Sound#

Introduction#

The VEX AIR Drone Controller allows users to play built-in sounds, custom audio files, and musical notes. It also includes controls for stopping sounds and detecting if audio is currently playing.

Below is a list of all available methods:

Actions - Play and Stop Sounds

  • play — Plays a built-in sound from a predefined list.

  • play_file — Plays a user-uploaded sound.

  • play_note — Plays a musical note with a specified pitch, octave, and duration.

  • stop — Stops any currently playing sound. Getters - Get Status of Sounds

  • is_active — Checks if a sound is currently playing.

Actions#

play#

play plays one of the controller’s built-in sounds at a specified volume percentage. Since this is a non-waiting method, the controller plays the built-in sound and moves to the next command without waiting for it to finish.

Usage:

controller.sound.play(sound, volume)

Parameter

Description

sound

One of the built-in sound options listed below.

volume

Optional. The volume for the sound, as an integer from 0 to 100 percent. The default is 50 percent.

Built-In Sounds

Play Sound

SUCCESS

FAULT

SENSING

DETECTED

OBSTACLE

LOOPING

COMPLETE

PAUSE

RESUME

SEND

RECEIVE

 

# Play the looping sound.
controller.sound.play(LOOPING)


# Play the looping sound at full volume.
controller.sound.play(LOOPING, 100)


# Play the looping sound. 
# Wait until the sound is finished before taking off.
controller.sound.play(LOOPING)
while controller.sound.is_active():
    wait(50, MSEC)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
wait(1, SECONDS)
drone.land()

play_file#

play_file plays a custom sound loaded by the user at a specified volume percentage. Since this is a non-waiting method, the drone plays the custom sound and moves to the next command without waiting for it to finish.

Usage:

controller.sound.play_file(file, volume)

Parameter

Description

file

One of the custom sound files uploaded by the user, from SOUND1 to SOUND10. The sound number aligns with the number shown in the AIR Control Panel.

volume

Optional. The volume for the sound, as an integer from 0 to 100 percent. The default is 50 percent.

 
# Upload a sound file in VEXcode.
# Play the custom sound.
controller.sound.play_file(SOUND1)


# Upload a sound file in VEXcode.
# Play the custom sound at full volume.
controller.sound.play_file(SOUND1, 100)


# Play the custom sound sound. 
# Wait until the sound is finished before taking off.
controller.sound.play_file(SOUND1)
while controller.sound.is_active():
    wait(50, MSEC)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
wait(1, SECONDS)
drone.land()

play_note#

play_note plays a specific note for a specific duration. Since this is a non-waiting method, the drone plays the specific note and moves to the next command without waiting for it to finish.

Usage:

controller.sound.play_note(note, duration, volume)

Parameter

Description

note

The musical pitch to play, written as a string (e.g., C5, A#6). Valid notes are A through G (with optional # for sharps) across octaves 5 to 8.

duration

The duration of the note, given as an integer in milliseconds.

volume

Optional. The volume of the note, as an integer from 0 to 100 percent. The default is 50 percent.

 
# Play C5 for 2 seconds
controller.sound.play_note("C5", 2000)


# Play C5 for 2 seconds at full volume
controller.sound.play_note("C5", 2000, 100)


# Play a short tune.
controller.sound.play_note("C5", 1000)
while controller.sound.is_active():
    wait(50, MSEC)
controller.sound.play_note("D5", 1000)
while controller.sound.is_active():
    wait(50, MSEC)
controller.sound.play_note("E5", 250)
while controller.sound.is_active():
    wait(50, MSEC)

stop#

stop stops a sound that is currently playing.

Usage:

controller.sound.stop()

Parameters

Description

This method has no parameters.

 
# Upload a sound 10 seconds or greater in VEXcode.
# Stop the sound while it is playing.
controller.sound.play_file(SOUND1)
wait(6, SECONDS)
controller.sound.stop()

Getters#

is_active#

is_active returns whether the drone is currently playing a sound as a Boolean.

  • True — A sound is currently playing

  • False — No sound is playing

Usage:
controller.sound.is_active()

Parameters

Description

This method has no parameters.

 
# Display text once a sound starts playing
controller.sound.play(LOOPING)
while not controller.sound.is_active():
    wait(50, MSEC)
print("I hear the sound!")
On this page