flanger: Variable delay modulation
• Phaser: All-pass filter stages for phasing effect
• Rotary: Rotary speaker simulation
• DynamicAmp: Adaptive volume control
• Enhancer: Harmonic enhancement

Custom Audio Processing

You can implement custom audio processing by implementing the SampleProcessorBase class:

public class MyAudioProcessor : SampleProcessorBase
{
    public override void Process(Span<float> samples)
    {
        // Process audio samples
        for (int i = 0; i < samples.Length; i++)
        {
            // Example: Simple gain adjustment
            samples[i] *= 0.5f;  // 50% volume
        }
    }
    
    public override void Reset()
    {
        // Reset internal state if needed
    }
}

// Apply the processor to source manager
var processor = new MyAudioProcessor();
sourceManager.CustomSampleProcessor = processor;

SourceSpark - Game-Optimized Audio Effects

The SourceSpark class is a simplified audio source designed specifically for short audio clips and sound effects, making it perfect for game development. Unlike standard sources, SourceSpark loads entire audio files into memory for instant, zero-latency playback.

Key Features for Game Development

• Zero-latency playback - Audio data stored in memory for instant access
• Looping support - Perfect for ambient sounds like rain, wind, or engine noise
• Multiple simultaneous playback - Same sound effect can play overlapping instances
• Automatic cleanup - Non-looping sounds are automatically removed when finished
• Real-time effects - Pitch, tempo, and volume can be modified during playback

Basic Usage

// Add a simple sound effect
var gunshot = sourceManager.AddSparkSource("sounds/gunshot.wav", looping: false, volume: 0.9f);
sourceManager.PlaySparkSource(gunshot);

// Add looping ambient sound
var rainSound = sourceManager.AddSparkSource("ambient/rain.wav", looping: true, volume: 0.4f);
sourceManager.PlaySparkSource(rainSound);

Advanced Game Audio

// Dynamic engine sound for vehicles
var engineSound = sourceManager.AddSparkSource("car_engine.wav", looping: true, volume: 0.6f);
sourceManager.PlaySparkSource(engineSound);

// Real-time sound modification based on game state
void UpdateEngineSound(float speed) {
    engineSound.Pitch = speed * 0.01; // Higher pitch = faster speed
    engineSound.Volume = Math.Min(0.8f, 0.3f + speed * 0.005f);
}

// Multiple overlapping gunshots
var pistol = sourceManager.AddSparkSource("weapons/pistol.wav");
sourceManager.PlaySparkSource(pistol); // First shot
sourceManager.PlaySparkSource(pistol); // Second shot (overlapping)

Loop Management for Ambient Audio

// Weather system with looping sounds
var currentWeather = sourceManager.AddSparkSource("weather/clear.wav", looping: true, volume: 0.2f);

void ChangeWeather(WeatherType weather) {
    // Stop current weather sound
    currentWeather.Stop();
    sourceManager.RemoveSparkSource(currentWeather);
    
    // Start new weather sound
    string weatherFile = weather switch {
        WeatherType.Rain => "weather/rain.wav",
        WeatherType.Storm => "weather/thunder.wav",
        WeatherType.Wind => "weather/wind.wav",
        _ => "weather/clear.wav"
    };
    
    currentWeather = sourceManager.AddSparkSource(weatherFile, looping: true, volume: 0.4f);
    sourceManager.PlaySparkSource(currentWeather);
}

Runtime Control

// Loop control during gameplay
sparkSource.IsLooping = true;  // Enable looping
sparkSource.IsLooping = false; // Disable looping

// State management
sparkSource.Play();   // Start playback
sparkSource.Pause();  // Pause playback
sparkSource.Resume(); // Resume from pause
sparkSource.Stop();   // Stop and reset

// Real-time audio effects
sparkSource.Volume = 0.5f;     // Adjust volume
sparkSource.Pitch = 2.0;       // Raise pitch by 2 semitones
sparkSource.Tempo = 1.5;       // Speed up by 50%

Memory-Based Advantages

Perfect for:

• UI sounds (button clicks, menu navigation)
• Weapon effects (gunshots, explosions)
• Short ambient loops (rain, wind, machinery)
• Game event sounds (collectibles, notifications)

Benefits:

• Instant response - No file I/O during gameplay
• Reliable playback - No streaming errors or stuttering
• Flexible manipulation - Real-time pitch/tempo changes
• Concurrent playbook - Multiple instances of same sound

Memory Guidelines:

• Ideal for clips under 10 seconds
• Best suited for frequently used sounds
• Perfect for looping ambient audio
• Excellent for rapid-fire sound effects

Lifecycle Management

// Automatic cleanup for one-shot sounds
sparkSource.StateChanged += (sender, e) => {
    if (sparkSource.HasFinished && !sparkSource.IsLooping) {
        // Non-looping sounds are automatically removed
        sourceManager.RemoveSparkSource(sparkSource);
    }
};

// Manual cleanup for persistent sounds
if (sparkSource.IsLooping) {
    sparkSource.Stop();
    sourceManager.RemoveSparkSource(sparkSource);
}

The memory-based approach makes SourceSpark ideal for games where audio responsiveness and reliability are crucial, trading memory usage for guaranteed performance and zero-latency audio playback.

Real-time Audio Sources

OwnAudio supports real-time audio sources for live audio generation and streaming:

// Add a real-time source
var realtimeSource = sourceManager.AddRealTimeSource(1.0f, 2); // Volume 1.0, stereo

// Submit audio samples in real-time
float[] samples = new float[1024]; // Your generated audio data
realtimeSource.SubmitSamples(samples);

Live Audio Streaming and Real-time Playback

The SourceSound class enables real-time audio streaming, perfect for:

• Live audio synthesis
• Network audio streaming
• Real-time audio effects processing
• Dynamic audio generation

// Create a real-time audio source
var liveSource = sourceManager.AddRealTimeSource(1.0f, 2); // Volume, channels

// Example: Generate and stream sine wave in real-time
Task.Run(async () =>
{
    int sampleRate = 44100;
    int frequency = 440; // A4 note
    float amplitude = 0.3f;
    int samplesPerBuffer = 1024;
    
    double phase = 0;
    double phaseIncrement = 2.0 * Math.PI * frequency / sampleRate;
    
    while (liveSource.State != SourceState.Idle)
    {
        float[] buffer = new float[samplesPerBuffer * 2]; // Stereo
        
        for (int i = 0; i < samplesPerBuffer; i++)
        {
            float sample = (float)(Math.Sin(phase) * amplitude);
            buffer[i * 2] = sample;     // Left channel
            buffer[i * 2 + 1] = sample; // Right channel
            
            phase += phaseIncrement;
            if (phase >= 2.0 * Math.PI)
                phase -= 2.0 * Math.PI;
        }
        
        // Submit samples for real-time playback
        liveSource.SubmitSamples(buffer);
        
        // Control timing for smooth playback
        await Task.Delay(10);
    }
});

// Start playback
sourceManager.Play();

Network Audio Streaming Example

// Example: Receive audio data from network and play in real-time
var networkSource = sourceManager.AddRealTimeSource(1.0f, 2);

// Network audio receiver (pseudo-code)
networkClient.OnAudioDataReceived += (audioData) =>
{
    // Convert received network data to float array
    float[] samples = ConvertBytesToFloats(audioData);
    
    // Submit to real-time source for immediate playback
    networkSource.SubmitSamples(samples);
};

sourceManager.Play();

Custom Audio Generator

public class AudioGenerator
{
    private SourceSound _source;
    private int _sampleRate;
    private bool _isGenerating;
    
    public AudioGenerator(SourceManager manager, int sampleRate = 44100)
    {
        _sampleRate = sampleRate;
        _source = manager.AddRealTimeSource(1.0f, 2);
    }
    
    public void StartGeneration()
    {
        _isGenerating = true;
        
        Task.Run(async () =>
        {
            while (_isGenerating)
            {
                float[] audioBuffer = GenerateAudio(1024);
                _source.SubmitSamples(audioBuffer);
                await Task.Delay(5); // Smooth streaming
            }
        });
    }
    
    public void StopGeneration()
    {
        _isGenerating = false;
    }
    
    private float[] GenerateAudio(int samples)
    {
        // Your custom audio generation logic here
        float[] buffer = new float[samples * 2]; // Stereo
        
        // Fill buffer with generated audio data
        for (int i = 0; i < samples; i++)
        {
            float sample = GenerateSample(); // Your generation method
            buffer[i * 2] = sample;     // Left
            buffer[i * 2 + 1] = sample; // Right
        }
        
        return buffer;
    }
    
    private float GenerateSample()
    {
        // Implement your audio generation algorithm
        return 0.0f;
    }
}

// Usage
var generator = new AudioGenerator(sourceManager);
generator.StartGeneration();
sourceManager.Play();

Audio Data Extraction

// Load source audio data into a byte array
byte[] audioByte = sourceManager.Sources[0].GetByteAudioData(TimeSpan.Zero);

// Load source audio data into a float array
float[] audioFloat = sourceManager.Sources[0].GetFloatAudioData(TimeSpan.Zero);

Chord Detection

Real-time or offline chord detection from musical notes.

