OwnAudio is a cross-platform C# audio library that provides a high-level API for audio playback, recording, and processing. By default, it uses FFmpeg for audio decoding and PortAudio for audio I/O. If FFmpeg or PortAudio is not installed, it automatically substitutes the missing one with MiniAudio. This way, it can work without any external dependencies using MiniAudio. The implementation of MiniAudio also allowed the API to be used on mobile platforms.
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
Effects documentation
Supported Systems
The table below summarizes the supported operating systems, the APIs used, and their testing status.
System
APIs
Status
Windows
PortAudio 2, MiniAudio, FFmpeg 6
Tested
Linux
PortAudio 2, MiniAudio, FFmpeg 6
Tested
macOS
PortAudio 2, MiniAudio, FFmpeg 6
Tested
Android
MiniAudio
Not tested
iOS
MiniAudio
Not tested
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
Grab the FFmpeg 6 files and extract them to a folder.
Copy the PortAudio 2 DLL file to the same folder.
When you initialize OwnAudio in your code, just point to the folder path.
Linux
Use Synaptic package manager (or your distribution's equivalent) to install portaudio19-dev (this usually provides PortAudio v2) and ffmpeg (version 6 or compatible).
(Note: Package names may vary slightly depending on your Linux distribution. Make sure you get libraries compatible with FFmpeg version 6.)
OwnAudio is smart and will automatically find and use them if they are installed systemwide.
macOS
Launch the terminal and use Homebrew:
brew install portaudio
brew install ffmpeg@6
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.
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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");
await sourceManager.AddOutputSource("path/to/audio2.mp3");
// Adjust volume for individual sources
sourceManager.SetVolume(0, 0.8f); // 80% volume for first source
sourceManager.SetVolume(1, 0.6f); // 60% volume for second source
// Play mixed audio
sourceManager.Play();
// Change tempo without affecting pitch (value range -20 to +20)
sourceManager.SetTempo(0, 10.0); // Speed up by 10%
// Change pitch without affecting tempo (value range -6 to +6 semitones)
sourceManager.SetPitch(0, 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;
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);
WaveAvaloniaDisplay - Audio Visualization
A flexible, resource-efficient audio waveform visualization component for Avalonia applications.
// 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
Property
Type
Description
WaveformBrush
IBrush
The color of the waveform
PlaybackPositionBrush
IBrush
The color of the playback position indicator
VerticalScale
double
Vertical scaling of the waveform (1.0 = original size)
DisplayStyle
WaveformDisplayStyle
The waveform display style (MinMax, Positive, RMS)
ZoomFactor
double
Zoom factor (1.0 = full view, larger values = more detailed view)
ScrollOffset
double
Horizontal scroll position (0.0 - 1.0)
PlaybackPosition
double
Current playback position (0.0 - 1.0)
Events
Event
Parameter
Description
PlaybackPositionChanged
double
Triggered when the user changes the playback position
