Question 1

How do I choose between librosa and aubio for audio analysis?

Accepted Answer

Librosa is better for high-level music analysis with extensive features and ease of use, while aubio is written in C and optimized for real-time feature extraction. Consider your project's need for speed versus comprehensive functionality.

Question 2

What's the best way to handle real-time audio processing in Python?

Accepted Answer

Check out python-sounddevice for audio I/O and PYO for DSP in the real-time applications section. However, you'll likely need to combine these with other libraries for full pipelines, as the list doesn't provide integrated solutions.

Question 3

How to install and use madmom for beat detection?

Accepted Answer

Madmom can be installed via pip and includes pre-trained models for beat tracking. The list links to its GitHub and PyPI pages; refer to its documentation for examples on implementing detection algorithms in your code.

Question 4

Python audio libraries vs MATLAB for signal processing research?

Accepted Answer

Python offers more open-source, community-driven tools with growing ecosystems, while MATLAB has integrated toolboxes but is proprietary. This list highlights Python's strengths for scientific audio, but the choice depends on your institution's resources and familiarity.

Question 5

Are there good datasets for audio machine learning included?

Accepted Answer

Yes, packages like musdb and mirdata in the audio dataset section provide loaders for datasets like MUSDB18, which are essential for tasks like source separation and music information retrieval research.

Question 6

How can I contribute a new library to this list?

Accepted Answer

Submit a pull request on GitHub following the contribution guidelines; the maintainer keeps some PRs open for community voting to ensure quality, as detailed in the README's contributing section.

Question 7

What are alternatives to this list for audio Python packages?

Accepted Answer

Other resources include Awesome-Python's audio section, but it's less comprehensive for scientific needs. The README mentions this as a motivation, so for broader tools, you might need to supplement with general lists or domain-specific searches.

Awesome Python for Scientific Audio

What is Awesome Python for Scientific Audio?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Found a gem we're missing?

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions