Getting started

Install the module, make a first sound, and use the bx-audio command line.

Install

You need BoxLang on Java 21 or newer.

# BoxLang operating system binary
install-bx-module bx-audio

# CommandBox
box install bx-audio

install-bx-module also installs the bx-audio command and its bash tab completion. Check the installation:

bx-audio doctor

doctor checks MP3, FFmpeg, the sound card, the examples and the explorer, and tells you what is missing and how to fix it. Without the installer, every command also runs as boxlang module:bxaudio <command>.

Your first sound

Audio is passed around as an audio buffer. Every function that changes audio returns a new buffer and leaves the one you gave it alone. Save this as first.bxs and run boxlang first.bxs:

// A two second A minor chord with a fade, saved as WAV and MP3
notes = [ "A3", "C4", "E4" ].map( ( n ) => audioOsc( "saw", audioFreq( n ), 2 ) );
chord = audioFilter( audioMix( notes ), "lowpass", 1800, 0.8 );
chord = audioFade( audioGain( chord, -10 ), 0.05, 0.6, "smooth" );

audioSave( chord, "chord.wav" );
audioSave( chord, "chord.mp3" );
println( audioInfo( "chord.wav" ) );

Then try the command line on it:

bx-audio info chord.wav               # format, length, peak, RMS
bx-audio loudness chord.wav           # LUFS, loudness range, true peak
bx-audio waveform chord.wav           # one line of loudness
bx-audio master chord.wav loud.wav    # reach -14 LUFS with a true-peak limiter

Hear the examples

The module ships fifteen complete pieces. Render one to a file, or open the explorer and play them in a browser:

bx-audio pieces                                # the list
bx-audio render synthwave --out=night.mp3      # synthesize one
bx-audio explorer                              # the web player, on the BoxLang MiniServer

The examples page has a player for every piece.

Speak something

bx-audio speak "Hello from BoxLang." --voice=joe --out=hello.mp3

The first time, this downloads the speech engine (about 148 MB) and the voice (63 MB), checks them against checksums and keeps them in ~/.bxaudio. After that it works offline. See Speech and subtitles and the list of voices.

What next

• Make music: Synthesis and effects, Timeline mixing
• Make a video soundtrack: Trailers and video
• Make a game sound: Game audio
• Look something up: the function reference and the command line