UPDATE:The WPF Spectrum Analyzer is now part of the WPF Sound Visualization Library. That is where you will find source code for the latest and most-stable versions of the Spectrum Analyzer.

The Spectrum Analyzer Control

The Spectrum Analyzer Control

A number of weeks ago, I shared with the world a WPF Spectrum Analyzer UserControl I had created. This post is an update on that. Why is there an update? Well, I’ve made some pretty fundamental changes to the Spectrum Analyzer. Not changes that an end-user would necessarily notice at first glance, but they’re fundamental to the way the control performs. I was dissatisfied with the first iteration of the Spectrum Analyzer for two reasons:

  1. It didn’t support scaling.
  2. It was a UserControl, which means that didn’t support custom templates/themes.

These two inadequacies severely crippled much of what makes WPF so great.

Supporting Scaling – Go Go Gadget Vectors!

My first pass at the Spectrum Analyzer was based on a very bad assumption. I assumed, foolishly, that a classic pixel-based rendering loop where I manually controlled the buffers would offer me performance benefits and control that I would not be able to achieve if I used vector-based rendering techniques. When I say “vector-based” I mean rendering Shapes on a Canvas. “Pixel-based” refers to me using a DrawingContext to draw shapes in a fashion similar to how things were done in the ol’ GDI+ days. I’ve left my old post in tact if you want to see how the pixel-based technique was done. Assumption aside, using pixel-based rendering has some consequences when a ScaleTransform gets applied to my control. Basically, things get blurry. It’s the same as resizing an image in Photoshop (that is, in the real world, where we don’t have CSI-like “enhance” commands). Since I’m a big proponent of using ScaleTransforms to “zoom” in on a Window’s content as the Window resizes, I felt like this inadequacy in my control was eating away at my soul.

To set about changing this, I had to first mentally break down the control into vector components. Luckily, the Spectrum Analyzer isn’t terribly complex. It’s essentially a variable number of rectangles laid out horizontally. Then, added to that, is another set of rectangles (of the same quantity) that make up the “falling peaks.”

Spectrum Analyzer - Now With Vector Scaling Support!

Spectrum Analyzer - Now With Vector Scaling Support!

Template Support

This brings us to crafting the control as an ACTUAL Control rather than a UserControl. Really, the only component I require is a Canvas on which I can draw all these Rectangles. I’ve set up my Control using the conventional “PART_” naming convention (see TemplatePartAttribute). To actually get the bars or falling peaks to draw, an application author will also need to define the BarStyle and/or PeakStyle dependency properties on the control. Without these, they’ll still technically “draw,” but they’ll have no brush and be invisible.

Here’s an example of a style and template for the SpectrumAnalyzer control.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
<LinearGradientBrush x:Key="SpectrumBarBrush"
                        EndPoint="0.5,1"
                        StartPoint="0.5,0">
    <GradientStop Color="#06799F"
                    Offset="0" />
    <GradientStop Color="#024E68"
                    Offset="1" />
</LinearGradientBrush>

<SolidColorBrush x:Key="SpectrumPeakBrush"
                    Color="#61B4CF" />

<Style TargetType="{x:Type local:SpectrumAnalyzer}">
    <Setter Property="BarCount"
            Value="32" />
    <Setter Property="BarSpacing"
            Value="5" />
    <Setter Property="BarStyle">
        <Setter.Value>
            <Style TargetType="{x:Type Rectangle}">
                <Setter Property="Fill"
                        Value="{StaticResource SpectrumBarBrush}" />
                <Setter Property="RadiusX"
                        Value="3" />
                <Setter Property="RadiusY"
                        Value="3" />
            </Style>
        </Setter.Value>
    </Setter>
    <Setter Property="PeakStyle">
        <Setter.Value>
            <Style TargetType="{x:Type Rectangle}">
                <Setter Property="Fill"
                        Value="{StaticResource SpectrumPeakBrush}" />
                <Setter Property="RadiusX"
                        Value="3" />
                <Setter Property="RadiusY"
                        Value="3" />
            </Style>
        </Setter.Value>
    </Setter>
    <Setter Property="Template">
        <Setter.Value>
            <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type local:SpectrumAnalyzer}">
                <Canvas Name="PART_SpectrumCanvas"
                        HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
                        VerticalAlignment="Stretch"
                        ClipToBounds="True" />
            </ControlTemplate>
        </Setter.Value>
    </Setter>
</Style>

