Spectrogram Viewer

Spectrogram viewer with file navigation for audio in Codium/VSCode.

Supported formats

.wav · .flac · .mp3 · .ogg · .opus · .m4a · .aiff

Requirements

Python 3 with matplotlib, and numpy. The extension automatically tries python3 then python on your PATH, so as long as these packages are installed in whichever Python is on your PATH you're good. If you use a virtualenv or conda environment, point the spectrogramViewer.pythonPath setting at that interpreter.

macOS

Python 3 ships with macOS 12.3+. If you're on an older version or prefer Homebrew:

brew install python
pip3 install librosa matplotlib numpy

Linux

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip   # Debian/Ubuntu
pip3 install librosa matplotlib numpy

Windows

Download and install Python 3 from python.org. During installation, check "Add Python to PATH".

Then in a terminal:

pip install librosa matplotlib numpy

For multiple Python installs (e.g. via conda or a virtualenv), set full path to the appropriate interpreter in Settings:

"spectrogramViewer.pythonPath": "C:\\Users\\yourname\\miniconda3\\envs\\someenv\\python.exe"

Installation

From source

git clone <this repo>
cd spectrogram-viewer
npm install
npm run compile

Then in Codium / VSCode:

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. Run "Extensions: Install from VSIX…" — or press F5 in the repo to launch an Extension Development Host.

Packaging as a .vsix

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package

Settings

Usage

• Single-click any supported audio file in the Explorer → spectrogram opens in a tab.
• Click anywhere on the spectrogram to seek to that time position.
• Hover over the spectrogram to see the timestamp under the cursor.
• Use the audio player bar at the bottom for normal playback controls.
• Left/Right buttons at the top of the viewing window navigate between files.
• Spectrogram viewing parameters can be adjusted in the left-hand column.

AI Statement

This extension was developed with the assistance of AI. It is based on the YAAAT! audio annotation tool for bioacoustics analysis, and is intended as a complementary extension to that workflow. Currently under development.