Core Components

Detectors

• BaseChordDetector - Basic chord detection with major, minor, and 7th chords
• ExtendedChordDetector - Adds suspended, diminished, augmented, and add9 chords
• OptimizedChordDetector - Advanced detection with ambiguity handling and alternatives
• RealTimeChordDetector - Continuous analysis with stability filtering

Analysis

• SongChordAnalyzer - Full song analysis with timed chord progressions
• ChordAnalysis - Detailed analysis results with confidence scores and explanations

Quick Start

// Basic chord detection
var detector = new BaseChordDetector(confidenceThreshold: 0.7f);
var analysis = detector.AnalyzeChord(notes);
Console.WriteLine($"Detected: {analysis.ChordName} (confidence: {analysis.Confidence})");

// Extended chord detection with alternatives
var extendedDetector = new OptimizedChordDetector();
var (chord, confidence, isAmbiguous, alternatives) = extendedDetector.DetectChordAdvanced(notes);

// Real-time analysis
var realtimeDetector = new RealTimeChordDetector(bufferSize: 5);
var (stableChord, stability) = realtimeDetector.ProcessNotes(newNotes);

// Full song analysis
var songAnalyzer = new SongChordAnalyzer(windowSize: 1.0f, hopSize: 0.5f);
var timedChords = songAnalyzer.AnalyzeSong(allSongNotes);

Input Format

The library expects Note objects with:

• Pitch - MIDI pitch number
• Amplitude - Note volume (0.0-1.0)
• StartTime / EndTime - Timing in seconds

Key Features

• Template Matching - Uses chromagram analysis and cosine similarity
• Ambiguity Detection - Identifies uncertain chord matches
• Temporal Stability - Real-time filtering for consistent results
• Extensible Templates - Add custom chord definitions
• Song-level Analysis - Extract complete chord progressions with timing

Confidence Thresholds

• 0.9+ - Very confident detection
• 0.7+ - Likely correct
• 0.5+ - Possible but uncertain
• Below 0.5 - Marked as "Unknown"

WaveAvaloniaDisplay - Audio Visualization

A flexible, resource-efficient audio waveform visualization component for Avalonia applications.

Key Features

• Multiple display styles: MinMax (classic waveform), Positive (half-wave rectified), or RMS (energy representation)
• Zoom in/out: Supports zooming for detailed audio inspection
• Interactive playback position: Users can change the playback position by clicking or dragging
• Customizable appearance: Colors and scaling are fully customizable
• Optimized performance: Minimal resource usage even with large audio files
• File loading: Direct loading from audio files with automatic format detection

Usage

The following example demonstrates how to use the WaveAvaloniaDisplay component in an Avalonia application:

<Window xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:audio="using:Ownaudio.Utilities"
        x:Class="MyAudioApp.MainWindow"
        Title="Audio Visualizer" Height="450" Width="800">

    <Grid>
        <audio:WaveAvaloniaDisplay x:Name="waveformDisplay"
                                WaveformBrush="DodgerBlue"
                                PlaybackPositionBrush="Red"
                                VerticalScale="1.0"
                                DisplayStyle="MinMax"/>
    </Grid>
</Window>

C# Code

// Set audio data from existing float array
waveformDisplay.SetAudioData(SourceManager.Instance.Sources[0].GetFloatAudioData(TimeSpan.Zero));

// Handle playback position changes
waveformDisplay.PlaybackPositionChanged += OnPlaybackPositionChanged;

// Load directly from audio file
waveformDisplay.LoadFromAudioFile("audio.mp3");

// Load with specific decoder preference
waveformDisplay.LoadFromAudioFile("audio.mp3", preferFFmpeg: true);

// Asynchronous loading
await waveformDisplay.LoadFromAudioFileAsync("large_audio.wav");

// Loading from stream
using var fileStream = File.OpenRead("audio.mp3");
waveformDisplay.LoadFromAudioStream(fileStream);

Properties

Events

Architecture

The library follows a layered architecture:

1. Native Libraries (FFmpeg & PortAudio/MiniAudio) - Low-level audio I/O and decoding
2. Decoders - Audio file decoding (FFmpegDecoder, MiniDecoder)
3. Sources - Audio source management (Source, SourceInput, SourceSound)
4. SourceManager - Mixing and controlling multiple sources
5. Processors - Custom audio processing pipeline
6. Effects - Built-in audio effects library
7. Engines - Audio engine abstraction (PortAudio/MiniAudio)

Engine Configuration

You can configure the audio engine with specific parameters:

// Configure output engine options
SourceManager.OutputEngineOptions = new AudioEngineOutputOptions(
    OwnAudioEngine.EngineChannels.Stereo, 
    44100, 
    0.02 // Low latency
);

// Configure input engine options
SourceManager.InputEngineOptions = new AudioEngineInputOptions(
    OwnAudioEngine.EngineChannels.Mono, 
    44100, 
    0.02 // Low latency
);

// Set frames per buffer
SourceManager.EngineFramesPerBuffer = 512;

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the creators of the following repositories, whose code was instrumental in the development of OwnAudio:

• Bufdio - Audio playback library for .NET
• FFmpeg.AutoGen - FFmpeg auto generated unsafe bindings for C#/.NET
• soundtouch.net - .NET wrapper for the SoundTouch audio processing library
• Avalonia - Cross-platform .NET UI framework
• SoundFlow - A powerful and extensible cross-platform .NET audio engine.