Python: Using PyGame for real-time visualization of audio signals with a 44100 Hz sampling rate
PyGame is a popular library for developing 2D games in Python. The initial version of PyGame was presented by Pete Shinners in October 2000, and since then, the library has gradually gained popularity due to its ease of use, good documentation, and active community. Initially designed to work with early versions of Python (including Python 2), PyGame was based on the SDL 1 library. SDL is a cross-platform library in C that provides low-level access to audio devices, keyboard, mouse, and graphical functions via OpenGL, DirectX, etc.
The current versions 2.x fully support Python 3 (from 3.7 and above) and include a range of updates, such as improved OpenGL support, hardware acceleration, and the ability to work with vertical synchronization on monitors (VSync).
This article discusses an unconventional application of PyGame - the rapid display of graphs, for example, data streams with a 44100 Hz sampling rate from a sound card, which may be necessary for visualizing audio signals.
For such a task, the following functions and capabilities of PyGame are well-suited:
pygame.display.flip() - quickly updates the screen content after changes
#have been made.
#
Using pygame.time.Clock() - allows you to control FPS,
which enables the system to request updates
at up to 60 frames per second or more, which is
important for displaying signals in real-time.
#
The new vsync flag (for example, passed to set_mode with
the pygame.RESIZABLE or pygame.OPENGL parameter)
can be used to synchronize screen updates with
the display's vertical refresh rate.The main loop (typical in PyGame):
running = True
while running:
# Обработка событий
# Генерация шума и обновление данных графика
# Очистка экрана
# Отрисовка сетки и графика
# Подсчет и отображение FPS
# Обновление экрана
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(FPS)
pygame.quit()
