AnalyserNode.maxDecibels

The maxDecibels property of the AnalyserNode interface Is a double value representing the maximum power value in the scaling range for the FFT analysis data, for conversion to unsigned byte/float values — basically, this specifies the maximum value for the range of results when using getFloatFrequencyData() or getByteFrequencyData().

The maxDecibels property's default value is -30.

Note:  If a value larger than AnalyserNode.maxDecibels is set, an INDEX_SIZE_ERR exception is thrown.

Syntax

var audioCtx = new AudioContext();
var analyser = audioCtx.createAnalyser();
analyser.maxDecibels = -10;

Value

A double.

Example

The following example shows basic usage of an AudioContext to create an AnalyserNode, then requestAnimationFrame and <canvas> to collect frequency data repeatedly and draw a "winamp bargraph style" output of the current audio input. For more complete applied examples/information, check out our Voice-change-O-matic demo (see app.js lines 128–205 for relevant code).

var audioCtx = new (window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext)();
var analyser = audioCtx.createAnalyser();
analyser.minDecibels = -90;
analyser.maxDecibels = -10;
  ...
analyser.fftSize = 256;
var bufferLength = analyser.frequencyBinCount;
console.log(bufferLength);
var dataArray = new Uint8Array(bufferLength);
canvasCtx.clearRect(0, 0, WIDTH, HEIGHT);
function draw() {
  drawVisual = requestAnimationFrame(draw);
  analyser.getByteFrequencyData(dataArray);
  canvasCtx.fillStyle = 'rgb(0, 0, 0)';
  canvasCtx.fillRect(0, 0, WIDTH, HEIGHT);
  var barWidth = (WIDTH / bufferLength) * 2.5;
  var barHeight;
  var x = 0;
  for(var i = 0; i < bufferLength; i++) {
    barHeight = dataArray[i];
    canvasCtx.fillStyle = 'rgb(' + (barHeight+100) + ',50,50)';
    canvasCtx.fillRect(x,HEIGHT-barHeight/2,barWidth,barHeight/2);
    x += barWidth + 1;
  }
};
draw();

Specifications

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

Browser compatibility

Feature Chrome Edge Firefox (Gecko) Internet Explorer Opera Safari (WebKit)
Basic support 10.0webkit (Yes) 25.0 (25.0)  No support 15.0webkit
22 (unprefixed)
6.0webkit
Feature Android Edge Firefox Mobile (Gecko) Firefox OS IE Mobile Opera Mobile Safari Mobile Chrome for Android
Basic support ? (Yes) 26.0 1.2 ? ? ? 33.0

See also

Document Tags and Contributors

 Contributors to this page: erikadoyle, marie-ototoi, teoli, chrisdavidmills
 Last updated by: erikadoyle,