Accessing multichannel data from MTAudioProcessingTap - ios

I'm using MTAudioProcessingTap and Apple's sample code to process some multichannel audio, but am wondering if it supports anything more than stereo? Despite a 6-channel AVAsset used to setup the AVMutableAudioMixInputParameters, I'm still only seeing two channels of data when the tap's "prepare" callback is called:
static void prepare(MTAudioProcessingTapRef tap, CMItemCount maxFrames, const AudioStreamBasicDescription *processingFormat)
In that callback, processingFormat->mChannelsPerFrame equals 2. But where does the processingFormat get setup in the first place? Is there a way to change this to match the 6-channel asset? In other words, does the tap support multichannel data? There's not much documentation on MTAudioProcessingTap besides the sample project and the WWDC2012 video so it's a challenge tracking down the issue. Thanks for reading.

Related

iOS Audio Units - Connecting with Graphs?

I've jumped off the deep end, and have decided to figure out low-latency audio on iOS using Audio Units. I've read as much documentation (from Apple and forums galore) as I can find, and the overall concepts make sense, but I'm still scratching my head on some concepts that I need help with:
I saw somewhere that AU Graphs are deprecated and that I should instead connect Audio Units directly. I'm cool with that... but how? Do I just need to use the Connection property of an Audio Unit to connect it to a source AU, and off I go? Initialize and Start the Units, and watch the magic happen? (cause it doesn't for me...)
What's the best Audio Unit setup to use if I simply want to grab audio from my mic, do some processing to the audio data, and then store that audio data without sending it out to the RemoteIO speaker, bus 0 output? I tried hooking up a GenericOutput AudioUnit to catch the data in a callback without any luck...
That's it. I can provide code when requested, but it's way too late, and this has wiped me out. If there's know easy answer, that's cool. I'll send any code snippets at will. Suffice it to say, I can easily get a simple RemoteIO, mic in, speaker out setup working great. Latency seems non-existant (at least to my ears). I just want to do something with the mic data and store it in memory without it going out to the speaker. Eventually hooking in the eq and mixer would be hip, but one step at a time.
FWIW, I'm coding in Xamarin Forms/C# land, but code examples in Objective C, Swift or whatever is fine. I'm stuck on the concepts, not necessarily the exact code.
THANKS!
Working with audio units without a graph is pretty simple and very flexible. To connect two units, you call AudioUnitSetProperty this way :
AudioUnitConnection connection;
connection.sourceAudioUnit = sourceUnit;
connection.sourceOutputNumber = sourceOutputIndex;
connection.destInputNumber = destinationInputIndex;
AudioUnitSetProperty(
destinationUnit,
kAudioUnitProperty_MakeConnection,
kAudioUnitScope_Input,
destinationInputIndex,
&connection,
sizeof(connection)
);
Note that it is required for the units connected this way to have their Stream Format set uniformly and that it must be done before their initialization.
Your question mentions Audio Units, and Graphs. As said in the comments, the graph concept has been replaced with the idea of attaching "nodes" to an AVAudioEngine. These nodes then "connect" to other nodes. Connecting nodes creates signal paths and starting the engine makes it all happen. This may be obvious, but I am trying to respond generally here.
