Simple Wave Generator (Linux GTK + PulseAudio)

This is a simple wave generator project for Linux using GTK3 for the GUI and PulseAudio for audio output. It provides real-time control over volume, frequency, and phase of sine and square waves.

Features

• Waveform Selection: Choose between sine and square wave output
• Volume Control: Adjustable from -96 dB to +6 dB (default -20 dB)
• Frequency Control: Adjustable from 10 Hz to 22 kHz
• Phase Control: Adjustable from 0 to 1 (0 to 2π radians)
• Play/Mute Buttons: Toggle continuous sine or square wave output on/off
• Waveform Display: Real-time visualization of the selected waveform
• Logarithmic Frequency Sweep: Generate frequency sweeps with logarithmic spacing
• Sweep Direction: Sweep up (Start → End) or sweep down (End → Start)
• Sweep Duration: Adjustable from 0.1 to 60 seconds (default 5 seconds)
• Real-time Audio: Continuous wave generation via PulseAudio/PipeWire.

Screenshots

Installation

Arch Linux (AUR)

Install from the Arch User Repository using an AUR helper:

yay -S simplesinewavegenerator-git
# or
paru -S simplesinewavegenerator-git

Or manually build from the AUR:

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/simplesinewavegenerator-git.git
cd simplesinewavegenerator-git
makepkg -si

Building from Source

Dependencies

• GTK3 development libraries
• PulseAudio development libraries
• C++11 compatible compiler (g++)

On Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S gtk3 pulseaudio

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-dev libpulse-dev

Build Instructions

make -f Makefile.gtk

Running

After installation from AUR:

simpleSineWaveGenerator

When building from source:

./simpleSineWaveGenerator

Usage

1. Launch the application
2. Select waveform type (Sine or Square)
3. Click "Play" for the selected waveform to enable continuous output
4. Adjust the volume slider to set output level
5. Adjust the frequency slider to change pitch
6. Adjust the phase slider to shift the waveform
7. Use "Mute" to silence continuous output
8. View the real-time waveform display in the bottom panel

Frequency Sweep

1. Set the Start frequency (Hz)
2. Set the End frequency (Hz)
3. Set the sweep duration (seconds)
4. Click "Sweep ->" to sweep from Start to End frequency (ascending)
5. Click "Sweep <-" to sweep from End to Start frequency (descending)
6. The sweep uses logarithmic frequency spacing for smooth transitions
7. Sweep plays independently of the Play/Mute button and stops automatically when complete
8. Generated sweeps are saved to sweep_up.wav or sweep_down.wav for analysis

Technical Details

• GUI Framework: GTK3
• Audio Backend: PulseAudio (Simple API)
• Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
• Channels: Stereo
• Sample Format: 32-bit float
• Threading: Separate audio thread for continuous generation
• Waveform Types: Sine and square wave generation
• Waveform Display: Real-time visualization using Cairo graphics
• Sweep Generation: Pre-generated buffer with logarithmic frequency spacing and phase accumulation
• Sweep Storage: Raw PCM buffers converted to WAV files for debug/analysis