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Nick Payne
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**⚠️ API Instability Warning: The AudioTee API is unstable at present and subject to change without notice.** **⚠️ API Instability Warning: The AudioTee API is unstable at present and subject to change without notice.**
AudioTee captures your Mac's system audio output and writes it in PCM encoded chunks to `stdout` at regular intervals. All logging and metadata information is written to `stderr`, meaning at its simplest you can capture system audio to a file like this: AudioTee captures your Mac's system audio output and writes it in PCM encoded chunks to `stdout` at regular intervals. All logging and metadata information is written to `stderr`, meaning at its simplest you can capture whatever's playing through your speakers to a file like this:
```bash ```bash
/path/to/audiotee > output.pcm /path/to/audiotee > output.pcm
``` ```
It's more likely that you want to capture this output programmatically. Check out [AudioTee.js](https://github.com/makeusabrew/audioteejs) for a simple Node.js package which does this. It's more likely you want to capture this output programmatically. Check out [AudioTee.js](https://github.com/makeusabrew/audioteejs) for a simple Node.js package which does this.
System audio is captured using the [Core Audio taps](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coreaudio/capturing-system-audio-with-core-audio-taps) API introduced in macOS 14.2 (released in December 2023). You can do whatever you want with this audio - stream it somewhere else, save it to disk, visualise it, etc. System audio is captured using the [Core Audio taps](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coreaudio/capturing-system-audio-with-core-audio-taps) API introduced in macOS 14.2 (released in December 2023). You can do whatever you want with this audio - save it to disk, visualise it, transcribe it, etc.
By default, audiotee captures audio output from **all** running processes. Tap output defaults to `mono` (configurable via the `--stereo` flag) and preserves your output device's sample rate (configurable via the `--sample-rate` flag). Only the default output device is currently supported. By default, AudioTee captures audio output from **all** running processes. Tap output defaults to `mono` (configurable via the `--stereo` flag) and preserves your output device's sample rate (configurable via the `--sample-rate` flag). Only the default output device is currently supported.
My original (and so far only) use case is streaming audio to a parent process which communicates with a realtime ASR service, so AudioTee makes some design decisions you might not agree with. Open an issue or a PR and we can talk about them. I'm also no Swift developer, so contributions improving codebase idioms and general hygiene are welcome. I have internal variations (and, franky, improvements) of audiotee which allow recording mic input as well as system audio, and I'm open to making that part of the main API. My original (and so far only) use case is streaming audio to a parent process which communicates with a realtime ASR service, so AudioTee makes some design decisions you might not agree with. Open an issue or a PR and we can talk about them. I'm also no Swift developer, so contributions improving codebase idioms and general hygiene are welcome. I have internal variations (and, frankly, improvements) of AudioTee which allow recording mic input as well as system audio, and I'm open to making that part of the main API.
## Why?
Recording system audio is harder than it should be on macOS, and folks often wrestle with outdated advice and poorly documented APIs. It's a boring problem which stands in the way of lots of fun applications. There's more code here than you need to solve this problem yourself: the main classes of interest are probably [`Core/AudioTapManager`](https://github.com/makeusabrew/audiotee/blob/main/Sources/Core/AudioTapManager.swift) and [`Core/AudioRecorder`](https://github.com/makeusabrew/audiotee/blob/main/Sources/Core/AudioRecorder.swift). Everything's wired together in [`CLI/AudioTee`](https://github.com/makeusabrew/audiotee/blob/main/Sources/CLI/AudioTee.swift). The rest is just CLI configuration support, output formatting logic, and some utility functions you could probably live without. Recording system audio is harder than it should be on macOS, and folks often wrestle with outdated advice and poorly documented APIs. It's a boring problem which stands in the way of lots of fun applications. There's more code here than you need to solve this problem yourself: the main classes of interest are probably [`Core/AudioTapManager`](https://github.com/makeusabrew/audiotee/blob/main/Sources/Core/AudioTapManager.swift) and [`Core/AudioRecorder`](https://github.com/makeusabrew/audiotee/blob/main/Sources/Core/AudioRecorder.swift). Everything's wired together in [`CLI/AudioTee`](https://github.com/makeusabrew/audiotee/blob/main/Sources/CLI/AudioTee.swift). The rest is just CLI configuration support, output formatting logic, and some utility functions you could probably live without.
@@ -76,7 +78,7 @@ Replace the path below with `.build/<arch>/<target>/audiotee`, e.g. `build/arm64
### Audio conversion ### Audio conversion
Note that performing _any_ sample rate conversion will also convert the output bit depth to Note that performing _any_ sample rate conversion will also convert the output bit depth to
16-bit - assuming an original depth of 32-bit this results in a loss of dynamic range in exchange for half the output chunk size. For ASR services, 16-bit is sufficient, but it's a non-obvious behaviour worth being aware of. 16-bit - assuming an original depth of 32-bit this results in a loss of dynamic range in exchange for a 50% reduction in output size. For ASR services, 16-bit is sufficient, but it's a non-obvious behaviour worth being aware of.
```bash ```bash
# No sample rate preserves your device's default (probably 44.1 or 48kHz with 32-bit float bit depth) # No sample rate preserves your device's default (probably 44.1 or 48kHz with 32-bit float bit depth)
@@ -122,7 +124,7 @@ Note that trying to include or exclude a PID which isn't currently playing audio
## Output ## Output
AudioTee writes raw PCM audio data directly to `stdout` in chunks. All logging, metadata, and status information is written to `stderr`, allowing for clean separation of audio data from program output. AudioTee writes raw PCM audio data directly to `stdout` in chunks. All logging, metadata, and status information is written to `stderr`.
### Audio format ### Audio format
@@ -150,6 +152,7 @@ All program logs are written to `stderr` and can be captured separately:
- `--include-processes`: Process IDs to tap (space-separated, empty = all processes) - `--include-processes`: Process IDs to tap (space-separated, empty = all processes)
- `--exclude-processes`: Process IDs to exclude (space-separated, empty = none) - `--exclude-processes`: Process IDs to exclude (space-separated, empty = none)
- `--mute`: Mute processes being tapped - `--mute`: Mute processes being tapped
- `--stereo`: Record in stereo
- `--sample-rate`: Target sample rate (8000, 16000, 22050, 24000, 32000, 44100, 48000) - `--sample-rate`: Target sample rate (8000, 16000, 22050, 24000, 32000, 44100, 48000)
- `--chunk-duration`: Audio chunk duration in seconds [default: 0.2, max: 5.0] - `--chunk-duration`: Audio chunk duration in seconds [default: 0.2, max: 5.0]