Recording Audio in React Native: A Comprehensive Guide

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React Native is a popular framework for building cross-platform mobile applications. One of the key features of mobile applications is the ability to record and play audio. In this article, we will explore how to record audio in React Native.

Setting Up the Project

Before we dive into the details of recording audio, let’s set up a new React Native project. If you already have a project set up, you can skip this section.

To set up a new React Native project, you will need to have Node.js and npm installed on your computer. You can download Node.js from the official Node.js website.

Once you have Node.js installed, you can install the React Native CLI using the following command:

bash
npm install -g react-native-cli

After installing the React Native CLI, you can create a new React Native project using the following command:

bash
npx react-native init AudioRecorder

This will create a new React Native project called AudioRecorder.

Requesting Permissions

Before we can start recording audio, we need to request the necessary permissions. In React Native, we can use the PermissionsAndroid module to request permissions.

To request the audio recording permission, we can use the following code:

“`javascript
import { PermissionsAndroid } from ‘react-native’;

const requestAudioPermission = async () => {
try {
const granted = await PermissionsAndroid.request(
PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.RECORD_AUDIO,
{
title: ‘Audio Recorder Permission’,
message: ‘This app needs access to your microphone to record audio.’,
}
);
if (granted === PermissionsAndroid.RESULTS.GRANTED) {
console.log(‘You can use the microphone’);
} else {
console.log(‘Microphone permission denied’);
}
} catch (err) {
console.warn(err);
}
};
“`

This code requests the RECORD_AUDIO permission and logs a message to the console depending on whether the permission was granted or not.

Recording Audio

Now that we have requested the necessary permissions, we can start recording audio. In React Native, we can use the react-native-audio-recorder-player library to record and play audio.

To install the react-native-audio-recorder-player library, you can use the following command:

bash
npm install react-native-audio-recorder-player

After installing the library, you can import it in your JavaScript file and use it to record audio.

Here is an example of how to record audio using the react-native-audio-recorder-player library:

“`javascript
import AudioRecorderPlayer from ‘react-native-audio-recorder-player’;

const audioRecorderPlayer = new AudioRecorderPlayer();

const onStartRecord = async () => {
const audioSet = {
AudioEncoder: AudioEncoder.AAC,
SampleRate: 44100,
Channels: 2,
AudioQuality: ‘Low’,
Format: ‘aac’,
MeteringEnabled: true,
};
await audioRecorderPlayer.startRecorder();
audioRecorderPlayer.addRecordBackListener((e) => {
console.log(‘Recording . . .’);
});
};

const onStopRecord = async () => {
const audio = await audioRecorderPlayer.stopRecorder();
audioRecorderPlayer.removeRecordBackListener();
console.log(‘Recording stopped’);
console.log(audio);
};
“`

This code creates a new instance of the AudioRecorderPlayer class and defines two functions: onStartRecord and onStopRecord. The onStartRecord function starts the audio recorder and logs a message to the console. The onStopRecord function stops the audio recorder and logs the recorded audio to the console.

Playing Audio

After recording audio, we can play it back using the react-native-audio-recorder-player library.

Here is an example of how to play audio using the react-native-audio-recorder-player library:

“`javascript
const onStartPlay = async () => {
await audioRecorderPlayer.startPlayer();
audioRecorderPlayer.setVolume(1.0);
console.log(‘Playing audio’);
};

const onStopPlay = async () => {
await audioRecorderPlayer.stopPlayer();
console.log(‘Audio stopped’);
};
“`

This code defines two functions: onStartPlay and onStopPlay. The onStartPlay function starts playing the recorded audio and sets the volume to 1.0. The onStopPlay function stops playing the audio.

Example Use Case

Here is an example of how to use the react-native-audio-recorder-player library in a React Native component:

“`javascript
import React, { useState } from ‘react’;
import { View, Button, Text } from ‘react-native’;
import AudioRecorderPlayer from ‘react-native-audio-recorder-player’;

const App = () => {
const [isRecording, setIsRecording] = useState(false);
const [isPlaying, setIsPlaying] = useState(false);

const audioRecorderPlayer = new AudioRecorderPlayer();

const onStartRecord = async () => {
setIsRecording(true);
const audioSet = {
AudioEncoder: AudioEncoder.AAC,
SampleRate: 44100,
Channels: 2,
AudioQuality: ‘Low’,
Format: ‘aac’,
MeteringEnabled: true,
};
await audioRecorderPlayer.startRecorder();
audioRecorderPlayer.addRecordBackListener((e) => {
console.log(‘Recording . . .’);
});
};

const onStopRecord = async () => {
setIsRecording(false);
const audio = await audioRecorderPlayer.stopRecorder();
audioRecorderPlayer.removeRecordBackListener();
console.log(‘Recording stopped’);
console.log(audio);
};

const onStartPlay = async () => {
setIsPlaying(true);
await audioRecorderPlayer.startPlayer();
audioRecorderPlayer.setVolume(1.0);
console.log(‘Playing audio’);
};

const onStopPlay = async () => {
setIsPlaying(false);
await audioRecorderPlayer.stopPlayer();
console.log(‘Audio stopped’);
};

return (

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