id	title	brief	sdk
D73A5C97-CB9C-0556-8D66-9AD37F178CFA	Record Sound	This recipe illustrates how to record a sound file from the active audio input (either the built-in microphone or the audio input) using the AVAudioRecorder class.	title url AVFoundation Programming Guide https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/AudioVideo/Conceptual/AVFoundationPG/Articles/00_Introduction.html title url AVAudioRecorder https://developer.apple.com/reference/avfoundation/avaudiorecorder

Recipe

The easiest way to record sound in iOS is to use the built-in AVAudioRecorder class:

1. Declare class-level variables:

    AVAudioRecorder recorder;
    NSError error;
    NSUrl url;
    NSDictionary settings;
   

2. You must initialize an audio session before trying to record:

    var audioSession = AVAudioSession.SharedInstance ();
    var err = audioSession.SetCategory (AVAudioSessionCategory.PlayAndRecord);
    if (err != null) {
        Console.WriteLine ("audioSession: {0}", err);
        return false;
    }
    err = audioSession.SetActive (true);
    if (err != null ){
        Console.WriteLine ("audioSession: {0}", err);
        return false;
    }
   

3. Specify the recording format and location to save the recording to. The recording format is specified as an NSDictionary with two NSObject arrays containing the keys and values of the format specification:

    //Declare string for application temp path and tack on the file extension
    string fileName = string.Format ("Myfile{0}.wav", DateTime.Now.ToString ("yyyyMMddHHmmss"));
    string audioFilePath = Path.Combine (Path.GetTempPath (), fileName);
   
    Console.WriteLine("Audio File Path: " + audioFilePath);
   
    url = NSUrl.FromFilename(audioFilePath);
    //set up the NSObject Array of values that will be combined with the keys to make the NSDictionary
    NSObject[] values = new NSObject[]
    {
        NSNumber.FromFloat (44100.0f), //Sample Rate
        NSNumber.FromInt32 ((int)AudioToolbox.AudioFormatType.LinearPCM), //AVFormat
        NSNumber.FromInt32 (2), //Channels
        NSNumber.FromInt32 (16), //PCMBitDepth
        NSNumber.FromBoolean (false), //IsBigEndianKey
        NSNumber.FromBoolean (false) //IsFloatKey
    };
   
    //Set up the NSObject Array of keys that will be combined with the values to make the NSDictionary
    NSObject[] keys = new NSObject[]
    {
        AVAudioSettings.AVSampleRateKey,
        AVAudioSettings.AVFormatIDKey,
        AVAudioSettings.AVNumberOfChannelsKey,
        AVAudioSettings.AVLinearPCMBitDepthKey,
        AVAudioSettings.AVLinearPCMIsBigEndianKey,
        AVAudioSettings.AVLinearPCMIsFloatKey
    };
   
    //Set Settings with the Values and Keys to create the NSDictionary
    settings = NSDictionary.FromObjectsAndKeys (values, keys);
   
    //Set recorder parameters
    recorder = AVAudioRecorder.Create(url, new AudioSettings(settings), out error);
   

4. Call PrepareToRecord, which initializes the recording framework.

    //Set Recorder to Prepare To Record
    recorder.PrepareToRecord();
   

5. Add the NSMicrophoneUsageDescription key value in the Source tab of the Info.plist file. This is added by selecting "Privacy – Microphone Usage Description" from the property drop down, and setting an appropriate string:

6. Call Record when you’re ready to begin recording the audio.

    recorder.Record();
   

7. When you’re finished recording call the Stop method on the recorder:

    recorder.stop();
   

Additional Information

iOS has a number of powerful frameworks for working with audio. The technique shown in this recipe is one of the simplest, but there are a number of others that serve different purposes. For more information, see the AVFoundation Programming Guide in the Apple iOS documentation.