You can do this all in Swift or in Objective-C.
Two high level perspectives to consider with iOS audio are the idea of a "host" and that of a "plugin". The host is an app and it hosts plugins. The plugin is usually created as an "app extension" and you can look up audio unit extensions for more about that as needed. You said you have one doing what you want, so this is all explaining the code used in a host
Attach AudioUnit to an AVaudioEngine
var components = [AVAudioUnitComponent]()
let description =
AudioComponentDescription(
componentType: 0,
componentSubType: 0,
componentManufacturer: 0,
componentFlags: 0,
componentFlagsMask: 0
)
components = AVAudioUnitComponentManager.shared().components(matching: description)
.compactMap({ au -> AVAudioUnitComponent? in
if AudioUnitTypes.codeInTypes(
au.audioComponentDescription.componentType,
AudioUnitTypes.instrumentAudioUnitTypes,
AudioUnitTypes.fxAudioUnitTypes,
AudioUnitTypes.midiAudioUnitTypes
) && !AudioUnitTypes.isApplePlugin(au.manufacturerName) {
return au
}
return nil
})
guard let component = components.first else { fatalError("bugs") }
let description = component.audioComponentDescription
AVAudioUnit.instantiate(with: description) { (audioUnit: AVAudioUnit?, error: Error?) in
if let e = error {
return print("\(e)")
}
// save and connect
guard let audioUnit = audioUnit else {
print("Audio Unit was Nil")
return
}
let hardwareFormat = self.engine.outputNode.outputFormat(forBus: 0)
self.engine.attach(au)
self.engine.connect(au, to: self.engine.mainMixerNode, format: hardwareFormat)
}
Once you have your AudioUnit loaded, you can connect your Athe AVAudioNodeTapBlock below, it has more to it since it need to be a binary or something that other host apps that aren't yours can load.
Recording an AVAudioInputNode
(You can replace the audio unit with the input node.)
In an app, you can record audio by creating an AVAudioInputNode or just reference the 'inputNode' property of the AVAudioEngine, which is going to be connected to the system's selected input device(mic, line in, etc) by default
Once you have the input node you want to process the audio of, next "install a tap" on the node. You can also connect your input node to a mixer node and install a tap there.
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/avaudionode/1387122-installtap
func installTap(onBus bus: AVAudioNodeBus,
bufferSize: AVAudioFrameCount,
format: AVAudioFormat?,
block tapBlock: #escaping AVAudioNodeTapBlock)
The installed tap will basically split your audio stream into two signal paths. It will keep sending the audio to the AvaudioEngine's output device and also send the audio to a function that you define. This function(AVAudioNodeTapBlock) is passed to 'installTap' from AVAudioNode. The AVFoundation subsystem calls the AVAudioNodeTapBlock and passes you the input data one buffer at a time along with the time at which the data arrived.
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/avaudionodetapblock
typealias AVAudioNodeTapBlock = (AVAudioPCMBuffer, AVAudioTime) -> Void
Now the system is sending the audio data to a programmable context, and you can do what you want with it.
To use it elsewhere, you can create a separate AVAudioPCMBuffer and write each of the passed in buffers to it in the AVAudioNodeTapBlock.

