Pythonic libsndfile wrapper to read and write audio files.

Features:

• Attribute access for format, channels, length, sample rate...
• Numpy interface using in-place arrays (optimal for block processing)
• Real multichannel (not just mono/stereo)
• Separate classes for reading and writing, so that available operations are consistent with the mode.
• Writer and reader objects work as context managers for RAII idiom
• Shortened constant names for formats (Using scopes instead of prefixes)
• Matlab like whole-file interface (not recommended in production code but quite convenient for quick scripting)
• No module compilation required (wraps the dll using ctypes)
• Works both for Python3 >= 3.3 and Python2 >= 2.6

You can find the latest version at: https://github.com/vokimon/python-wavefile

TODO:

• Handling properly different physical numpy layouts: use a view, assert or reshape
• Exposing sndfile command API
• Seeking
• Use file name extension to deduce main format, if not specified
• Use main format to deduce subformat, if not specified
• Separate Formats scope into Formats, Subformats and Endianess
• Expose descriptive strings for formats
• Handling properly unicode in text strings (now considers them UTF-8, which is not always true)

pypi-install wavefile

A setup.py script is provided so the common procedure for installing python packages in you platfrom will work. For example in Debian/Ubuntu systems:

sudo python setup install

And for per-user installation:

python setup install --home=~/local

provided that you have PTYHON_PATH set properly.

Copying the wavefile directory to your project is also ok.

with WaveWriter('synth.ogg', channels=2, format=Format.OGG|Format.VORBIS) as w :
	w.metadata.title = "Some Noise"
	w.metadata.artist = "The Artists"
	data = np.zeros((2,512), np.float32)
	for x in xrange(100) :
		data[0,:] = (x*np.arange(512, dtype=np.float32)%512/512)
		data[1,512-x:] =  1
		data[1,:512-x] = -1
		w.write(data)

import pyaudio, sys
p = pyaudio.PyAudio()
with WaveReader(sys.argv[1]) as r :

	# Print info
	print "Title:", r.metadata.title
	print "Artist:", r.metadata.artist
	print "Channels:", r.channels
	print "Format: 0x%x"%r.format
	print "Sample Rate:", r.samplerate

	# open pyaudio stream
	stream = p.open(
			format = pyaudio.paFloat32,
			channels = r.channels,
			rate = r.samplerate,
			frames_per_buffer = 512,
			output = True)

	# iterator interface (reuses one array)
	# beware of the frame size, not always 512, but 512 at least
	for frame in r.read_iter(size=512) :
		stream.write(frame, frame.shape[1])
		sys.stdout.write("."); sys.stdout.flush()

	stream.close()

with WaveReader(sys.argv[1]) as r :
	with WaveWriter(
			'output.wav',
			channels=r.channels,
			samplerate=r.samplerate,
			) as w :
		w.metadata.title = r.metadata.title + " II"
		w.metadata.artist = r.metadata.artist

		for data in r.read_iter(size=512) :
			sys.stdout.write("."); sys.stdout.flush()
			w.write(.8*data)

While read_iter is simpler and recommended, you can still use the read function, which is closer to the C one.

with WaveReader(sys.argv[1]) as r :
	with WaveWriter(
			'output.wav',
			channels=r.channels,
			samplerate=r.samplerate,
			) as w :
		w.metadata.title = r.metadata.title + " II"
		w.metadata.artist = r.metadata.artist

		data = np.zeros((r.channels,512), np.float32, order='F')
		nframes = r.read(data)
		while nframes :
			sys.stdout.write("."); sys.stdout.flush()
			w.write(.8*data[:,:nframes])
			nframes = r.read(data)

Notice that with read you have to reallocate the data yourself, the loop structure is somewhat more complex, and you have to slice to the actual nframes because the last block usually does not have the size you asked for. read_iter simplifies the code by transparently allocating the data block for you, reusing it for each block and slicing it as you get the data.

This is 'yet another' wrapper for sndfile. A lot of them appeared just because the standard 'wave' module is quite limited on what and how it does. But none of the wrappers I found around fully suit my needs and that's because I wrote this small and incomplete one, to fit my needs. So this is a summary of what I found, just in case it is useful to anyone.

• Standard 'wave' module:

  • http://docs.python.org/library/wave.html
  • I think this is the main reason why there are many wrappers around. The standard module to do wave file loading is crap.
  • Based on sndfile but it just writes .wav files.
  • It lacks support for floating point samples, patch provided but ignored see http://bugs.python.org/issue1144504
  • unreadable getX() methods instead of properties.
  • no numpy integration
  • generators, context managers... what?
  • no whole-file shortcuts provided

• scikits.audiolab

  • git clone https://github.com/cournape/audiolab
  • Cython based + python layer
  • Dual interface: matlab like and OO
  • Property accessors to samplerate...
  • Numpy integration
  • Inplace processing
  • Not in Ubuntu
  • Within a big library

• pysndfile

  • http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/pysndfile/
  • Swig based wrapper.
  • Direct lib library + python object wrappers
  • Unusable because it is not finished (empty read/write methods in wrapper!)

• libsndfile-python

  • http://code.google.com/p/libsndfile-python/
  • svn checkout http://libsndfile-python.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ libsndfile-python-read-only
  • Implemented in CPython
  • numpy support
  • cpython purely wraps the library
  • wrappers build the interface
  • double layered lib and pythonic interface (not that pythonic but supports numpy)
  • Implements 'command' sndfile interface

• libsndfilectypes

  • http://code.google.com/p/pyzic/wiki/LibSndFilectypes
  • ctypes based wrapper: no compilation required
  • numpy supported
  • Windows only setup (fixable)
  • Long access to constants
  • Not inplace read (creates an array every time)

python-wavefile reuses most of the libsndfilectypes ctypes wrapper, as not requiring module compilation was seen as a good point. A pythonic layer was added on the top of it.

• Python 3 support
• Support for unicode filenames

• First version