Praat++ (An extension tool from Praat for web-based multimodal annotation)

Praat++ is a browser-based multimodal annotation platform built on Praat functionality.

It provides real-time waveform, spectrogram, pitch, and intensity visualization, supporting annotation of both acoustic and video data directly in the browser with features like region labeling, tier control, and auto-saving.

Example

Key Features

File Upload

• Duplicate file detection: Uploading a file with the same name will trigger a warning.
• Multiple file upload: Select and upload multiple .wav .mp3 or .mp4 files at once.

Waveform-Based Annotation

• Region create: Drag on the waveform to create a new annotation region.
• Region update: Resize or move regions freely.
• Playback: Click a region to play the corresponding audio.
• Timestamp preview: Hover over the waveform to view precise timing.
• Annotation: Right-click a region to add or delete labels.

Tier Control

• Select tier: Click a tier to activate it before annotating.
• Edit tier name: Click the tier name to edit it directly.
• Hide/delete: Right-click to hide or delete a tier.

Zoom Control

• Scroll to zoom: Use the mouse wheel over the waveform to zoom in or out.

Custom Label Categories

• Fully customizable: Define your own annotation labels and checkbox attributes.

Auto-Save

• All changes are auto-saved: No need for a Save button.

Export

• Export to TextGrid: Download annotations as a .TextGrid file compatible with Praat.

To explore the full features of Praat++, please refer to the Praat++ Tutorial.

Annotation Storage

All annotation data and files generated during processing are stored per file per user under the following structure:

static/videos/pool/{user}/{file_name}

Each uploaded file is saved under the logged-in username, and annotations persist independently per user.

Try It Out

You can run Praat++ locally by following these steps:

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/UTA-ACL2/PraatPlusPlus.git
cd PraatPlusPlus

2. Create and Activate Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv
# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate
# On macOS/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

3. Install Required Packages

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set Up External Tools

• Install ffmpeg and ensure it is added to your system PATH

5. Configure User Accounts

Open login_routes.py and define allowed usernames in VALID_ACCOUNTS.

6. Run the Flask App

python run.py

7. Open in Browser

Visit http://127.0.0.1:5000 to use it.

Contact

Peter (Weiran Zhang)
Email: [email protected]

Acknowledgments

This tool was inspired by the design of Praat on the Web (Domínguez et al., 2016).
We gratefully acknowledge their contribution to web-based speech annotation platforms.
Praat++ is developed by the ACL Lab at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).