# Ruby audio API (hopefully in a new thread, sorry for the duplication)

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-audio-api-hopefully-in-a-new-thread-sorry-for-the-duplication/150826>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [October 13, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-audio-api-hopefully-in-a-new-thread-sorry-for-the-duplication/150826 "2008-10-13T21:11:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Joe\_WSSSSlfel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/45deac/32.png) [@Joe\_WSSSSlfel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joe_WSSSSlfel)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-audio-api-hopefully-in-a-new-thread-sorry-for-the-duplication/150826/1 "2008-10-13T21:11:02Z")

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Hi All,

I’m looking for a Ruby audio API. Is there a good one already  
available or is anyone in the process of working on one? I’d like  
one that is easy to install and manage, such as a gem with no or  
automatic dependencies. Also, I’d like a liberal license, at least  
as liberal as LGPL or better yet BSD because I’d like to eventually  
give away the tools I’m working on with the fewest possible  
restrictions.

If I can’t find one I’m considering writing one using something like  
PortAudio. Would that make sense? If I were to do that does anyone  
have any suggestions for how it should be done to make it work best  
with Ruby?

Thanks,  
Joe

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**Author:** ![Joe\_WSSSSlfel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/45deac/32.png) [@Joe\_WSSSSlfel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joe_WSSSSlfel)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-audio-api-hopefully-in-a-new-thread-sorry-for-the-duplication/150826/2 "2008-10-13T22:18:41Z")

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On Tue, Oct 14, 2008, Joe Wlfel wrote:

> I’m looking for a Ruby audio API. Is there a good one already available or  
> is anyone in the process of working on one? I’d like one that is easy to  
> install and manage, such as a gem with no or automatic dependencies. Also,  
> I’d like a liberal license, at least as liberal as LGPL or better yet BSD  
> because I’d like to eventually give away the tools I’m working on with the  
> fewest possible restrictions.

Let’s start with this… what do you want it to do? Do you want to  
decode audio files? Encode them? Play back audio? Synthesis? Record?

What are you trying to accomplish?

Ben

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**Author:** ![Joe\_WSSSSlfel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/45deac/32.png) [@Joe\_WSSSSlfel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Joe_WSSSSlfel)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-audio-api-hopefully-in-a-new-thread-sorry-for-the-duplication/150826/3 "2008-10-13T22:50:52Z")

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On 13 oct. 08, at 16:15, Ben B. wrote:

> > with the  
> > fewest possible restrictions.
> 
> Let’s start with this… what do you want it to do? Do you want to  
> decode audio files? Encode them? Play back audio? Synthesis?  
> Record?
> 
> What are you trying to accomplish?
> 
> Ben

I’d like to use it for capturing audio for speech recognition.  
Accurate control of the microphone is important. It needs to be  
clear when the mic is on and when it’s off. Storing audio in raw  
formats is ok, but it would be preferable to read and write in a  
lossless compressed format.