# rust-dominant-speaker
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[](https://crates.io/crates/rust-dominant-speaker)
[](https://docs.rs/rust-dominant-speaker)
[](LICENSE-MIT)
[](#rust-version)
Pure-Rust library implementing the dominant speaker identification algorithm
used by Jitsi Videobridge and mediasoup. No FFI, no WebRTC stack dependencies —
just feed it RFC 6464 audio-level observations and it tells you who is talking.
## Why this exists
Every Rust SFU currently reimplements this algorithm inline or skips it entirely.
This crate is a faithful, library-shaped extraction so you can drop it in and move on.
## Usage
Add to your `Cargo.toml`:
```toml
[dependencies]
rust-dominant-speaker = "0.3"
```
```rust
use dominant_speaker::{ActiveSpeakerDetector, SpeakerChange};
let mut detector = ActiveSpeakerDetector::new();
// Timestamps are caller-supplied u64 milliseconds (any epoch).
// In std: let t0 = Instant::now(); let now_ms = t0.elapsed().as_millis() as u64;
// In WASM: performance.now() as u64
// Register participants at t=0.
detector.add_peer(1u64, 0);
detector.add_peer(2u64, 0);
// Feed RFC 6464 audio levels: 0 = loudest, 127 = silent.
let mut t_ms: u64 = 0;
while t_ms < 2000 {
detector.record_level(1, 5, t_ms); // peer 1 is speaking
detector.record_level(2, 127, t_ms); // peer 2 is silent
t_ms += 20;
}
// Call tick() on a 300ms timer. Returns Some(SpeakerChange) only on speaker change.
if let Some(change) = detector.tick(300) {
println!("Dominant speaker: peer {} (confidence: {:.2})", change.peer_id, change.c2_margin);
}
// Query current speaker without advancing the clock.
assert_eq!(detector.current_dominant().copied(), Some(1));
```
## Algorithm
Three time-scale comparison ([Volfin & Cohen, 2012][paper]): audio levels are
bucketed into immediate (20ms), medium (200ms), and long (2s) windows. For each
window, a binomial-coefficient activity score is computed. A challenger beats the
incumbent only if their log-ratio exceeds all three thresholds simultaneously,
preventing brief spikes from triggering spurious speaker changes (hysteresis).
[paper]: https://israelcohen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IEEEI2012_Volfin.pdf
### Constants (mediasoup production tuning)
| C1 | 3.0 | Immediate time-scale log-ratio threshold |
| C2 | 2.0 | Medium time-scale log-ratio threshold |
| C3 | 0.0 | Long time-scale threshold (disabled in production) |
| N1 | 13 | Immediate subband count |
| N2 | 5 | Medium subband count |
| N3 | 10 | Long subband count |
| ImmediateBuffLen | 50 | Immediate ring-buffer slots (1s at 20ms cadence × 5 subbands) |
| MediumsBuffLen | 10 | Medium ring-buffer slots |
| LongsBuffLen | 1 | Long ring-buffer slots |
| LevelsBuffLen | 50 | Raw-level ring-buffer slots |
| MinActivityScore | 1e-10 | Score floor; prevents log(0) in ratio |
| LevelIdleTimeout | 40ms | Stale level replaced with silence |
| SpeakerIdleTimeout | 1h | Idle non-dominant peer marked paused |
| TICK_INTERVAL | 300ms | Recommended tick cadence |
## Prior art
- **mediasoup (C++, ISC)** — direct source of constants and algorithm structure.
[ActiveSpeakerObserver.cpp](https://github.com/versatica/mediasoup/blob/v3/worker/src/RTC/ActiveSpeakerObserver.cpp)
- **Jitsi (Java, Apache-2.0)** — reference algorithm implementation.
[DominantSpeakerIdentification.java](https://github.com/jitsi/jitsi-utils/blob/master/src/main/java/org/jitsi/utils/dsi/DominantSpeakerIdentification.java)
- **Signal-Calling-Service (Rust, AGPL-3.0)** — a simplified heuristic variant inlined in their backend; not a library.
[backend/src/audio.rs](https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Calling-Service/blob/main/backend/src/audio.rs)
- **RFC 6464** — input format: audio level in dBov carried in RTP header extensions.
## Extracted from
Originally built as part of [OxPulse Chat](https://oxpulse.chat), published
standalone for the broader Rust WebRTC ecosystem.
## no_std / WASM
The crate is `#![no_std]` compatible. To use without the standard library:
```toml
[dependencies]
rust-dominant-speaker = { version = "0.3", default-features = false }
```
Timestamps are caller-supplied `u64` milliseconds — no `Instant` dependency:
```rust
// All three methods accept u64 ms in both std and no_std builds.
detector.add_peer(peer_id, now_ms);
detector.record_level(peer_id, level, now_ms);
detector.tick(now_ms);
```
In a browser AudioWorklet, supply `performance.now() as u64` as the timestamp.
Runtime dependencies added for `no_std`: `hashbrown` (hash map) and `libm` (f64 math).
## License
Dual-licensed under [MIT](LICENSE-MIT) or [Apache-2.0](LICENSE-APACHE) at your option.