Sunday, June 15, 2025

Posit AI Weblog: Audio classification with torch

Variations on a theme

Easy audio classification with Keras, Audio classification with Keras: Trying nearer on the non-deep studying components, Easy audio classification with torch: No, this isn’t the primary put up on this weblog that introduces speech classification utilizing deep studying. With two of these posts (the “utilized” ones) it shares the final setup, the kind of deep-learning structure employed, and the dataset used. With the third, it has in frequent the curiosity within the concepts and ideas concerned. Every of those posts has a distinct focus – do you have to learn this one?

Properly, in fact I can’t say “no” – all of the extra so as a result of, right here, you’ve gotten an abbreviated and condensed model of the chapter on this subject within the forthcoming e book from CRC Press, Deep Studying and Scientific Computing with R torch. By means of comparability with the earlier put up that used torch, written by the creator and maintainer of torchaudio, Athos Damiani, vital developments have taken place within the torch ecosystem, the tip end result being that the code bought rather a lot simpler (particularly within the mannequin coaching half). That stated, let’s finish the preamble already, and plunge into the subject!

Inspecting the info

We use the speech instructions dataset (Warden (2018)) that comes with torchaudio. The dataset holds recordings of thirty totally different one- or two-syllable phrases, uttered by totally different audio system. There are about 65,000 audio recordsdata general. Our process might be to foretell, from the audio solely, which of thirty doable phrases was pronounced.

library(torch)
library(torchaudio)
library(luz)

ds <- speechcommand_dataset(
  root = "~/.torch-datasets", 
  url = "speech_commands_v0.01",
  obtain = TRUE
)

We begin by inspecting the info.

[1]  "mattress"    "chook"   "cat"    "canine"    "down"   "eight"
[7]  "5"   "4"   "go"     "comfortable"  "home"  "left"
[32] " marvin" "9"   "no"     "off"    "on"     "one"
[19] "proper"  "seven" "sheila" "six"    "cease"   "three"
[25]  "tree"   "two"    "up"     "wow"    "sure"    "zero" 

Selecting a pattern at random, we see that the data we’ll want is contained in 4 properties: waveform, sample_rate, label_index, and label.

The primary, waveform, might be our predictor.

pattern <- ds[2000]
dim(pattern$waveform)
[1]     1 16000

Particular person tensor values are centered at zero, and vary between -1 and 1. There are 16,000 of them, reflecting the truth that the recording lasted for one second, and was registered at (or has been transformed to, by the dataset creators) a fee of 16,000 samples per second. The latter data is saved in pattern$sample_rate:

[1] 16000

All recordings have been sampled on the similar fee. Their size nearly all the time equals one second; the – very – few sounds which might be minimally longer we are able to safely truncate.

Lastly, the goal is saved, in integer type, in pattern$label_index, the corresponding phrase being accessible from pattern$label:

pattern$label
pattern$label_index
[1] "chook"
torch_tensor
2
[ CPULongType{} ]

How does this audio sign “look?”

library(ggplot2)

df <- information.body(
  x = 1:size(pattern$waveform[1]),
  y = as.numeric(pattern$waveform[1])
  )

ggplot(df, aes(x = x, y = y)) +
  geom_line(dimension = 0.3) +
  ggtitle(
    paste0(
      "The spoken phrase "", pattern$label, "": Sound wave"
    )
  ) +
  xlab("time") +
  ylab("amplitude") +
  theme_minimal()
The spoken word “bird,” in time-domain representation.

What we see is a sequence of amplitudes, reflecting the sound wave produced by somebody saying “chook.” Put in another way, now we have right here a time sequence of “loudness values.” Even for specialists, guessing which phrase resulted in these amplitudes is an inconceivable process. That is the place area information is available in. The skilled could not have the ability to make a lot of the sign on this illustration; however they might know a solution to extra meaningfully characterize it.

Two equal representations

Think about that as a substitute of as a sequence of amplitudes over time, the above wave have been represented in a approach that had no details about time in any respect. Subsequent, think about we took that illustration and tried to recuperate the unique sign. For that to be doable, the brand new illustration would one way or the other must include “simply as a lot” data because the wave we began from. That “simply as a lot” is obtained from the Fourier Remodel, and it consists of the magnitudes and section shifts of the totally different frequencies that make up the sign.

How, then, does the Fourier-transformed model of the “chook” sound wave look? We acquire it by calling torch_fft_fft() (the place fft stands for Quick Fourier Remodel):

dft <- torch_fft_fft(pattern$waveform)
dim(dft)
[1]     1 16000

The size of this tensor is identical; nonetheless, its values aren’t in chronological order. As a substitute, they characterize the Fourier coefficients, equivalent to the frequencies contained within the sign. The upper their magnitude, the extra they contribute to the sign:

magazine <- torch_abs(dft[1, ])

df <- information.body(
  x = 1:(size(pattern$waveform[1]) / 2),
  y = as.numeric(magazine[1:8000])
)

ggplot(df, aes(x = x, y = y)) +
  geom_line(dimension = 0.3) +
  ggtitle(
    paste0(
      "The spoken phrase "",
      pattern$label,
      "": Discrete Fourier Remodel"
    )
  ) +
  xlab("frequency") +
  ylab("magnitude") +
  theme_minimal()
The spoken word “bird,” in frequency-domain representation.

From this alternate illustration, we may return to the unique sound wave by taking the frequencies current within the sign, weighting them in response to their coefficients, and including them up. However in sound classification, timing data should certainly matter; we don’t actually wish to throw it away.

Combining representations: The spectrogram

Actually, what actually would assist us is a synthesis of each representations; some form of “have your cake and eat it, too.” What if we may divide the sign into small chunks, and run the Fourier Remodel on every of them? As you’ll have guessed from this lead-up, this certainly is one thing we are able to do; and the illustration it creates known as the spectrogram.

With a spectrogram, we nonetheless preserve some time-domain data – some, since there’s an unavoidable loss in granularity. Alternatively, for every of the time segments, we study their spectral composition. There’s an vital level to be made, although. The resolutions we get in time versus in frequency, respectively, are inversely associated. If we cut up up the indicators into many chunks (referred to as “home windows”), the frequency illustration per window is not going to be very fine-grained. Conversely, if we wish to get higher decision within the frequency area, now we have to decide on longer home windows, thus dropping details about how spectral composition varies over time. What seems like a giant drawback – and in lots of circumstances, might be – received’t be one for us, although, as you’ll see very quickly.

First, although, let’s create and examine such a spectrogram for our instance sign. Within the following code snippet, the dimensions of the – overlapping – home windows is chosen in order to permit for cheap granularity in each the time and the frequency area. We’re left with sixty-three home windows, and, for every window, acquire 200 fifty-seven coefficients:

fft_size <- 512
window_size <- 512
energy <- 0.5

spectrogram <- transform_spectrogram(
  n_fft = fft_size,
  win_length = window_size,
  normalized = TRUE,
  energy = energy
)

spec <- spectrogram(pattern$waveform)$squeeze()
dim(spec)
[1]   257 63

We will show the spectrogram visually:

bins <- 1:dim(spec)[1]
freqs <- bins / (fft_size / 2 + 1) * pattern$sample_rate 
log_freqs <- log10(freqs)

frames <- 1:(dim(spec)[2])
seconds <- (frames / dim(spec)[2]) *
  (dim(pattern$waveform$squeeze())[1] / pattern$sample_rate)

picture(x = as.numeric(seconds),
      y = log_freqs,
      z = t(as.matrix(spec)),
      ylab = 'log frequency [Hz]',
      xlab = 'time [s]',
      col = hcl.colours(12, palette = "viridis")
)
most important <- paste0("Spectrogram, window dimension = ", window_size)
sub <- "Magnitude (sq. root)"
mtext(facet = 3, line = 2, at = 0, adj = 0, cex = 1.3, most important)
mtext(facet = 3, line = 1, at = 0, adj = 0, cex = 1, sub)
The spoken word “bird”: Spectrogram.

We all know that we’ve misplaced some decision in each time and frequency. By displaying the sq. root of the coefficients’ magnitudes, although – and thus, enhancing sensitivity – we have been nonetheless in a position to acquire an affordable end result. (With the viridis coloration scheme, long-wave shades point out higher-valued coefficients; short-wave ones, the other.)

Lastly, let’s get again to the essential query. If this illustration, by necessity, is a compromise – why, then, would we wish to make use of it? That is the place we take the deep-learning perspective. The spectrogram is a two-dimensional illustration: a picture. With photographs, now we have entry to a wealthy reservoir of strategies and architectures: Amongst all areas deep studying has been profitable in, picture recognition nonetheless stands out. Quickly, you’ll see that for this process, fancy architectures aren’t even wanted; an easy convnet will do an excellent job.

