BaseAudioContext.createWaveShaper()

The createWaveShaper() method of the BaseAudioContext interface creates a WaveShaperNode, which represents a non-linear distortion. It is used to apply distortion effects to your audio.

Syntax

baseAudioCtx.createWaveShaper();

Returns

A WaveShaperNode.

Example

The following example shows basic usage of an AudioContext to create a wave shaper node. For applied examples/information, check out our Voice-change-O-matic demo (see app.js for relevant code).

Note: Sigmoid functions are commonly used for distortion curves because of their natural properties. Their S-shape, for instance, helps create a smoother sounding result. We found the below distortion curve code on Stack Overflow.

var audioCtx = new (window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext)();
var distortion = audioCtx.createWaveShaper();

  ...

function makeDistortionCurve(amount) {
  var k = typeof amount === 'number' ? amount : 50,
    n_samples = 44100,
    curve = new Float32Array(n_samples),
    deg = Math.PI / 180,
    i = 0,
    x;
  for ( ; i < n_samples; ++i ) {
    x = i * 2 / n_samples - 1;
    curve[i] = ( 3 + k ) * x * 20 * deg / ( Math.PI + k * Math.abs(x) );
  }
  return curve;
};

  ...

distortion.curve = makeDistortionCurve(400);
distortion.oversample = '4x';

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
Web Audio API
The definition of 'createWaveShaper()' in that specification.		 Working Draft

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also