Capturing Spatial Audio in your iOS app
At a glance
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Enhance your app’s audio recording capabilities by supporting Spatial Audio capture. |
| App architecture | A Swift sample with the source-visible chain SpatialAudioDemoApp → ContentView → AudioPlayerViewModel → AudioRecorder → AVFoundation APIs. |
| Main patterns | Model-View-ViewModel, Delegate or data-source callbacks |
| Project style | 6 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries. |
| Execution model | Source-visible boundaries: DispatchQueue.main, Sendable or @Sendable, DispatchQueue(label:), async declaration or closure, Task; none alone proves a background thread. |
| State/event model | Source-visible mechanisms: SwiftUI state property wrapper, @Observable, AnyCancellable, receive(on:). |
| Key frameworks/packages | SwiftUI, AVFoundation, Combine, CoreFoundation, CoreMedia; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels. |
Project structure
Source bundle/
├── SpatialAudioDemo/
│ ├── SpatialAudioDemoApp.swift
│ ├── AudioPlayerViewModel.swift
│ ├── ContentView.swift
│ ├── AudioPlayerView.swift
│ ├── AudioRecorder.swift
│ ├── AudioVisualizerView.swift
│ └── Info.plist
├── Configuration/
│ └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── SpatialAudioDemo.xcodeproj/
├── .xcodesamplecode.plist
└── project.pbxproj
Structure observations
- Architecturally prominent files are ranked from entry points and role-named declarations; resource-only paths are omitted.
- Primary languages: Swift.
- The verified tree contains 4 project/configuration file(s) and 7 source declaration(s).
Overall architecture
flowchart LR
N1["SpatialAudioDemoApp"]
N2["ContentView"]
N3["AudioPlayerViewModel"]
N4["AudioRecorder"]
N5["AVFoundation APIs"]
N1 --> N2
N2 --> N3
N3 --> N4
N4 --> N5
Reference code
SpatialAudioDemo/SpatialAudioDemoApp.swift:10 — architecture anchor
@main
struct SpatialAudioDemoApp: App {
var body: some Scene {
WindowGroup {
ContentView()
}
}
}Interpretation
The arrows summarize the source-visible entry, role-named types or folders, and framework direction; when nodes come from structural folders, the sequence is a high-level interpretation rather than proof that every adjacent node calls the next. Ownership is claimed only where the next section cites a stored property or assignment. The diagram is intentionally limited to the dominant path into AVFoundation.
Ownership and state
classDiagram
AudioPlayerViewModel o-- AVPlayer : player
AudioPlayerViewModel o-- Any : timeObserver
AudioPlayerViewModel *-- Bool : isPlaying
AudioPlayerViewModel *-- Double : currentTime
Ownership evidence
SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:15 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor
@Observable class AudioPlayerViewModel {
// ...
var player: AVPlayer?
// ...
}| Owner | Object or state | Relationship | Mutation authority |
|---|---|---|---|
AudioPlayerViewModel |
AVPlayer (player) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
AudioPlayerViewModel |
Any (timeObserver) |
stores or receives | Owning lexical scope |
AudioPlayerViewModel |
Bool (isPlaying) |
owns value state | App/module collaborators |
AudioPlayerViewModel |
Double (currentTime) |
owns value state | App/module collaborators |
Composition arrows indicate a source-visible construction expression or locally owned value state; aggregation means the owner stores or receives a dependency without proving exclusive lifetime ownership.
Concurrency, scheduling, and thread safety
Evidence limit: actor isolation, async/await, or Task creation does not by itself prove background-thread execution; Sendable conformance alone does not prove thread-safe mutation.
| Concern | Source mechanism | Verified placement or handoff | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queue scheduling | DispatchQueue.main |
The source addresses the main dispatch queue. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:38 |
| Transfer contract | Sendable or @Sendable |
The source declares a sendability boundary; this alone does not synchronize mutable state. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioRecorder.swift:15 |
| Queue scheduling | DispatchQueue(label:) |
The source constructs a dispatch queue; its label alone does not prove a thread. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioRecorder.swift:82 |
| Suspension boundary | async declaration or closure |
The source declares or crosses an asynchronous boundary; it does not by itself establish background execution. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioRecorder.swift:259 |
| Task creation | Task |
The source creates an unstructured task; surrounding context determines inherited actor isolation. | SpatialAudioDemo/ContentView.swift:58 |
@MainActor/MainActor.run, DispatchQueue.main, and RunLoop.main are reported as distinct isolation, queue, and event-loop mechanisms. A plain Task is kept separate from Task.detached; neither is labeled as a background thread.
Reference code
SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:38 — representative execution boundary
@Observable class AudioPlayerViewModel {
// ...
.receive(on: DispatchQueue.main)
// ...
