Visualizing sound as an audio spectrogram

At a glance

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 {

    @Environment(\.scenePhase) private var scenePhase

    let audioSpectrogram = AudioSpectrogram()

    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
                .environmentObject(audioSpectrogram)
                .onChange(of: scenePhase) { phase in
                    if phase == .active {
                        Task(priority: .userInitiated) {
                            audioSpectrogram.startRunning()
                        }
                    }
                }
        }
    }
}

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()
    // ...
}

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.

@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

AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogram+AVCaptureAudioDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate.swift:73 — representative execution boundary

        DispatchQueue.main.async { [self] in
            outputImage = makeAudioSpectrogramImage()
        }

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.

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

AudioSpectrogram/AudioSpectrogramApp.swift:10 — representative type boundary

@main
struct AudioSpectrogramApp: App {
    // ...
    @Environment(\.scenePhase) private var scenePhase
    // ...
}

No local protocol conformance is claimed as protocol-oriented design; external framework conformances are listed only as dependencies.

Access control

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

Design patterns

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

• Official Apple documentation