kingstinct Audio
Software Mansion's production audio patterns for React Native using react-native-audio-api.
Load at most one reference file per question. For API signatures and config options, webfetch the documentation pages linked in each reference file.
Critical Rules
- Single AudioContext: Create one
AudioContextinstance per app. Multiple instances lead to conflicting states (one running, another suspended). Encapsulate it in a singleton class. - Single AudioRecorder: Create one
AudioRecorderinstance and reuse it. Switching between recorder instances has noticeable impact on performance, memory, and battery. - Suspend when idle: A running
AudioContextplays silence even with no source nodes connected, draining battery. On iOS, it also prevents the lock screen from showing a paused state. Usesuspend()when audio is temporarily not needed,close()when done permanently. - AudioBufferSourceNode is single-use: An
AudioBufferSourceNodecan be started only once. To replay the same sound, create a new node. Nodes are inexpensive to create; reuse theAudioBuffer. - Use AudioParam scheduling for smooth changes: Direct, immediate changes to gain, frequency, or other params cause audible clicks. Use
linearRampToValueAtTime,exponentialRampToValueAtTime, orsetTargetAtTimefor smooth transitions. - Mutate typed arrays in place for visualizations: When passing audio data to Reanimated shared values, use
.modify()to mutate the existingFloat32Arrayrather than allocating a new one each frame. Allocating at 60fps+ causes GC jank.
References
| File | When to read |
|---|---|
audio.md |
Decision tree for choosing an audio approach; AudioContext lifecycle and singleton pattern; audio graph concepts; decoding audio data; AudioBuffer state management |
playback.md |
Playing audio with AudioBufferSourceNode, OscillatorNode, StreamerNode, AudioBufferQueueSourceNode; looping and scheduling; AudioParam scheduling methods; playback rate and pitch; noise generation |
recording.md |
Recording audio with AudioRecorder; three recording modes (file, data callback, graph processing); file output configuration and formats; permissions; background recording setup |
effects-and-analysis.md |
Audio effects chain (GainNode, BiquadFilterNode, DelayNode, ConvolverNode, StereoPannerNode, WaveShaperNode); ADSR envelopes; AnalyserNode for time-domain and frequency-domain data; audio visualization patterns |
worklets.md |
Audio worklets with WorkletNode, WorkletSourceNode, WorkletProcessingNode; UIRuntime vs AudioRuntime; performance budgets and latency constraints; custom synthesis and real-time processing |
system-and-notifications.md |
AudioManager for session configuration and system events; PlaybackNotificationManager and RecordingNotificationManager for media controls; permissions; interruption handling; testing with mocks |