}State propagation, frameworks, and dependencies
Evidence limit: an import proves a source-level compilation dependency at the cited line; it does not prove runtime use, architectural adoption, or whether a Swift package is a direct application dependency.
| Category | Mechanism or module | Verified role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| State propagation | SwiftUI state property wrapper |
A SwiftUI property wrapper supplies or observes UI state. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerView.swift:19 |
| State propagation | @Observable |
Observation macro publishes source-visible changes. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:12 |
| State propagation | AnyCancellable |
A cancellable value records subscription lifetime management. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:29 |
| Combine scheduling | receive(on:) |
receive(on:) selects the scheduler for downstream delivery. |
SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:38 |
| Source import | SwiftUI |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerView.swift:8 |
| Source import | AVFoundation |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:8 |
| Source import | Combine |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:9 |
| Source import | CoreFoundation |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioRecorder.swift:10 |
receive(on:) describes downstream delivery scheduling, while subscribe(on:) describes upstream subscription/request/cancel scheduling. An import Combine alone establishes neither behavior nor a Store, reducer, Redux, or other application architecture.
Class and protocol design
SpatialAudioDemo/SpatialAudioDemoApp.swift:11 — representative type boundary
@main
struct SpatialAudioDemoApp: App {
// ...
ContentView()
// ...
}| Type | Responsibility | Depends on or conforms to |
|---|---|---|
SpatialAudioDemoApp |
Application entry and top-level composition | App |
AudioPlayerViewModel |
UI-facing state and feature coordination | Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks |
ContentView |
User-interface presentation and input forwarding | View |
AudioPlayerView |
User-interface presentation and input forwarding | View |
AudioRecorder |
Owns capture or recording work | NSObject, AVCaptureAudioDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate, @unchecked Sendable |
AudioVisualizerView |
User-interface presentation and input forwarding | View |
LiveWaveformShape |
Represents a feature value or composable behavior | Shape |
No local protocol conformance is claimed as protocol-oriented design; external framework conformances are listed only as dependencies.
Access control
| Symbol | Access | Verified effect | Likely rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
viewModel (SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerView.swift:19) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
timeObserver (SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:18) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
cancellables (SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:29) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
addPeriodicTimeObserver (SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:90) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface. |
Reference code
SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerView.swift:19 — representative boundary
struct AudioPlayerView: View {
@State private var viewModel = AudioPlayerViewModel()
// ...
}Swift declarations without a modifier are internal; explicit private, fileprivate, private(set), public, or open entries above are interpreted by language semantics. Objective-C/C samples instead rely on header and implementation boundaries, which are not equivalent to Swift lexical privacy.
Logic ownership and placement
| Logic | Owning type or file | Placement rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Application entry and top-level composition | SpatialAudioDemoApp |
The source’s App suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Owns capture or recording work | AudioRecorder |
The source’s Recorder suffix makes this role explicit. |
| User-interface presentation and input forwarding | AudioPlayerView, AudioVisualizerView, ContentView |
The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit. |
| UI-facing state and feature coordination | AudioPlayerViewModel |
The source’s ViewModel suffix makes this role explicit. |
Design patterns
| Pattern | Source evidence | Purpose or tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Model-View-ViewModel | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift:12 |
Role-named view models keep UI-facing state or coordination outside view declarations. |
| Delegate or data-source callbacks | SpatialAudioDemo/AudioRecorder.swift:15 |
Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner. |
Naming conventions
- Types: App: SpatialAudioDemoApp; Recorder: AudioRecorder; View: AudioPlayerView, AudioVisualizerView, ContentView; ViewModel: AudioPlayerViewModel.
- Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
- Methods:
loadAudio,play,pause,skipAudioFiveSeconds,rewindAudioFiveSeconds,seek,seekToAndPlay,addPeriodicTimeObserver. - Files:
SpatialAudioDemo/SpatialAudioDemoApp.swift,SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift,SpatialAudioDemo/ContentView.swift,SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerView.swift,SpatialAudioDemo/AudioRecorder.swift,SpatialAudioDemo/AudioVisualizerView.swift.
Architecture takeaways
SpatialAudioDemoAppis the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.- Framework work reaches SwiftUI, AVFoundation, CoreFoundation, CoreMedia through a deliberately small high-level chain; the detailed API graph remains inside the cited implementation files.
- Stored-property evidence identifies lifecycle collaboration; it does not by itself prove exclusive object ownership.
- Access-control conclusions separate verified language visibility from the likely design rationale.
- The source does not justify labeling the design protocol-oriented.
Source map
| Source file | Relevant symbols |
|---|---|
SpatialAudioDemo/SpatialAudioDemoApp.swift |
Cited implementation, SpatialAudioDemoApp |
SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerViewModel.swift |
Cited implementation, AudioPlayerViewModel, DispatchQueue.main, @Observable, AnyCancellable, receive(on:), AVFoundation, Combine |
SpatialAudioDemo/AudioPlayerView.swift |
Cited implementation, SwiftUI state property wrapper, SwiftUI, AudioPlayerView |
SpatialAudioDemo/AudioRecorder.swift |
Cited implementation, Sendable or @Sendable, DispatchQueue(label:), async declaration or closure, CoreFoundation, AudioRecorder |
SpatialAudioDemo/ContentView.swift |
Task, ContentView, LiveWaveformShape |
SpatialAudioDemo/AudioVisualizerView.swift |
AudioVisualizerView |