A Python framework for microphone array data processing

Acoular is an open source object-oriented Python package for microphone array data processing. It supports various methods for sound source characterization and mapping. The background of these methods, which rely on synchronously captured microphone signals, is shortly introduced, and the requirements for a software that implements these methods are discussed. The object-oriented design based on Python allows for easy-to-use scripting and graphical user interfaces, the practical combination with other data handling and scientific computing libraries, and the possibility to extend the software by implementing new processing methods with minimal effort. Built-in result caching and fast C++ based parallelized implementation of core routines is explained. Together with data handling procedures that can accommodate the huge amounts of measured data needed, this makes the application of Acoular to industrial-scale problems possible. Basic examples of Acoular use and extension are given.