Revised Control Code
I’ve revised the rendering process a bit. When I first wrote the control code, there was a render method that drew a bunch of rectangles onto a DrawingVisual. Instead of drawing directly, I now just change the coordinates/size of a bunch of rectangles that are stored as fields on the Spectrum Analyzer. I let WPF handle their rendering. Thus, my “RenderSpectrumLines” method became a “UpdateSpectrumShapes” method. Also, since this is now a control, there is no XAML to go along with it per se. However, there would be a default template for it if it were placed in a Control Library. Here’s the updated code:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
[TemplatePart(Name = "PART_SpectrumCanvas", Type = typeof(Canvas))]    
public class SpectrumAnalyzer : Control
{
    #region Fields
    private readonly DispatcherTimer animationTimer;
    private Canvas spectrumCanvas;
    private ISpectrumPlayer soundPlayer;
    private readonly List<Shape> barShapes = new List<Shape>();
    private readonly List<Shape> peakShapes = new List<Shape>();
    private double[] barHeights;
    private double[] peakHeights;
    private float[] channelData = new float[2048];
    private float[] channelPeakData;
    private double bandWidth = 1.0;
    private double barWidth = 1;
    private int maximumFrequencyIndex = 2047;
    private int minimumFrequencyIndex;
    private int[] barIndexMax;
    private int[] barLogScaleIndexMax;
    #endregion

    #region Constants
    private const int scaleFactorLinear = 9;
    private const int scaleFactorSqr = 2;
    private const double minDBValue = -90;
    private const double maxDBValue = 0;
    private const double dbScale = (maxDBValue - minDBValue);
    #endregion

    #region Dependency Properties
    #region MaximumFrequency
    public static readonly DependencyProperty MaximumFrequencyProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("MaximumFrequency", typeof(int), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(20000, OnMaximumFrequencyChanged, OnCoerceMaximumFrequency));

    private static object OnCoerceMaximumFrequency(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceMaximumFrequency((int)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnMaximumFrequencyChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnMaximumFrequencyChanged((int)e.OldValue, (int)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual int OnCoerceMaximumFrequency(int value)
    {
        if ((int)value < MinimumFrequency)
            return MinimumFrequency + 1;
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnMaximumFrequencyChanged(int oldValue, int newValue)
    {
        UpdateBarLayout();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// The maximum display frequency (right side) for the spectrum analyzer.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>In usual practice, this value should be somewhere between 0 and half of the maximum sample rate. If using
    /// the maximum sample rate, this would be roughly 22000.</remarks>
    [Category("Common")]
    public int MaximumFrequency
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (int)GetValue(MaximumFrequencyProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(MaximumFrequencyProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region Minimum Frequency
    public static readonly DependencyProperty MinimumFrequencyProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("MinimumFrequency", typeof(int), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(20, OnMinimumFrequencyChanged, OnCoerceMinimumFrequency));

    private static object OnCoerceMinimumFrequency(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceMinimumFrequency((int)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnMinimumFrequencyChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnMinimumFrequencyChanged((int)e.OldValue, (int)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual int OnCoerceMinimumFrequency(int value)
    {
        if (value < 0)
            return value = 0;
        CoerceValue(MaximumFrequencyProperty);
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnMinimumFrequencyChanged(int oldValue, int newValue)
    {
        UpdateBarLayout();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// The minimum display frequency (left side) for the spectrum analyzer.
    /// </summary>
    [Category("Common")]
    public int MinimumFrequency
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (int)GetValue(MinimumFrequencyProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(MinimumFrequencyProperty, value);
        }
    }

    #endregion

    #region BarCount
    public static readonly DependencyProperty BarCountProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("BarCount", typeof(int), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(32, OnBarCountChanged, OnCoerceBarCount));

    private static object OnCoerceBarCount(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceBarCount((int)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnBarCountChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnBarCountChanged((int)e.OldValue, (int)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual int OnCoerceBarCount(int value)
    {
        value = Math.Max(value, 1);
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnBarCountChanged(int oldValue, int newValue)
    {
        UpdateBarLayout();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// The number of bars to show on the sprectrum analyzer.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>A bar's width can be a minimum of 1 pixel. If the BarSpacing and BarCount property result
    /// in the bars being wider than the chart itself, the BarCount will automatically scale down.</remarks>
    [Category("Common")]
    public int BarCount
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (int)GetValue(BarCountProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(BarCountProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region BarSpacing
    public static readonly DependencyProperty BarSpacingProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("BarSpacing", typeof(double), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(5.0d, OnBarSpacingChanged, OnCoerceBarSpacing));

    private static object OnCoerceBarSpacing(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceBarSpacing((double)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnBarSpacingChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnBarSpacingChanged((double)e.OldValue, (double)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual double OnCoerceBarSpacing(double value)
    {
        value = Math.Max(value, 0);
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnBarSpacingChanged(double oldValue, double newValue)
    {
        UpdateBarLayout();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// The spacing, in pixels, between the bars.
    /// </summary>
    [Category("Common")]
    public double BarSpacing
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (double)GetValue(BarSpacingProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(BarSpacingProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region PeakFallDelay
    public static readonly DependencyProperty PeakFallDelayProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("PeakFallDelay", typeof(int), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(10, OnPeakFallDelayChanged, OnCoercePeakFallDelay));

    private static object OnCoercePeakFallDelay(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoercePeakFallDelay((int)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnPeakFallDelayChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnPeakFallDelayChanged((int)e.OldValue, (int)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual int OnCoercePeakFallDelay(int value)
    {
        value = Math.Max(value, 0);
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnPeakFallDelayChanged(int oldValue, int newValue)
    {

    }

    /// <summary>
    /// The delay factor for the peaks falling. This is relative to the
    /// refresh rate of the chart.
    /// </summary>
    [Category("Common")]
    public int PeakFallDelay
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (int)GetValue(PeakFallDelayProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(PeakFallDelayProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region IsFrequencyScaleLinear
    public static readonly DependencyProperty IsFrequencyScaleLinearProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("IsFrequencyScaleLinear", typeof(bool), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(false, OnIsFrequencyScaleLinearChanged, OnCoerceIsFrequencyScaleLinear));

    private static object OnCoerceIsFrequencyScaleLinear(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceIsFrequencyScaleLinear((bool)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnIsFrequencyScaleLinearChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnIsFrequencyScaleLinearChanged((bool)e.OldValue, (bool)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual bool OnCoerceIsFrequencyScaleLinear(bool value)
    {
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnIsFrequencyScaleLinearChanged(bool oldValue, bool newValue)
    {
        UpdateBarLayout();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// If true, the bars will represent frequency buckets on a linear scale (making them all
    /// have equal band widths on the frequency scale). Otherwise, the bars will be layed out
    /// on a logrithmic scale, with each bar having a larger bandwidth than the one previous.
    /// </summary>
    [Category("Common")]
    public bool IsFrequencyScaleLinear
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (bool)GetValue(IsFrequencyScaleLinearProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(IsFrequencyScaleLinearProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region BarHeightScaling
    public static readonly DependencyProperty BarHeightScalingProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("BarHeightScaling", typeof(BarHeightScalingStyles), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(BarHeightScalingStyles.Decibel, OnBarHeightScalingChanged, OnCoerceBarHeightScaling));

    private static object OnCoerceBarHeightScaling(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceBarHeightScaling((BarHeightScalingStyles)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnBarHeightScalingChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnBarHeightScalingChanged((BarHeightScalingStyles)e.OldValue, (BarHeightScalingStyles)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual BarHeightScalingStyles OnCoerceBarHeightScaling(BarHeightScalingStyles value)
    {
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnBarHeightScalingChanged(BarHeightScalingStyles oldValue, BarHeightScalingStyles newValue)
    {

    }

    /// <summary>
    /// If true, the bar height will be displayed linearly with the intensity value.
    /// Otherwise, the bars will be scaled with a square root function.
    /// </summary>
    [Category("Common")]
    public BarHeightScalingStyles BarHeightScaling
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (BarHeightScalingStyles)GetValue(BarHeightScalingProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(BarHeightScalingProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region AveragePeaks
    public static readonly DependencyProperty AveragePeaksProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("AveragePeaks", typeof(bool), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(false, OnAveragePeaksChanged, OnCoerceAveragePeaks));

    private static object OnCoerceAveragePeaks(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceAveragePeaks((bool)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnAveragePeaksChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnAveragePeaksChanged((bool)e.OldValue, (bool)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual bool OnCoerceAveragePeaks(bool value)
    {
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnAveragePeaksChanged(bool oldValue, bool newValue)
    {

    }

    /// <summary>
    /// If true, each bar's peak value will be averaged with the previous
    /// bar's peak. This creates a smoothing effect on the bars.
    /// </summary>
    [Category("Common")]
    public bool AveragePeaks
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (bool)GetValue(AveragePeaksProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(AveragePeaksProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region BarStyle
    public static readonly DependencyProperty BarStyleProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("BarStyle", typeof(Style), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(null, new PropertyChangedCallback(OnBarStyleChanged), new CoerceValueCallback(OnCoerceBarStyle)));

    private static object OnCoerceBarStyle(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceBarStyle((Style)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnBarStyleChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnBarStyleChanged((Style)e.OldValue, (Style)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual Style OnCoerceBarStyle(Style value)
    {
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnBarStyleChanged(Style oldValue, Style newValue)
    {
        UpdateBarLayout();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// A style with which to draw the bars on the spectrum analyzer.
    /// </summary>
    public Style BarStyle
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (Style)GetValue(BarStyleProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(BarStyleProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region PeakStyle
    public static readonly DependencyProperty PeakStyleProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("PeakStyle", typeof(Style), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(null, new PropertyChangedCallback(OnPeakStyleChanged), new CoerceValueCallback(OnCoercePeakStyle)));

    private static object OnCoercePeakStyle(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoercePeakStyle((Style)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnPeakStyleChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnPeakStyleChanged((Style)e.OldValue, (Style)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual Style OnCoercePeakStyle(Style value)
    {

        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnPeakStyleChanged(Style oldValue, Style newValue)
    {
        UpdateBarLayout();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// A style with which to draw the falling peaks on the spectrum analyzer.
    /// </summary>
    public Style PeakStyle
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (Style)GetValue(PeakStyleProperty);
        }
        set
        {
            SetValue(PeakStyleProperty, value);
        }
    }
    #endregion

    #region ActualBarWidth
    public static readonly DependencyProperty ActualBarWidthProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("ActualBarWidth", typeof(double), typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new UIPropertyMetadata(0.0d, new PropertyChangedCallback(OnActualBarWidthChanged), new CoerceValueCallback(OnCoerceActualBarWidth)));

    private static object OnCoerceActualBarWidth(DependencyObject o, object value)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            return spectrumAnalyzer.OnCoerceActualBarWidth((double)value);
        else
            return value;
    }

    private static void OnActualBarWidthChanged(DependencyObject o, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        SpectrumAnalyzer spectrumAnalyzer = o as SpectrumAnalyzer;
        if (spectrumAnalyzer != null)
            spectrumAnalyzer.OnActualBarWidthChanged((double)e.OldValue, (double)e.NewValue);
    }

    protected virtual double OnCoerceActualBarWidth(double value)
    {
        return value;
    }

    protected virtual void OnActualBarWidthChanged(double oldValue, double newValue)
    {

    }

    /// <summary>
    /// The actual width that the bars will be drawn at.
    /// </summary>
    public double ActualBarWidth
    {
        // IMPORTANT: To maintain parity between setting a property in XAML and procedural code, do not touch the getter and setter inside this dependency property!
        get
        {
            return (double)GetValue(ActualBarWidthProperty);
        }
        protected set
        {
            SetValue(ActualBarWidthProperty, value);
        }
    }

    #endregion
    #endregion

    #region Enums
    /// <summary>
    /// The different ways that the bar height can be scaled by the spectrum analyzer.
    /// </summary>
    public enum BarHeightScalingStyles
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// A decibel scale. Formula: 20 * Log10(FFTValue). Total bar height
        /// is scaled from -90 to 0 dB.
        /// </summary>
        Decibel,

        /// <summary>
        /// A non-linear squareroot scale. Formula: Sqrt(FFTValue) * 2 * BarHeight.
        /// </summary>
        Sqrt,

        /// <summary>
        /// A linear scale. Formula: 9 * FFTValue * BarHeight.
        /// </summary>
        Linear
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// The styles that the spectrum analyzer can draw the bars.
    /// </summary>
    public enum BarDrawingStyles
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Square bars.
        /// </summary>
        Square,

        /// <summary>
        /// Rounded bars with the corner radius as half the
        /// bar width.
        /// </summary>
        Rounded
    }
    #endregion

    #region Template Overrides
    public override void OnApplyTemplate()
    {
        spectrumCanvas = GetTemplateChild("PART_SpectrumCanvas") as Canvas;
        UpdateBarLayout();
    }
    #endregion

    #region Constructors
    static SpectrumAnalyzer()
    {
        DefaultStyleKeyProperty.OverrideMetadata(typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer), new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(typeof(SpectrumAnalyzer)));
    }

    public SpectrumAnalyzer()
    {
        animationTimer = new DispatcherTimer(DispatcherPriority.ApplicationIdle)
        {
            Interval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(25),
        };
        animationTimer.Tick += animationTimer_Tick;
    }
    #endregion

    #region Public Methods
    /// <summary>
    /// Register a sound player from which the spectrum analyzer
    /// can get the necessary playback data.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="soundPlayer">A sound player that provides spectrum data through the ISpectrumPlayer interface methods.</param>
    public void RegisterSoundPlayer(ISpectrumPlayer soundPlayer)
    {
        this.soundPlayer = soundPlayer;
        soundPlayer.PropertyChanged += soundPlayer_PropertyChanged;
        UpdateBarLayout();
        animationTimer.Start();
    }
    #endregion

    #region Event Overrides
    protected override void OnRender(DrawingContext dc)
    {
        base.OnRender(dc);
        UpdateBarLayout();
        UpdateSpectrum();
    }

    protected override void OnRenderSizeChanged(SizeChangedInfo sizeInfo)
    {
        base.OnRenderSizeChanged(sizeInfo);
        UpdateBarLayout();
        UpdateSpectrum();
    }
    #endregion

    #region Private Drawing Methods
    private void UpdateSpectrum()
    {
        if (soundPlayer == null || spectrumCanvas == null || spectrumCanvas.RenderSize.Width < 1 || spectrumCanvas.RenderSize.Height < 1)
            return;

        if (soundPlayer.IsPlaying && (soundPlayer.GetFFTData(channelData) < 1))
            return;

        UpdateSpectrumShapes();
    }


    private void UpdateSpectrumShapes()
    {
        bool allZero = true;
        double fftBucketHeight = 0f;
        double barHeight = 0f;
        double lastPeakHeight = 0f;
        double peakYPos = 0f;
        double height = spectrumCanvas.RenderSize.Height;
        int barIndex = 0;
        double peakDotHeight = Math.Max(barWidth / 2.0f, 1);
        double barHeightScale = (height - peakDotHeight);

        for (int i = minimumFrequencyIndex; i <= maximumFrequencyIndex; i++)
        {
            // If we're paused, keep drawing, but set the current height to 0 so the peaks fall.
            if (!soundPlayer.IsPlaying)
            {
                barHeight = 0f;
            }
            else // Draw the maximum value for the bar's band
            {
                switch (BarHeightScaling)
                {
                    case BarHeightScalingStyles.Decibel:
                        double dbValue = 20 * Math.Log10((double)channelData[i]);
                        fftBucketHeight = ((dbValue - minDBValue) / dbScale) * barHeightScale;
                        break;
                    case BarHeightScalingStyles.Linear:
                        fftBucketHeight = (channelData[i] * scaleFactorLinear) * barHeightScale;
                        break;
                    case BarHeightScalingStyles.Sqrt:
                        fftBucketHeight = (((Math.Sqrt((double)channelData[i])) * scaleFactorSqr) * barHeightScale);
                        break;
                }

                if (barHeight < fftBucketHeight)
                    barHeight = fftBucketHeight;
                if (barHeight < 0f)
                    barHeight = 0f;
            }

            // If this is the last FFT bucket in the bar's group, draw the bar.
            int currentIndexMax = IsFrequencyScaleLinear ? barIndexMax[barIndex] : barLogScaleIndexMax[barIndex];
            if (i == currentIndexMax)
            {
                // Peaks can't surpass the height of the control.
                if (barHeight > height)
                    barHeight = height;

                if (AveragePeaks && barIndex > 0)
                    barHeight = (lastPeakHeight + barHeight) / 2;

                peakYPos = barHeight;

                if (channelPeakData[barIndex] < peakYPos)
                    channelPeakData[barIndex] = (float)peakYPos;
                else
                    channelPeakData[barIndex] = (float)(peakYPos + (PeakFallDelay * channelPeakData[barIndex])) / ((float)(PeakFallDelay + 1));

                double xCoord = BarSpacing + (barWidth * barIndex) + (BarSpacing * barIndex) + 1;

                barShapes[barIndex].Margin = new Thickness(xCoord, (height - 1) - barHeight, 0, 0);
                barShapes[barIndex].Height = barHeight;
                peakShapes[barIndex].Margin = new Thickness(xCoord, (height - 1) - channelPeakData[barIndex] - peakDotHeight, 0, 0);
                peakShapes[barIndex].Height = peakDotHeight;

                if (channelPeakData[barIndex] > 0.05)
                    allZero = false;

                lastPeakHeight = barHeight;
                barHeight = 0f;
                barIndex++;
            }
        }

        if (allZero && !soundPlayer.IsPlaying)
            animationTimer.Stop();
    }

    private void UpdateBarLayout()
    {
        if (soundPlayer == null || spectrumCanvas == null)
            return;

        barWidth = Math.Max(((double)(spectrumCanvas.RenderSize.Width - (BarSpacing * (BarCount + 1))) / (double)BarCount), 1);
        maximumFrequencyIndex = Math.Min(soundPlayer.GetFFTFrequencyIndex(MaximumFrequency) + 1, 2047);
        minimumFrequencyIndex = Math.Min(soundPlayer.GetFFTFrequencyIndex(MinimumFrequency), 2047);
        bandWidth = Math.Max(((double)(maximumFrequencyIndex - minimumFrequencyIndex)) / spectrumCanvas.RenderSize.Width, 1.0);

        int actualBarCount;
        if (barWidth >= 1.0d)
            actualBarCount = BarCount;
        else
            actualBarCount = Math.Max((int)((spectrumCanvas.RenderSize.Width - BarSpacing) / (barWidth + BarSpacing)), 1);
        channelPeakData = new float[actualBarCount];

        int indexCount = maximumFrequencyIndex - minimumFrequencyIndex;
        int linearIndexBucketSize = (int)Math.Round((double)indexCount / (double)actualBarCount, 0);
        List<int> maxIndexList = new List<int>();
        List<int> maxLogScaleIndexList = new List<int>();
        double maxLog = Math.Log(actualBarCount, actualBarCount);
        for (int i = 1; i < actualBarCount; i++)
        {
            maxIndexList.Add(minimumFrequencyIndex + (i * linearIndexBucketSize));
            int logIndex = (int)((maxLog - Math.Log((actualBarCount + 1) - i, (actualBarCount + 1))) * indexCount) + minimumFrequencyIndex;
            maxLogScaleIndexList.Add(logIndex);
        }
        maxIndexList.Add(maximumFrequencyIndex);
        maxLogScaleIndexList.Add(maximumFrequencyIndex);
        barIndexMax = maxIndexList.ToArray();
        barLogScaleIndexMax = maxLogScaleIndexList.ToArray();

        barHeights = new double[actualBarCount];
        peakHeights = new double[actualBarCount];

        spectrumCanvas.Children.Clear();
        barShapes.Clear();
        peakShapes.Clear();

        double height = spectrumCanvas.RenderSize.Height;
        double peakDotHeight = Math.Max(barWidth / 2.0f, 1);
        for (int i = 0; i < actualBarCount; i++)
        {
            double xCoord = BarSpacing + (barWidth * i) + (BarSpacing * i) + 1;
            Rectangle barRectangle = new Rectangle()
            {
                Margin = new Thickness(xCoord, height, 0, 0),
                Width = barWidth,
                Height = 0,
                Style = BarStyle
            };
            barShapes.Add(barRectangle);
            Rectangle peakRectangle = new Rectangle()
            {
                Margin = new Thickness(xCoord, height - peakDotHeight, 0, 0),
                Width = barWidth,
                Height = peakDotHeight,
                Style = PeakStyle
            };
            peakShapes.Add(peakRectangle);
        }

        foreach (Shape shape in barShapes)
            spectrumCanvas.Children.Add(shape);
        foreach (Shape shape in peakShapes)
            spectrumCanvas.Children.Add(shape);

        ActualBarWidth = barWidth;
    }
    #endregion

    #region Event Handlers
    private void soundPlayer_PropertyChanged(object sender, PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        switch (e.PropertyName)
        {
            case "IsPlaying":
                if (soundPlayer.IsPlaying && !animationTimer.IsEnabled)
                    animationTimer.Start();
                break;
        }
    }

    private void animationTimer_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        UpdateSpectrum();
    }
    #endregion
}

On Performance / Conclusion
So, where does this leave us? A peak at the Task Manager delivers a pretty telling tale. On my system, the control continues to use very little processor power. What’s even better, however, is you’ll see far less churning of the memory usage. It seems that when you let WPF handle the rendering, it gets to have better control of what sort of buffers get created and how quickly they’re cleared from memory. When we did it manually with our RenderTargetBitmap, we were at the mercy of the garbage collector.

I think there are still a number of controls where one will need to fall back on to pixel based rendering (e.g., a spectrogram), but this one lent itself well to being drawn with vectors. That said, I think the current iteration of this Control is far closer to how one should design their controls for other people to use. People incorporating this into their own applications should find it much more flexible in style, as well as much more performant.

Download Source Code