OS X (Apple)

# QT_Capture.py
# (C)2014, B.Walker, G0LCU.
# Issued under MIT licence.
#
# A DEMO to show how to capture an audio snippet for use in simple AudioScopes, etc...
# Designed around OSX 10.7.x and graeter using a _virgin_ OSX install and requires NO dependences.
# NOTE:- Python 2.7.1 is the default OSX 10.7.x Python install.
#
# Tested on Python 2.5.6 to 3.4.1 and saves to the default $HOME/Movies directory\folder\drawer.
# The file is a(n) *.aiff type of file and can easily be converted using the default /usr/bin/afconvert shell command
# to most filetypes, including the *.WAV format used here...
# NOTE:- afplay and afconvert are part of the default install on OSX 10.7.x and can be found inside the /usr/bin folder...
#
# Before running, startup QuickTime Player and from the menu select File -> New Audio Recording.
# From the Audio Recording display select the down pointing arrow and select Maximum Quality. Also select the input
# you want to test with; on this MacBook Pro I used the default internal microphone.
# Now close the Audio Recording window down, there is no need to do a recording. Nothing else is needed to do.
#
# Enjoy finding simple solutions to often very difficult problems.
# Bazza...

import os
import sys

# Create a function to do the task. 
def osxcapture(seconds="2"):
	sys.stdout = open("/tmp/OSXCapture", "w")
	# Generate a simple AppleScript file to launch QuickTime Player _silently_.
	# IMPORTANT!!! DO NOT change the indenting for the AppleScript file!
	print('''tell application "QuickTime Player"
set sample to (new audio recording)
set visible of front window to false
tell sample
delay 1.5
start''')
	print("delay " + seconds)
	print('''stop
end tell
quit
end tell''')
	# Reset stdout back to the default.
	sys.stdout = sys.__stdout__
	# Now capture the audio as '$HOME/Movies/Audio Recording.aifc'...
	os.system("osascript /tmp/OSXCapture")

# The OSX 10.7.x and greater default shell audio file converter.
# This DEMO CAN convert an 'aifc' file to an unsigned 8 bit, mono, at the _equivalent_ of 48000Hz sampling speed...
# Use 'afconvert -f 'WAVE' -c 1 -d UI8@48000 "$HOME/Movies/Audio Recording.aifc" $HOME/Movies/sample.wav'
# to change to 8 bit unsigned integer, mono at 48000Hz _sampling_ rate.
# This is a very, very basic function to convert the file into a more usable CD standard format WAV file...
# It is easy to convert to a .RAW data file from a .WAV file for AudioScope/Audio_Oscilloscope displaying purposes,
# this is a task to solve for yourselves. This is the difficult part... 
def audio_convert():
	sys.stdout = open("/tmp/OSXConvert", "w")
	print('''afconvert -f 'WAVE' -c 2 -d I16@44100 "$HOME/Movies/Audio Recording.aifc" $HOME/Movies/sample.wav''')
	sys.stdout = sys.__stdout__
	# This piece of DEMO code DELETES ALL *.aifc files inside $HOME/Movies drawer\folder\directory so be VERY AWARE!
	os.system("chmod 755 /tmp/OSXConvert; /tmp/OSXConvert; rm $HOME/Movies/*.aifc")

print("Start the DEMO capture using a _hidden_ Quicktime Player as the source...")

# A basic 10 second test. The file created is '$HOME/Movies/Audio Recording.aifc'...
osxcapture("10")

# Now convert to a *.WAV file...
audio_convert()

# A TEST using the OSX 10.7.x default shell command afplay and play the file as a simple listening test...
os.system("afplay $HOME/Movies/sample.wav")

print("End of DEMO program...")
# End of QT_Capture.py DEMO...