soundfile

An audio library based on libsndfile, CFFI and NumPy

soundfile Permissive license BSD 3-Clause License Active ★ 849 v0.14.0 released 2026-06-06

Install

soundfile on PyPI

pip

pip install soundfile

uv

uv add soundfile

poetry

poetry add soundfile

Package facts

License	BSD 3-Clause License (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.10)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	3 — cffi, numpy, typing-extensions
Maintenance	actively maintained — 68 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-07-14
First released	2015-10-21
Popularity	one of the top 1,000 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: soundfile-0.14.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: audio, libsndfile

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Multimedia :: Sound/Audio

About soundfile

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

python-soundfile

|contributors| |downloads|

The soundfile <https://github.com/bastibe/python-soundfile>__ module is an audio library based on libsndfile, CFFI and NumPy. Full documentation is available on https://python-soundfile.readthedocs.io/.

The soundfile module can read and write sound files. File reading/writing is supported through libsndfile <http://www.mega-nerd.com/libsndfile/>, which is a free, cross-platform, open-source (LGPL) library for reading and writing many different sampled sound file formats that runs on many platforms including Windows, OS X, and Unix. It is accessed through CFFI <https://cffi.readthedocs.io/>, which is a foreign function interface for Python calling C code. CFFI is supported for CPython 2.6+, 3.x and PyPy 2.0+. The soundfile module represents audio data as NumPy arrays.

.. |contributors| image:: https://img.shields.io/github/contributors/bastibe/python-soundfile.svg .. |version| image::...

Read as markdown · JSON record · Source repository · Homepage

AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

soundfile reads and writes audio files in formats like WAV, FLAC, and OGG through libsndfile, exposing audio data as NumPy arrays for processing.

Low friction: pure-Python wheel distribution with bundled libsndfile on Windows, macOS, and Linux 64-bit. Active maintenance (last commit 2026-07-14, 68 days since release). Requires Python 3.10+.

BSD 3-Clause License (permissive): you may use, modify, and distribute soundfile freely in commercial and private projects provided you include the license text and do not hold the authors liable.

Usage

import soundfile as sf
import numpy as np

# Read audio file
data, samplerate = sf.read('existing_file.wav')

# Write audio file
sf.write('new_file.flac', data, samplerate)

Requires libsndfile system library; bundled in wheels for Windows, macOS (Intel/ARM), and Linux 64-bit. Source installs need libsndfile via package manager (e.g., 'apt install libsndfile1').

Verdict: soundfile is a stable, actively maintained audio I/O library with low install friction on common platforms. BSD 3-Clause licensing is permissive. No known vulnerabilities. Suitable for audio processing workflows that need NumPy integration and multi-format support.

Needs verification

Performance characteristics and memory efficiency for large audio files or real-time streaming
Compatibility with PyPy implementation beyond the stated support claim
Behavior differences between bundled and system-provided libsndfile versions

audio file read writewav flac ogg processingsound file numpylibsndfile pythonaudio io librarysound format conversionaudio data manipulation