how to read wav file in C++

To read a WAV file in C++, you can use a library like libsndfile. Here are the steps to read a WAV file using libsndfile:

  1. Include the necessary headers: Start by including the necessary headers for libsndfile in your C++ program. The main header file you'll need is sndfile.h.
#include <sndfile.h>
  1. Open the WAV file: Use the sf_open() function provided by libsndfile to open the WAV file you want to read. This function takes the file path as a parameter and returns a pointer to an SNDFILE structure.
SNDFILE* file = sf_open("path/to/your/file.wav", SFM_READ, &sfinfo);
  1. Check if the file opened successfully: After opening the file, you should check if it opened successfully by checking if the returned pointer is not NULL.
if (!file) {
    // Handle error: file couldn't be opened
}
  1. Read the file properties: Use the sf_readf_() or sf_read_() functions to read the properties of the WAV file, such as the sample rate, number of channels, and number of frames.
sf_count_t frames = sfinfo.frames; // Total number of frames in the file
int samplerate = sfinfo.samplerate; // Sample rate of the file
int channels = sfinfo.channels; // Number of channels
  1. Allocate memory for the audio data: Allocate memory to store the audio data read from the WAV file. You can use a dynamic array or a buffer to store the audio samples.
float buffer = new float[frames  channels];
  1. Read the audio data: Use the sf_readf_() or sf_read_() functions to read the audio data from the WAV file into the buffer you allocated.
sf_readf_float(file, buffer, frames);
  1. Close the WAV file: After reading the audio data, you should close the WAV file using the sf_close() function.
sf_close(file);

  1. Process the audio data: Now that you have the audio data stored in the buffer, you can process it according to your requirements. You can manipulate the samples, apply filters, or perform any other audio processing tasks.

  2. Clean up: Don't forget to free the memory allocated for the buffer when you're done using it.

delete[] buffer;

That's it! These are the steps to read a WAV file in C++ using libsndfile. Remember to handle any errors that may occur during the process and add error-checking code where necessary.