Install SpectAcoular#

Tools#

There are many different tools for Python environment management and package installation. Select your preferred method by clicking on one of the tabs below.

“An extremely fast Python package and project manager, written in Rust.”

This method only requires an installation of uv itself. Choose this for a beginner-friendly and streamlined experience.

“The PyPA recommended tool for installing Python packages.”

This method requires Python and an installation of pip. Choose this for a traditional Python experience.

“The fast cross-platform package manager.”

This method only requires an installation of mamba itself. Choose this if you rely on Anaconda and want a fast experience.

Virtual environment#

We strongly encourage the use of virtual environments. An environment my-env can be created with:

$ uv venv

Note

uv will handle environment activation implicitly (the environment is created at .venv).

$ python3 -m venv my-env

and activate the environment with:

$ source my-env/bin/activate

$ mamba create -n my-env

and activate the environment with:

$ mamba activate my-env

Installation#

To install SpectAcoular, run the following in your terminal or command prompt:

$ uv pip install spectacoular

$ pip install -U spectacoular

$ mamba install -c acoular spectacoular

Dependencies#

SpectAcoular depends on the following packages, which will be installed automatically unless they are already present:

Package

Function

Acoular

Acoustic beamforming and signal processing.

Bokeh

Interactive plotting and browser-based user interfaces.

Optional dependencies#

Optional dependencies are only required for some applications and features, mainly the measurement and live-audio apps.

Package

Needed for

opencv-python

Camera/image functionality in the measurement app.

sounddevice

Audio input via PortAudio-based hardware.

SpectAcoular and its optional dependencies can be installed with one of the following commands:

$ uv pip install 'spectacoular[full]'

$ pip install -U 'spectacoular[full]'

$ mamba install -c acoular spectacoular opencv python-sounddevice

Verify your installation#

After installation, you can verify that SpectAcoular is working by starting one of the included applications:

$ uv run micgeom_app --show

$ micgeom_app --show

$ micgeom_app --show

This should open a new browser window or tab with the microphone geometry application.

Known issues#

Missing PortAudio on Linux#

Live-audio features depend on sounddevice, which in turn requires the system library PortAudio. When installing SpectAcoular with pip or uv on Linux, PortAudio might not be present yet.

On Ubuntu or Debian, you can install it with:

$ sudo apt install libportaudio2

This is only needed for applications that use live audio input, such as the level meter or measurement app.