--- name: "aubioonset" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "aubio" version: "0.4.9-25" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/aubioonset" --- # aubioonset(1) a command line tool to extract musical onset times ## NAME **aubioonset** - a command line tool to extract musical onset times ## SYNOPSIS ``` aubioonset source aubioonset [[-i] source] [-o sink] [-r rate] [-B win] [-H hop] [-O method] [-t thres] [-T time-format] [-s sil] [-m] [-f] [-j] [-N miditap-note] [-V miditap-velo] [-v] [-h] ``` ## DESCRIPTION **aubioonset attempts to detect onset times, the beginning of discrete sound** **events, in audio signals.** **When started with an input** *source* **(-i/--input), the detected onset times are** **given on the console, in seconds.** **When started without an input** *source***, or with the jack option (-j/--jack),** **aubioonset starts in jack mode.** ## OPTIONS **This program follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options** **starting with two dashes (--). A summary of options is included below.** - **-i, --input *source*** **Run analysis on this audio file. Most uncompressed and** **compressed are supported, depending on how aubio was built.** - **-o, --output *sink*** **Save results in this file. The file will be created on** **the model of the input file. Onset times are marked by a short wood-block** **like sound.** - **-r, --samplerate *rate*** **Fetch the input** *source***, resampled at the given** **sampling** *rate***. The** *rate* **should be specified in Hertz as an integer. If 0,** **the sampling** *rate* **of the original** *source* **will be used. Defaults to 0.** - **-B, --bufsize *win*** **The size of the buffer to analyze, that is the length** **of the window used for spectral and temporal computations. Defaults to 512.** - **-H, --hopsize *hop*** **The number of samples between two consecutive analysis.** **Defaults to 256.** - **-O, --onset *method*** **The onset detection** *method* **to use. See ONSET METHODS** **below. Defaults to 'default'.** - **-t, --onset-threshold *thres*** **Set the threshold value for the onset peak** **picking. Values are typically in the range \[0.001, 0.900\]. Lower threshold** **values imply more onsets detected. Increasing this threshold should reduce** **the number of incorrect detections. Defaults to 0.3.** - **-M, --minioi value** **Set the minimum inter-onset interval, in seconds, the** **shortest interval between two consecutive onsets. Defaults to 0.020** - **-s, --silence *sil*** **Set the silence threshold, in dB, under which the onset** **will not be detected. A value of -20.0 would eliminate most onsets but the** **loudest ones. A value of -90.0 would select all onsets. Defaults to -90.0.** - **-T, --timeformat format** **Set time format (samples, ms, seconds). Defaults to** **seconds.** - **-m, --mix-input** **Mix** *source* **signal to the output signal before writing to** *sink***.** - **-f, --force-overwrite** **Overwrite output file if it already exists.** - **-j, --jack** **Use Jack input/output. You will need a Jack connection** **controller to feed aubio some signal and listen to its output.** - **-N, --*miditap-note*** **Override note value for MIDI tap. Defaults to 69.** - **-V, --miditap-velop** **Override velocity value for MIDI tap. Defaults to 65.** - **-h, --help** **Print a short help message and exit.** - **-v, --verbose** **Be verbose.** ## ONSET METHODS **Available methods are:** - **default** **Default distance, currently hfc** **Default: 'default' (currently set to hfc)** - **energy** **Energy based distance** **This function calculates the local energy of the input spectral frame.** - **hfc** **High-Frequency content** **This** *method* **computes the High Frequency Content (HFC) of the input** **spectral frame. The resulting function is efficient at detecting** **percussive onsets.** **Paul Masri. Computer modeling of Sound for Transformation and Synthesis of** **Musical Signal. PhD dissertation, University of Bristol, UK, 1996.** - **complex** **Complex domain onset detection function** **This function uses information both in frequency and in phase to determine** **changes in the spectral content that might correspond to musical onsets.** **It is best suited for complex signals such as polyphonic recordings.** - **Christopher Duxbury, Mike E. Davies, and Mark B. Sandler.** **Complex domain** **onset detection for musical signals. In Proceedings of the Digital Audio** **Effects Conference, DAFx-03, pages 90-93, London, UK, 2003.** - **phase** **Phase based onset detection function** **This function uses information both in frequency and in phase to determine** **changes in the spectral content that might correspond to musical onsets. It** **is best suited for complex signals such as polyphonic recordings.** - **Juan-Pablo Bello, Mike P. Davies, and Mark B. Sandler.** **Phase-based note** **onset detection for music signals. In Proceedings of the IEEE International** **Conference on Acoustics Speech and Signal Processing, pages 441­444,** **Hong-Kong, 2003.** - **specdiff** **Spectral difference onset detection function** **Jonhatan Foote and Shingo Uchihashi. The beat spectrum: a new approach to** **rhythm analysis. In IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo** **(ICME 2001), pages 881­884, Tokyo, Japan, August 2001.** - **kl** **Kulback-Liebler onset detection function** **Stephen Hainsworth and Malcom Macleod. Onset detection in music audio** **signals. In Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference** **(ICMC), Singapore, 2003.** - **mkl** **Modified Kulback-Liebler onset detection function** **Paul Brossier, \`\`Automatic annotation of musical audio for interactive** **systems'', Chapter 2, Temporal segmentation, PhD thesis, Centre for** **Digital music, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK, 2006.** - **specflux** **Spectral flux** **Simon Dixon, Onset Detection Revisited, in \`\`Proceedings of the 9th** **International Conference on Digital Audio Effects'' (DAFx-06), Montreal,** **Canada, 2006.** ## SEE ALSO **[aubiopitch(1)](/aubiopitch/1.md),** **[aubiotrack(1)](/aubiotrack/1.md),** **[aubionotes(1)](/aubionotes/1.md),** **[aubioquiet(1)](/aubioquiet/1.md),** **[aubiomfcc(1)](/aubiomfcc/1.md),** **and** **[aubiocut(1)](/aubiocut/1.md).** ## AUTHOR **This manual page was written by Paul Brossier \. Permission is** **granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of** **the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation,** **either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.**