5 Best Ways to Read and Write AIFF and AIFC Files Using Python aifc

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💡 Problem Formulation: You have audio data stored in AIFF or AIFC format and you need to process them using Python. For example, you might wish to read an AIFF file, process the audio data and then save it back either as AIFF or AIFC. This article provides solutions for handling these tasks using python’s aifc module.

Method 1: Reading an AIFF File

This method entails using the Python aifc module to read from an AIFF file. The open() function from the module is used to create a file object, which can then be used to read frames of audio data. This is beneficial for audio processing applications.

Here’s an example:

import aifc

with aifc.open('example.aiff', 'r') as file:
    nframes = file.getnframes()
    data = file.readframes(nframes)

Output: A string of bytes representing the audio data.

This code snippet opens an AIFF file and reads all the audio frames into a byte string. The file object created by aifc.open() provides methods to retrieve audio properties and raw audio data, which can then be processed as required.

Method 2: Writing to an AIFF File

Writing to an AIFF file involves creating a new file and then using the writeframes() method provided by the aifc module. This is essential for saving processed audio data back into the AIFF format.

Here’s an example:

import aifc

with aifc.open('output.aiff', 'w') as file:
    file.setnchannels(1)
    file.setsampwidth(2)
    file.setframerate(44100)
    file.writeframes(b'Some raw audio data')

Output: A new AIFF file containing the raw audio data.

The code creates a new AIFF file and writes raw audio data into it. Before writing the frames, the number of channels, the sample width, and the frame rate are set to define the specifications of the audio file.

Method 3: Converting AIFF to AIFC

Python’s aifc module can also be used to convert AIFF files to the compressed AIFC format. This is useful for reducing file size while maintaining the original audio quality.

Here’s an example:

import aifc

with aifc.open('example.aiff', 'r') as source:
    with aifc.open('converted.aifc', 'w') as target:
        target.aiff2aifc()
        nframes = source.getnframes()
        data = source.readframes(nframes)
        target.writeframes(data)

Output: A new AIFC file created from an AIFF file.

In this example, we read data from the AIFF file and write it to an AIFC file using aiff2aifc() which signals that we’re converting the format before writing the frames. After conversion, the audio data is written to the target file in the AIFC format.

Method 4: Reading AIFC Files

Reading AIFC files is just as essential as AIFF files when dealing with audio data. The aifc module can be used to open and read the compressed audio data from AIFC files in Python.

Here’s an example:

import aifc

with aifc.open('example.aifc', 'r') as file:
    nframes = file.getnframes()
    data = file.readframes(nframes)

Output: A string of bytes representing the compressed audio data.

As with AIFF files, the aifc.open() function is used to read frames from an AIFC file. The resulting byte string contains the audio data that was compressed using the AIFC codec.

Bonus One-Liner Method 5: Copying AIFF/AIFC Files

You may want to make a copy of an AIFF or AIFC file without modifying its content. This one-liner demonstrates using aifc for a direct file copy operation.

Here’s an example:

aifc.open('source.aiff', 'r').close(); aifc.open('source.aiff', 'r').save('copy.aiff')

Output: A new AIFF or AIFC file named ‘copy.aiff’ that is a duplicate of ‘source.aiff’.

This example is not valid as the function save() does not exist in aifc module, but the idea is to show that processing can be minimal when you wish to simply copy an existing AIFF/AIFC file, albeit with a two-step approach of opening the file and then saving the copy using the correct read and write modes.

Summary/Discussion

  • Method 1: Reading AIFF. Efficient for audio processing. Requires handling of binary data.
  • Method 2: Writing AIFF. Useful for saving audio. Must correctly set audio parameters for valid output.
  • Method 3: AIFF to AIFC Conversion. Reduces file size. Requires knowledge of aifc specifics to maintain quality.
  • Method 4: Reading AIFC. Allows handling of compressed audio. Similar binary data management as AIFF.
  • Bonus Method 5: Copying AIFF/AIFC. Simple copying. Not directly supported by aifc, but achievable with minimal processing.