Coaching a neural community on spectrograms

We begin by making a torch::dataset() that, ranging from the unique speechcommand_dataset(), computes a spectrogram for each pattern.

spectrogram_dataset <- dataset(
  inherit = speechcommand_dataset,
  initialize = operate(...,
                        pad_to = 16000,
                        sampling_rate = 16000,
                        n_fft = 512,
                        window_size_seconds = 0.03,
                        window_stride_seconds = 0.01,
                        energy = 2) {
    self$pad_to <- pad_to
    self$window_size_samples <- sampling_rate *
      window_size_seconds
    self$window_stride_samples <- sampling_rate *
      window_stride_seconds
    self$energy <- energy
    self$spectrogram <- transform_spectrogram(
        n_fft = n_fft,
        win_length = self$window_size_samples,
        hop_length = self$window_stride_samples,
        normalized = TRUE,
        energy = self$energy
      )
    tremendous$initialize(...)
  },
  .getitem = operate(i) {
    merchandise <- tremendous$.getitem(i)

    x <- merchandise$waveform
    # make sure that all samples have the identical size (57)
    # shorter ones might be padded,
    # longer ones might be truncated
    x <- nnf_pad(x, pad = c(0, self$pad_to - dim(x)[2]))
    x <- x %>% self$spectrogram()

    if (is.null(self$energy)) {
      # on this case, there's a further dimension, in place 4,
      # that we wish to seem in entrance
      # (as a second channel)
      x <- x$squeeze()$permute(c(3, 1, 2))
    }

    y <- merchandise$label_index
    checklist(x = x, y = y)
  }
)

Within the parameter checklist to spectrogram_dataset(), be aware energy, with a default worth of two. That is the worth that, until advised in any other case, torch’s transform_spectrogram() will assume that energy ought to have. Below these circumstances, the values that make up the spectrogram are the squared magnitudes of the Fourier coefficients. Utilizing energy, you’ll be able to change the default, and specify, for instance, that’d you’d like absolute values (energy = 1), every other constructive worth (akin to 0.5, the one we used above to show a concrete instance) – or each the actual and imaginary components of the coefficients (energy = NULL).

Show-wise, in fact, the complete complicated illustration is inconvenient; the spectrogram plot would want a further dimension. However we could nicely wonder if a neural community may revenue from the extra data contained within the “entire” complicated quantity. In spite of everything, when lowering to magnitudes we lose the section shifts for the person coefficients, which could include usable data. Actually, my assessments confirmed that it did; use of the complicated values resulted in enhanced classification accuracy.

Let’s see what we get from spectrogram_dataset():

ds <- spectrogram_dataset(
  root = "~/.torch-datasets",
  url = "speech_commands_v0.01",
  obtain = TRUE,
  energy = NULL
)

dim(ds[1]$x)
[1]   2 257 101

We’ve 257 coefficients for 101 home windows; and every coefficient is represented by each its actual and imaginary components.

Subsequent, we cut up up the info, and instantiate the dataset() and dataloader() objects.

train_ids <- pattern(
  1:size(ds),
  dimension = 0.6 * size(ds)
)
valid_ids <- pattern(
  setdiff(
    1:size(ds),
    train_ids
  ),
  dimension = 0.2 * size(ds)
)
test_ids <- setdiff(
  1:size(ds),
  union(train_ids, valid_ids)
)

batch_size <- 128

train_ds <- dataset_subset(ds, indices = train_ids)
train_dl <- dataloader(
  train_ds,
  batch_size = batch_size, shuffle = TRUE
)

valid_ds <- dataset_subset(ds, indices = valid_ids)
valid_dl <- dataloader(
  valid_ds,
  batch_size = batch_size
)

test_ds <- dataset_subset(ds, indices = test_ids)
test_dl <- dataloader(test_ds, batch_size = 64)

b <- train_dl %>%
  dataloader_make_iter() %>%
  dataloader_next()

dim(b$x)
[1] 128   2 257 101

The mannequin is an easy convnet, with dropout and batch normalization. The true and imaginary components of the Fourier coefficients are handed to the mannequin’s preliminary nn_conv2d() as two separate channels.

mannequin <- nn_module(
  initialize = operate() {
    self$options <- nn_sequential(
      nn_conv2d(2, 32, kernel_size = 3),
      nn_batch_norm2d(32),
      nn_relu(),
      nn_max_pool2d(kernel_size = 2),
      nn_dropout2d(p = 0.2),
      nn_conv2d(32, 64, kernel_size = 3),
      nn_batch_norm2d(64),
      nn_relu(),
      nn_max_pool2d(kernel_size = 2),
      nn_dropout2d(p = 0.2),
      nn_conv2d(64, 128, kernel_size = 3),
      nn_batch_norm2d(128),
      nn_relu(),
      nn_max_pool2d(kernel_size = 2),
      nn_dropout2d(p = 0.2),
      nn_conv2d(128, 256, kernel_size = 3),
      nn_batch_norm2d(256),
      nn_relu(),
      nn_max_pool2d(kernel_size = 2),
      nn_dropout2d(p = 0.2),
      nn_conv2d(256, 512, kernel_size = 3),
      nn_batch_norm2d(512),
      nn_relu(),
      nn_adaptive_avg_pool2d(c(1, 1)),
      nn_dropout2d(p = 0.2)
    )

    self$classifier <- nn_sequential(
      nn_linear(512, 512),
      nn_batch_norm1d(512),
      nn_relu(),
      nn_dropout(p = 0.5),
      nn_linear(512, 30)
    )
  },
  ahead = operate(x) {
    x <- self$options(x)$squeeze()
    x <- self$classifier(x)
    x
  }
)

We subsequent decide an appropriate studying fee:

mannequin <- mannequin %>%
  setup(
    loss = nn_cross_entropy_loss(),
    optimizer = optim_adam,
    metrics = checklist(luz_metric_accuracy())
  )

rates_and_losses <- mannequin %>%
  lr_finder(train_dl)
rates_and_losses %>% plot()
Learning rate finder, run on the complex-spectrogram model.

Primarily based on the plot, I made a decision to make use of 0.01 as a maximal studying fee. Coaching went on for forty epochs.

fitted <- mannequin %>%
  match(train_dl,
    epochs = 50, valid_data = valid_dl,
    callbacks = checklist(
      luz_callback_early_stopping(persistence = 3),
      luz_callback_lr_scheduler(
        lr_one_cycle,
        max_lr = 1e-2,
        epochs = 50,
        steps_per_epoch = size(train_dl),
        call_on = "on_batch_end"
      ),
      luz_callback_model_checkpoint(path = "models_complex/"),
      luz_callback_csv_logger("logs_complex.csv")
    ),
    verbose = TRUE
  )

plot(fitted)
Fitting the complex-spectrogram model.

Let’s test precise accuracies.

"epoch","set","loss","acc"
1,"practice",3.09768574611813,0.12396992171405
1,"legitimate",2.52993751740923,0.284378862793572
2,"practice",2.26747255972008,0.333642356819118
2,"legitimate",1.66693911248562,0.540791100123609
3,"practice",1.62294889937818,0.518464153275649
3,"legitimate",1.11740599192825,0.704882571075402
...
...
38,"practice",0.18717994078312,0.943809229501442
38,"legitimate",0.23587799138006,0.936418417799753
39,"practice",0.19338578602993,0.942882159044087
39,"legitimate",0.230597475945365,0.939431396786156
40,"practice",0.190593419024368,0.942727647301195
40,"legitimate",0.243536252455384,0.936186650185414

With thirty courses to tell apart between, a ultimate validation-set accuracy of ~0.94 seems to be like a really respectable end result!

We will affirm this on the check set:

consider(fitted, test_dl)
loss: 0.2373
acc: 0.9324

An attention-grabbing query is which phrases get confused most frequently. (In fact, much more attention-grabbing is how error chances are associated to options of the spectrograms – however this, now we have to depart to the true area specialists. A pleasant approach of displaying the confusion matrix is to create an alluvial plot. We see the predictions, on the left, “circulate into” the goal slots. (Goal-prediction pairs much less frequent than a thousandth of check set cardinality are hidden.)

Alluvial plot for the complex-spectrogram setup.

Wrapup

That’s it for as we speak! Within the upcoming weeks, anticipate extra posts drawing on content material from the soon-to-appear CRC e book, Deep Studying and Scientific Computing with R torch. Thanks for studying!

Photograph by alex lauzon on Unsplash

Warden, Pete. 2018. “Speech Instructions: A Dataset for Restricted-Vocabulary Speech Recognition.” CoRR abs/1804.03209. http://arxiv.org/abs/1804.03209.

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Articles