As part of my journey in creating the Free Beep Test App at github.com/andyj/free-beep-test-timer I wanted to make sure all aspects of the project were unique and original, including the sounds used during the test. I didn’t want to rely on pre-made sounds that might have licensing issues or not fit perfectly with what I envisioned for the app. So, I decided to create my own sounds using a bash script on MacOS. Here’s how I did it and why.
Why Custom Sounds?
The beep test relies heavily on audio cues to guide participants through the stages. I wanted these cues to be clear, consistent, and completely free from any copyright issues. By creating my own sounds, I could ensure that they fit the needs of the app perfectly and that I had full ownership of them.
The Bash Script
I used a combination of MacOS's built-in say command and the lame tool to generate and convert the audio files. Here’s the script I wrote:
#!/bin/bash
# Created using MacOS and Lame
# $ brew install lame
# Generate the AIFF file for the countdown message
say -o startingin.aiff "Starting in 5.4.3.2.1"
# Convert the AIFF file to MP3 using lame
lame -m m startingin.aiff startingin.mp3
# Generate the AIFF file for the beep sound
say -v Bells -o beep.aiff "beep"
# Convert the AIFF file to MP3 using lame
lame -m m beep.aiff beep.mp3
# Generate the AIFF file for the finishing message
say -o finished.aiff "The beep test has finished. Well done!"
# Convert the AIFF file to MP3 using lame
lame -m m finished.aiff finished.mp3
rm *.aiff
mv *.mp3 ../src/mp3s/
echo "Audio files created and conversion completed"
Breaking Down the Script
Creating Countdown Audio:
The say command on MacOS can convert text to speech and save it as an audio file. I used this to create a countdown message:
say -o startingin.aiff "Starting in 5.4.3.2.1"
This command generates an AIFF file with the spoken countdown.
Converting AIFF to MP3:
To make the audio files more web-friendly, I converted the AIFF files to MP3 using lame, a high-quality MPEG Audio Layer III (MP3) encoder:
lame -m m startingin.aiff startingin.mp3
Creating the Beep Sound:
For the beep sound, I used a special voice setting in the say command:
say -v Bells -o beep.aiff "beep"
The -v Bells option uses the "Bells" voice, which produces a tone that sounds just like a beep. This was the best choice to create a clear, recognisable beep sound for the test.
Creating the Finishing Message:
I also created an audio file to signal the end of the test:
say -o finished.aiff "The beep test has finished. Well done!"
Cleaning Up:
After converting all the AIFF files to MP3, the script removes the original AIFF files and moves the MP3s to the appropriate directory:
rm *.aiff
mv *.mp3 ../src/mp3s/
Completion Message:
Finally, the script outputs a message indicating the audio files have been created and converted:
echo "Audio files created and conversion completed"
Why I’m Sharing This
Creating these custom sounds was a key part of making the Beep Test App truly my own. By sharing this script, I hope to help others who might be looking to add custom sounds to their projects or just want to learn more about text-to-speech and audio conversion on MacOS.
Feel free to try it out and modify it to suit your needs. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome!