Sample CodemacOSReviewed 2026-07-21View on Apple Developer

Visualizing sound as an audio spectrogram

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Share image data between vDSP and vImage to visualize audio that a device microphone captures.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AudioSpectrogramAppContentViewAccelerate APIs.
Main patterns Delegate or data-source callbacks, SwiftUI environment injection, Publisher-backed observable state
Project style 5 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── AudioSpectrogram/
│   ├── AudioSpectrogramApp.swift
│   ├── AudioSpectrogram+AVCaptureAudioDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate.swift
│   ├── ContentView.swift
│   ├── AudioSpectrogram.swift
│   ├── MelSpectrogram.swift
│   └── AudioSpectrogram.entitlements
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── accelerate-audio-spectrogram.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 5 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogramApp.swift:9 — architecture anchor

@main
struct AudioSpectrogramApp: App {
    // ...
}

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 Accelerate.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogramApp.swift:14 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

@main
struct AudioSpectrogramApp: App {
    // ...
    let audioSpectrogram = AudioSpectrogram()
    // ...
}
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
AudioSpectrogramApp AudioSpectrogram (audioSpectrogram) creates and retains Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
ContentView AudioSpectrogram (audioSpectrogram) receives environment-provided state The environment provider is authoritative
AudioSpectrogram Double (gain) owns value state App/module collaborators
AudioSpectrogram Double (zeroReference) 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.

Class and protocol design

AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogramApp.swift:10 — representative type boundary

struct AudioSpectrogramApp: App {
    // ...
}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
AudioSpectrogramApp Application entry and top-level composition App
ContentView User-interface presentation and input forwarding View
AudioSpectrogram Owns feature behavior and collaborator lifecycle NSObject, ObservableObject
Mode Defines a closed set of feature states or choices String, CaseIterable, Identifiable
MelSpectrogram Owns feature behavior and collaborator lifecycle Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks

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
captureOutput (AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogram+AVCaptureAudioDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate.swift:14) public The symbol is visible to importing modules. Inference: make the declaration available across a module or target boundary.
scenePhase (AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogramApp.swift:12) 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.
computeMelSpectrogram (AudioSpectrogram/MelSpectrogram.swift:65) public The symbol is visible to importing modules. Inference: make the declaration available across a module or target boundary.
makeFilterBank (AudioSpectrogram/MelSpectrogram.swift:94) 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

AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogram+AVCaptureAudioDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate.swift:14 — representative boundary

    public func captureOutput(_ output: AVCaptureOutput,
                              didOutput sampleBuffer: CMSampleBuffer,
                              from connection: AVCaptureConnection) {
        // ...
    }

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 AudioSpectrogramApp The source’s App suffix makes this role explicit.
User-interface presentation and input forwarding ContentView The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
Delegate or data-source callbacks AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogram+AVCaptureAudioDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate.swift:12 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.
SwiftUI environment injection AudioSpectrogram/ContentView.swift:12 The environment supplies state or a capability without threading it through every initializer.
Publisher-backed observable state AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogram.swift:24 Published properties notify observers while mutation remains with the state object.

Naming conventions

  • Types: App: AudioSpectrogramApp; View: ContentView.
  • Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
  • Methods: captureOutput, configureCaptureSession, startRunning, processData, makeAudioSpectrogramImage, computeMelSpectrogram, makeFilterBank, populateMelFilterBankFrequencies.
  • Files: AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogramApp.swift, AudioSpectrogram/ContentView.swift, AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogram.swift, AudioSpectrogram/MelSpectrogram.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • AudioSpectrogramApp is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches AVFoundation, Accelerate, SwiftUI, Cocoa 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
AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogramApp.swift AudioSpectrogramApp
AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogram+AVCaptureAudioDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate.swift Feature implementation
AudioSpectrogram/ContentView.swift ContentView
AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogram.swift AudioSpectrogram, Mode
AudioSpectrogram/MelSpectrogram.swift MelSpectrogram