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 AudioSpectrogramApp → ContentView → Accelerate 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
flowchart LR
N1["AudioSpectrogramApp"]
N2["ContentView"]
N3["Accelerate APIs"]
N1 --> N2
N2 --> N3
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
classDiagram
AudioSpectrogramApp *-- AudioSpectrogram : audioSpectrogram
ContentView o-- AudioSpectrogram : audioSpectrogram
AudioSpectrogram *-- Double : gain
AudioSpectrogram *-- Double : zeroReference
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
AudioSpectrogramAppis 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 |