Porcupine Wake Word
Python Quick Start

Platforms

• Linux (x86_64)
• macOS (x86_64, arm64)
• Windows (x86_64, arm64)
• Raspberry Pi (Zero, 3, 4, 5)

Requirements

• Picovoice Account & AccessKey
• Python 3.9+
• PIP

Picovoice Account & AccessKey

Signup or Login to Picovoice Console to get your AccessKey. Make sure to keep your AccessKey secret.

Quick Start

Setup

1. Install Python 3.

2. Install the pvporcupine Python package using PIP:

pip3 install pvporcupine

Usage

Create an instance of Porcupine Wake Word that detects the included built-in wake words porcupine and bumblebee:

import pvporcupine

porcupine = pvporcupine.create(
  access_key='${ACCESS_KEY}',
  keywords=['picovoice', 'bumblebee']
)

Pass in frames of audio to the .process function:

def get_next_audio_frame():
  pass

while True:
  audio_frame = get_next_audio_frame()
  keyword_index = porcupine.process(audio_frame)
  if keyword_index == 0:
      # detected `porcupine`
  elif keyword_index == 1:
      # detected `bumblebee`

Release resources explicitly when done with Porcupine Wake Word:

porcupine.delete()

Custom Keywords

Create custom keywords using the Picovoice Console. Download the custom wake word file (.ppn) and create an instance of Porcupine Wake Word using the keyword_paths input argument:

porcupine = pvporcupine.create(
  access_key='${ACCESS_KEY}',
  keyword_paths=['${KEYWORD_FILE_PATH}']
)

Non-English Languages

Use the corresponding model file (.pv) to detect non-English wake words. The model files for all supported languages are available on the Porcupine Wake Word GitHub repository.

Pass in the model file using the model_path input argument to change the detection language:

porcupine = pvporcupine.create(
  access_key='${ACCESS_KEY}',
  keyword_paths=['${KEYWORD_FILE_PATH}'],
  model_path='${MODEL_FILE_PATH}'
)

Demo

For the Porcupine Wake Word Python SDK, we offer demo applications that demonstrate how to use the wake word engine on real-time audio streams (i.e. microphone input) and audio files.

Setup

Install the pvporcupinedemo Python package using PIP:

pip3 install pvporcupinedemo

This package installs command-line utilities for the Porcupine Wake Word Python demos.

Usage

Use the --help flag to see the usage options for the demo:

porcupine_demo_mic --help

Ensure you have a working microphone connected to your system and run the following command to detect the built-in keyword porcupine:

porcupine_demo_mic --access_key ${ACCESS_KEY} --keywords porcupine

For more information on our Porcupine Wake Word demos for Python, head over to our GitHub repository.

Resources