AudioBufferList passed to ABReceiverPortReceive does not match clientFormat when using The Amazing Audio Engine

Hi I need multiple input streams form audiobus and I am using TAAE framework...
I tired this just to test if I can manually send audio :
AEBlockChannel *channel = [AEBlockChannel channelWithBlock:^(const AudioTimeStamp *time, UInt32 frames, AudioBufferList *audio) {
ABReceiverPortReceive(_abreceiverPort, nil, audio, frames, time);
}];
and I get "AudioBufferList passed to ABReceiverPortReceive does not match clientFormat "
What should I do ? I try to understand how TAAE works from its source but was not able to understand how I can create correct AudioBufferList, maybe some little example will enlighten me.
I found just this in sources AEAllocateAndInitAudioBufferList(rawAudioDescription, kInputAudioBufferFrames) , how it is created..
Recieved answer from Michael Tyson on audiobus forum.
Please read http://developer.audiob.us/doc/_receiver-_port.html#Receiving-Separate-Streams
Specifically, see the part about ABReceiverPortEndReceiveTimeInterval.

Stop AUGraph's stuttering

I am receiving a stuttered sound when I first start the AUGraph and play a song with a kAudioUnitSubType_AudioFilePlayer component. The stutter is about 3 seconds but its enough to bother me plus I notice that music stops for a split second sometimes while playing(I guess to buffer?). I have tried changing the kAudioUnitProperty_ScheduledFilePrime to random values but notice no change.
What variables or values should I be looking to change to get rid of this flaw? Is this an issue with the stream format?
I am using the YBAudioUnit from https://github.com/ronaldmannak/YBAudioFramework/tree/master/YBAudioUnit
Code:
YBAudioFilePlayer:
- (void)setFileURL:(NSURL *)fileURL typeHint:(AudioFileTypeID)typeHint {
if (_fileURL) {
// Release old file:
AudioFileClose(_audioFileID);
}
_fileURL = fileURL;
if (_fileURL) {
YBAudioThrowIfErr(AudioFileOpenURL((__bridge CFURLRef)fileURL, kAudioFileReadPermission, typeHint, &_audioFileID));
YBAudioThrowIfErr(AudioUnitSetProperty(_auAudioUnit, kAudioUnitProperty_ScheduledFileIDs, kAudioUnitScope_Global, 0, &_audioFileID, sizeof(AudioFileID)));
// Get number of audio packets in the file:
UInt32 propsize = sizeof(_filePacketsCount);
YBAudioThrowIfErr(AudioFileGetProperty(_audioFileID, kAudioFilePropertyAudioDataPacketCount, &propsize, &_filePacketsCount));
// Get file's asbd:
propsize = sizeof(_fileASBD);
YBAudioThrowIfErr(AudioFileGetProperty(_audioFileID, kAudioFilePropertyDataFormat, &propsize, &_fileASBD));
// Get unit's asbd:
propsize = sizeof(_fileASBD);
AudioUnitGetProperty(_auAudioUnit, kAudioUnitProperty_StreamFormat, kAudioUnitScope_Output, 0, &_unitASBD, &propsize);
if (_fileASBD.mSampleRate > 0 && _unitASBD.mSampleRate > 0) {
_sampleRateRatio = _unitASBD.mSampleRate / _fileASBD.mSampleRate;
} else {
_sampleRateRatio = 1.;
}
}
}
To play I call these methods on the YBAudioFilePlayer:
[player1 setFileURL:item.url typeHint:0];
[player1 scheduleEntireFilePrimeAndStartImmediately];
[graph start];//On a YBAudioUnitGraph which is really just a basic AUGraph
More than an answer this is a comment, but it's rather large, so I'll post it here.
I don't have the time and patience to study the code inside the YB.. API. But a couple of thigns come to my mind.
First I remember experimenting with Audio Units (using Apple's API) and I had a lot of stuttering going on. I solved the problem removing all objective-C calls inside the callback that feeds data to my AUGraph (well, I removed all except one that I couldn't get rid of). I replaced all Objective-c calls with pure C and C++ calls. Example:
... this is the render callback
int i = [myClass someProperty]; // obj-c
int i = myClass->someVarialbe; // c, c++
This was just an example, but it improved dramatically and I got rid of stuttering. Maybe you can take a look at the implementation of the YBXX API and see if there are a lot of obj-c calls in the callback, and if there are, I would not use the API.
Second observation. It seems that you're only trying to play an audio file, for which having an AudioGraph is a lot of overhead, you could use a single IO Audio Unit without the Graph.
There are a large number of questions to ask:
First, are you using a compressed audio file? If so, you may need to take into account padding frames (kAudioFilePropertyPacketTableInfo) to get the real number of audio frames in the file. Perhaps try an AIFF, CAF, or WAV file.
Have you made sure no other audio app are running in the background?
Are there any logging messages?
Have you tried posting to their issue page on github?
The final question is why you are trying to use their framework (which hasn't been updated in two years). I would recommend The Amazing Audio Engine. It is actively developed by some of the best audio folks on iOS.

