Install & Compatibility
Where this runs
tested against v? · pip install
Install × environment matrix
Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux
muslpy 3.10–3.95 runs
build_error
glibcpy 3.10–3.95 runs
build_error
Code
Verified usage
Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.
Vad
✓ import webrtcvad
✗ from webrtcvad import Vad
Initializes the VAD, sets its aggressiveness mode, and demonstrates classifying silence and a mock speech segment. It highlights the strict audio format requirements: 16-bit mono PCM at 8000, 16000, 32000, or 48000 Hz, with frame durations of 10, 20, or 30 ms.
import webrtcvad
import struct
# WebRTC VAD requires 16-bit mono PCM audio at specific sample rates
# and frame durations (10, 20, or 30 ms).
sample_rate = 16000 # Hz
frame_duration_ms = 30 # ms
bytes_per_sample = 2 # 16-bit audio
# Calculate frame size in bytes
frame_size_bytes = int(sample_rate * (frame_duration_ms / 1000.0) * bytes_per_sample)
# Create a VAD instance with an aggressiveness mode (0-3)
# 0: least aggressive, 3: most aggressive
vad = webrtcvad.Vad(3)
# Create a silent audio frame (16-bit mono PCM)
silence_frame = b'\x00\x00' * int(frame_size_bytes / bytes_per_sample)
# Create a mock speech-like frame (simple sine wave for demonstration)
# In a real application, this would come from an audio input.
speech_frame = b''
for i in range(int(frame_size_bytes / bytes_per_sample)):
# Simple sine wave approximation for a speech-like signal
amplitude = 10000 # Max 32767 for 16-bit
value = int(amplitude * (i % 30 < 15) - amplitude * (i % 30 >= 15)) # Square wave approximation
speech_frame += struct.pack('<h', value)
print(f"Processing frame of {frame_duration_ms} ms at {sample_rate} Hz")
# Test with silence
is_speech_silence = vad.is_speech(silence_frame, sample_rate)
print(f"Silence frame contains speech: {is_speech_silence}")
# Test with speech-like audio
is_speech_mock = vad.is_speech(speech_frame, sample_rate)
print(f"Mock speech frame contains speech: {is_speech_mock}")
# You can also set the mode after initialization
vad.set_mode(1)
print(f"VAD aggressiveness set to 1.")
Debug
Known issues
gotchaThe WebRTC VAD has strict audio input requirements: 16-bit, mono PCM audio, sampled at 8000, 16000, 32000, or 48000 Hz. Frames must be exactly 10, 20, or 30 ms in duration.fixEnsure your audio input (e.g., from a microphone or file) is pre-processed to match these specifications before passing it to `vad.is_speech()`.
affects: All versions
gotchaThe `webrtcvad` package (wiseman/py-webrtcvad) can be difficult to install on some platforms due to its C/C++ dependencies and lack of pre-built wheels for all Python versions/OS combinations.fixConsider using `pip install webrtcvad-wheels` instead, which is a fork specifically designed to provide pre-compiled binary wheels for easier installation across various platforms. The API remains the same. If sticking with `webrtcvad`, ensure you have a C/C++ compiler installed and up-to-date Python development headers.
affects: All versions, particularly on Windows or less common Linux/macOS configurations.
gotchaVersion 2.0.10 fixed a memory leak in the `is_speech()` method. While 2.0.10 should contain this fix, later versions of the `webrtcvad-wheels` fork (e.g., 2.0.13) address further memory leak issues.fixEnsure you are using at least `webrtcvad` 2.0.10. For the most robust memory handling, consider migrating to `webrtcvad-wheels` and using its latest version.
affects: Prior to 2.0.10, and potentially some lingering issues in 2.0.10 that were addressed in later `webrtcvad-wheels` versions.
gotchaThe WebRTC VAD is a simple, real-time oriented model and may produce false positives for non-speech sounds (e.g., music, birdsong) or false negatives in very noisy environments, even at high aggressiveness settings.fixFor applications requiring higher accuracy in challenging audio environments or more nuanced classification beyond simple speech/no-speech, consider integrating more advanced VAD algorithms or machine learning models.
affects: All versions
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Version history
2.0.10latest on PyPI · released Jan 7, 2017
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Dependencies
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