Diffusion Score

Read a wave file and create a diffusion score. It shows the waveform with timestamps and space for annotation:

• Upper staff: waveform (mono or stereo)
• Lower staff: empty space for diffusion notes
• Audio is split into lines (systems) and pages
• Designed for printing and manual annotation during performance

The output is suitable for acousmatic diffusion, live spatialization, or score-following contexts.

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Features

• Reads mono or stereo WAV files
• Multi-page PDF output (A4 or Letter)
• Fixed-duration systems (e.g. 10 s per line)
• Rounded system frames (score-like appearance)
• Optional 5-line staff in notes area
• Stereo or mono waveform display
• Absolute time labels per system
• Print-ready layout (no UI elements)

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Dependencies

Install once:

pip install numpy matplotlib soundfile

Run it like this:

python3 diff_score.py --sec-per-line 30 --lines-per-page 4 --staff-lines 0  --max-plot-points 5000 filename.wav

Command Line Arguments

The script is controlled entirely via command line arguments to allow reproducible score layouts.

Required

Argument	Description
wav	Input WAV file (mono or stereo). The audio is never modified; it is only used for visualization.

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Optional

Output and Page Layout

Argument	Default	Description
-o, --out	<input>.pdf	Output PDF file name.
--page-size	A4	Page format: A4 or Letter.
--dpi	300	Rendering resolution for the PDF. Increase for high-quality printing.

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System (Line) Layout

Argument	Default	Description
--sec-per-line	10.0	Duration (in seconds) represented by one system (line).
--lines-per-page	6	Number of systems per page. Controls vertical density.

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Waveform Display

Argument	Default	Description
--mono	off	Plot a mono waveform (average of channels) instead of stereo traces.
--max-plot-points	2500	Maximum number of waveform samples plotted per system. Prevents slow rendering for long files.

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Notes Area (Lower Staff)

Argument	Default	Description
--no-staff	off	Disable staff lines in the notes area (leave it completely blank).
--staff-lines	5	Number of staff lines drawn in the notes area. Ignored if --no-staff is set.