Sinusoid releases Sonocord 1.4 - An Audio Sonogram App for Birders

Birders rejoice! 

Sinusoid Pty Ltd today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Sonocord version 1.4 for iOS. This is a feature update and bug fix release. First released in May 2014, Sonocord is finding application not only in the birding community, but in other areas where users need to display audio sonograms immediately after recording the audio.

Recently, experts such as Tom Stephenson have published detailed information on interpretation of bird songs and calls using audio sonograms as a graphical representation of the calls.

Sonocord was written with such analysis in mind. Users can use sonocord in the field to record and then view an audio sonogram of a bird seconds after the recording has been made. Large numbers of calls and songs can be stored on an iOS device and viewed as a sonogram immediately or reviewed at a later time.

Sonocord Features:

* Produce an audio sonogram of tracks up to 10 seconds in length

* Zoom and pan the sonogram to inspect detail

* Disable device auto-lock feature when the recording is in the "Arm" mode, thus allowing long standby times. (NEW)

* Play the track within the track listing view (NEW)

* Improved data display in sonogram view

* Play the track within the sonogram view (NEW)

* Adjust the vertical span for low frequency calls (NEW)

* Edit a track unlimited number of times (NEW)

* Filters adjust background noise to improve contrast of sonogram

* Record new tracks up to 10 seconds long, including a 2 second pre-record arm feature

* Import short audio tracks to be displayed as a sonogram

* Storage of multiple tracks for sonogram display, playing and editing

* Simple edit of both recorded and imported audio tracks by trimming tracks

* Play both recorded and imported audio tracks

* A geographic location is recorded where available on a device, and a map view will display the location of the recording within the app

* The sonograms produced are of high resolution

* Audio frequency range of 0-20kHz - Display can also be expanded to display only 0-10kHz for low frequencies

* Sonograms can be archived as images including all data available for the recording

Sonogram:

When the sonogram view is selected a sonogram is displayed of the last selected track, or the most recent if no selection has been made. The time in seconds is shown on the X axis, and the frequency is shown on the Y axis. The full duration of the track initially spans the width of the device screen. The track may be zoomed using fingers, and then panned over the exanded view of the sonogram.

* The track can be played while in the sonogram view to see the patterns corresponding to each part of the call or song

* Filters can be applied to the sonogram image to control desired contrast settings

* The vertical scale can be set to 10kHz instead of the normal 20kHz for calls with low frequencies

The sonogram produced can be saved to the Photos app. The captured image includes details such as track name, duration, and geographic location of the recording.

Recording:

A pre-record feature ensures that important sounds are not missed. Firstly the Arm button is pressed to start the pre-record. When a sound of interest is heard, the user has 2 seconds to press the Record button to start the recording. The Stop button is pressed at the desired time, or the recording is stopped automatically at the 10 seconds time. If auto-lock is enabled on the device, this is disabled when the "Arm" button is activated, allowing for long standby without going into auto-lock. Normal auto-lock features will take place in other screens and when the app is in the background.