How to play audio buffers using `AVCapturesession` in `didOutputSampleBuffer`

I have been trying to play audio which is received as raw data in didOutputSampleBuffer delegate. What should be the proper way to process the raw data?
Look at the following sample code from Apple: AVCaptureTtoAudioUnitOSX
There you can see how to properly process the raw audio data and pass it to the AudioUnit.
The basic principle is as follows:
Get the SampleBuffer's AudioStreamBasicDescription for info on format
First get the CMFormatDescriptionRef with CMSampleBufferGetFormatDescription
Then get the AudioStreamBasicDescription with CMAudioFormatDescriptionGetStreamBasicDescription
Now you can get info on sample rate, bits per channel, channels per frame and frames per packet
Get the AudioBufferList with the actual audio data
Either use CoreAudio's Public Utility or check this mailing list entry for a correct way of doing so
The function is called CMSampleBufferGetAudioBufferListWithRetainedBlockBuffer. Third parameter is the bufferListOut which is the AudioBufferList you want and will pass on to work with e.g. the AudioUnit or whatever your need is.
Getting the actual raw data
The AudioBufferList contains AudioBuffers each of which contain the data
struct AudioBuffer {
UInt32 mNumberChannels;
UInt32 mDataByteSize;
void *mData;
};
This should get you going. Look at the sample code from Apple for more info.

iOS Audio Units : When is usage of AUGraph's necessary?

I'm totally new to iOS programing (I'm more an Android guy..) and have to build an application dealing with audio DSP. (I know it's not the easiest way to approach iOS dev ;) )
The app needs to be able to accept inputs both from :
1- built-in microphone
2- iPod library
Then filters may be applied to the input sound and the resulting is to be outputed to :
1- Speaker
2- Record to a file
My question is the following : Is an AUGraph necessary in order to be able for example to apply multiple filters to the input or can these different effects be applied by processing the samples with different render callbacks ?
If I go with AUGraph do I need : 1 Audio Unit for each input, 1 Audio Unit for the output and 1 Audio Input for each effect/filter ?
And finally if I don't may I only have 1 Audio Unit and reconfigure it in order to select the source/destination ?
Many thanks for your answers ! I'm getting lost with this stuff...
You may indeed use render callbacks if you so wished to but the built in Audio Units are great (and there are things coming that I can't say here yet under NDA etc., I've said too much, if you have access to the iOS 5 SDK I recommend you have a look).
You can implement the behavior you wish without using AUGraph, however it is recommended you do as it takes care of a lot of things under the hood and saves you time and effort.
Using AUGraph
From the Audio Unit Hosting Guide (iOS Developer Library):
The AUGraph type adds thread safety to the audio unit story: It enables you to reconfigure a processing chain on the fly. For example, you could safely insert an equalizer, or even swap in a different render callback function for a mixer input, while audio is playing. In fact, the AUGraph type provides the only API in iOS for performing this sort of dynamic reconfiguration in an audio app.
Choosing A Design Pattern (iOS Developer Library) goes into some detail on how you would choose how to implement your Audio Unit environment. From setting up the audio session, graph and configuring/adding units, writing callbacks.
As for which Audio Units you would want in the graph, in addition to what you already stated, you will want to have a MultiChannel Mixer Unit (see Using Specific Audio Units (iOS Developer Library)) to mix your two audio inputs and then hook up the mixer to the Output unit.
Direct Connection
Alternatively, if you were to do it directly without using AUGraph, the following code is a sample to hook up Audio units together yourself. (From Constructing Audio Unit Apps (iOS Developer Library))
You can, alternatively, establish and break connections between audio
units directly by using the audio unit property mechanism. To do so,
use the AudioUnitSetProperty function along with the
kAudioUnitProperty_MakeConnection property, as shown in Listing 2-6.
This approach requires that you define an AudioUnitConnection
structure for each connection to serve as its property value.
/*Listing 2-6*/
AudioUnitElement mixerUnitOutputBus = 0;
AudioUnitElement ioUnitOutputElement = 0;
AudioUnitConnection mixerOutToIoUnitIn;
mixerOutToIoUnitIn.sourceAudioUnit = mixerUnitInstance;
mixerOutToIoUnitIn.sourceOutputNumber = mixerUnitOutputBus;
mixerOutToIoUnitIn.destInputNumber = ioUnitOutputElement;
AudioUnitSetProperty (
ioUnitInstance, // connection destination
kAudioUnitProperty_MakeConnection, // property key
kAudioUnitScope_Input, // destination scope
ioUnitOutputElement, // destination element
&mixerOutToIoUnitIn, // connection definition
sizeof (mixerOutToIoUnitIn)
);

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