Audio Source

Note

This is a fork that adds a Terminal User Interface (TUI) and a System Tray icon for easier control of the application. It works directly with the official APK provided by the original creator, gdzx, without requiring you to install any custom or modified APK.

Audio Source forwards Android microphone audio input to the PulseAudio daemon through ADB, so you can use your Android device as a USB microphone.

Requirements

• Device with at least Android 4.0 (API level 14), but fully tested only on Android 10 (API level 29) so your mileage may vary.
  • Android SDK Platform Tools (requires adb in PATH).
  • PulseAudio or PipeWire with PulseAudio support (requires pactl in PATH).

Installation

On your Android device:

1. Go to Settings > About phone then tap Build number 7 times to enable the Developer options menu.
2. In Settings > System > Developer options enable USB debugging (Android Debug Bridge).
3. Install the Audio Source Android app:
   • (Recommended) Get it on F-Droid.
   • Or download the APK from the latest release.
   • Or build it from source (see Build and install).

On your Linux PC:

Automatic Installation (Recommended)

You can download, extract, and launch the interactive installer automatically with a single command:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ezequielgk/audiosource/master/install.sh | bash

For Void

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ezequielgk/audiosource/master/install-void.sh | bash

Manual Installation

1. Download the audiosource-linux.tar.gz Linux client from the latest release.
2. Extract the archive and open a terminal inside the extracted directory.
3. Run the interactive installer:

   $ ./install.sh

   The installer provides a menu to resolve dependencies (requires sudo), install the app locally, or uninstall it.

Usage

Desktop TUI & System Tray

Once installed, you can launch the application from your desktop's application menu (search for Audio Source) or directly from any terminal:

$ audiosource

This automatically launches the system tray icon and connects the terminal interface to it. 2. Interactive Controls:

• [S] Start: Starts the audio forwarding.
• [C] Stop: Stops the audio forwarding.
• [T] Hide to Tray: Closes the terminal interface but keeps the system tray daemon and audio forwarding running in the background. (Integrates natively with Desktop Notifications).
• [M] Mute/Unmute: Toggles microphone mute instantly.
• [Z]/[X] Vol: Adjust microphone volume dynamically with instantaneous visual feedback.
• [W] Web: Launches a local web server to control audio and view a QR code (with direct URL). You can connect from any device on your network.
• [A] ADB: Opens the Wireless Debugging menu to pair or connect to a device over Wi-Fi, including a new Pair via QR option.
• [Q] Quit All: Exits the terminal interface, shuts down the system tray daemon, and stops audio forwarding.

Wireless Debugging (Wi-Fi)

You can use Audio Source without a USB cable by connecting over Wi-Fi natively from the interface. Press [A] ADB inside the TUI to open the wireless menu:

1. Connect: Use this to connect to an already paired device by entering its IP and Port.
2. Pair (Android 11+): Enter the pairing IP, Port, and the 6-digit Pairing Code provided by your phone's Developer Options.
3. Pair via QR (Android 11+): The TUI spins up a native mDNS server and displays a QR code on your screen. Simply scan it from your phone's "Wireless Debugging -> Pair device with QR code" screen!

Note: The audio stream is automatically buffered and optimized for Wi-Fi to prevent audio cutting and connection drops.

Command Line Interface (CLI)

The installed audiosource command also supports special arguments:

• Update App: Automatically download and install the latest version from GitHub:

  $ audiosource update

• Help: Show available command line options:

  $ audiosource --help

• Version: Show the current application version:

  $ audiosource --version

Custom ASCII Art

You can personalize the TUI logo by replacing the default art:

• Edit the file at ~/.config/audiosource/ascii.txt and paste your custom text. The TUI will automatically center it and adjust the layout seamlessly.
• Alternatively, use ~/.config/audiosource/config.json with an "ascii_art" key.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter the adb not found error, it means that the adb command is either not installed or not in your system's PATH. On most distributions you can install it via the package manager:

# Arch Linux
$ pacman -S android-tools

# Debian/Ubuntu
$ apt install android-tools-adb

After installation, verify that it is working with adb --version, and re-run audiosource.

Common tips:

• Ensure your phone is connected, USB debugging is enabled, and the PC is authorized (check your phone for a prompt to allow the connection).
• Run adb devices to confirm your phone is detected (it should show a serial number and "device").
• If no devices are found, try a different USB cable/port or try to re-enable USB debugging.

Multi-device

If you have multiple devices connected then you will have to specify the serial number of the device you would like to forward audio to. Device serial numbers can be found by running adb devices.

Then you can specify the serial number as an argument:

$ ./audiosource -s 1234 run

Or by setting the ANDROID_SERIAL environment variable:

$ ANDROID_SERIAL=1324 ./audiosource run

You can utilize job control to forward audio from multiple devices simultaneously as follows:

$ ./audiosource -s shiba run &  # press ENTER to regain control of your terminal
$ ./audiosource -s 192.168.1.188:39857 run

Build and install

Run ./gradlew tasks to list the available commands.

Debug

$ ./audiosource build
$ ./audiosource install

Release

1. Generate a Java KeyStore:

   $ keytool -keystore /home/user/android.jks -genkey -alias release \
          -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 30000

2. Create keystore.properties in the project root directory containing:

   storeFile=/home/user/android.jks
   storePassword=STORE_PASS
   keyAlias=release
   keyPassword=KEY_PASS

3. Build and install:

   $ export AUDIOSOURCE_PROFILE=release
   $ ./audiosource build
   $ ./audiosource install

Acknowledgement

sndcpy for the initial implementation of audio playback forwarding.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT license (LICENSE or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT).