Importing audio

In bellplay~ we can also generate buffers by importing our own audio files into our scripts. For this, we use the importaudio function, which takes a file path as a symbol and returns a buffer.

Path specification

In bellplay~, file paths can be either relative or absolute. Here are some examples:

A relative path refers to a location relative to the current script's directory. For instance, './samples/kick.wav' refers to a file in a samples subdirectory located next to your script.
An absolute path points to a fixed location on your filesystem. For example, '/Users/alice/samples/snare.wav' refers to a specific file, regardless of where your script is located.
A path starting with '~/' is a shorthand for the current user's home directory, e.g., '~/Downloads/beat.wav'.

Always ensure that the file you are referencing exists at the specified path. In later tutorials we will take a look at using the exists function for this.

Since bellplay~ comes with a few built-in audio files, they will be used throughout the tutorials for demonstration purposes. In the tutorial below, "poem.wav" is one such file, which is why it does not require a relative or absolute path syntax. However, you should always experiment with your own sounds, by providing a valid path (absolute, or relative to your bell script location) to a file in your computer.

importing_audio.bell
## path to built-in audio file
$path = 'poem.wav';
## uncomment the line👇 below to use a file path of your choosing
## $path = "/path/to/my/file.wav";
## use file path to import audio file as a buffer
$buff = importaudio($path);
## transcribe buffer and render
$buff.transcribe();
render()

Sound file duration

As you start experimenting with your own files, bear in mind that importing and manipulating longer sounds will result in longer processing time. As such, it's better to start small when prototyping and experimenting, and scale up once you think it's worth the wait time to hear the results.

Result​

Result