![]() ![]() The /vendor/lib/soundfx directory holds the native libraries supplying each audio effect implementation. The Pixel 6 Pro is one of the few devices that supports the HapticGenerator effect introduced in Android 12, an audio post-processor that generates haptic data from audio. The /vendor/etc/audio_effects.xml file from a Pixel 6 Pro running Android 13 Beta 3.2. For each audio effect that a device supports, the OEM has to supply a native library in the vendor image and list the effect in the audio_effects.xml configuration file. ![]() Under the hood, these APIs call into the Effects HAL, which is part of the audio HAL, to control audio effects. These are Android’s Audio Effects APIs, or AudioFX for short, and they enable input (pre-processing) effects like acoustic echo cancellation, automatic gain control, and noise suppression as well as output (post-processing) effects like equalization, virtualization, bass boosting, and so on. There’s a subset of classes in Android’s media framework that manage audio effects. You don’t really need to know the nitty-gritty details right now. This is a chart showing Android’s audio architecture. That’s why in this edition of Android Dessert Bites, I’m going to dive into how music equalizer apps work on Android. In fact, I love these kinds of workarounds from an academic standpoint. ![]() The fact that Wavelet asks the user to grant it a special permission via ADB in order to use “ enhanced session detection” solidified the hackiness in my mind. It always felt a bit hacky to me, as if these apps are using an API in a way that’s unintended by Google, because they often don’t work with many media players. ![]() I don’t know about you, but seeing Wavelet in action got me wondering how music equalizer apps are even able to apply audio effects to music sessions started by YouTube Music, Spotify, and other media players. What’s not up for debate is whether they work, as in they do actually tune the audio as described. Sound quality is subjective, of course, so whether or not apps like Wavelet actually make your songs sound better is up to the listener. Screenshots of the Wavelet app, retrieved from the app’s Play Store listing. AutoEQ profiles for thousands of headphone models, a 9 band graphic equalizer, effects such as reverberation, virtualizer, and bass tuner, and finally a limiter and channel balance feature were all included as part of the package. It wasn’t quite on the level of V4A, but what it featured without needing root access was remarkable. The app, created by developer Thomas de Witt, made a splash in the Android community when people saw what it had to offer. I loved V4A for what it did, and not having it was one of the main things that made me want to root every new phone I got. It not only offered a multi-band equalizer but also supported importing headphone correction files, applying various audio effects, controlling the gain, and more. While there were many different things that drew people to root and mod their Android phones, one of the more popular reasons was to install Viper4Android, an incredibly powerful audio enhancement tool. Years before I started writing about Android, I was an avid user of the XDA forums, like many of my colleagues. ![]()
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