Build and Run Testbench#

This guide covers building the SOF Testbench from source, preparing audio test streams, executing native simulations, and running quick verification checks.

Prerequisites and System Dependencies#

Before compiling testbench, install the required build tools, audio format converters, analysis packages, and memory validation utilities:

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install cmake ninja-build build-essential valgrind sox ffmpeg \
                 alsa-utils libasound2-dev octave octave-signal octave-io

# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf install cmake ninja-build gcc gcc-c++ valgrind sox ffmpeg \
                 alsa-utils alsa-lib-devel octave octave-signal

Building the Testbench#

Testbench can be compiled using either standard CMake commands or the provided build automation scripts.

Method 2: Direct CMake Build#

For fine-grained control over compiler flags, sanitizers, or build types:

cd $SOF_WORKSPACE/sof/tools/testbench

# Configure with AddressSanitizer and Debug symbols
cmake -B build_testbench \
      -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug \
      -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="-fsanitize=address,undefined -g" \
      -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=build_testbench/install

# Compile and install
cmake --build build_testbench -j$(nproc) --target install

Quick Verification (host-testbench.sh)#

To confirm that the testbench build and audio processing components are functioning properly, execute the quick verification script:

cd $SOF_WORKSPACE/sof
./scripts/host-testbench.sh

The script runs automated zero-input and chirp tests across core audio modules:

==========================================================
test volume with ./volume_run.sh 16 16 48000 zeros_in.raw volume_out.raw
volume test passed!
volume_out size check passed!
==========================================================
test src with ./src_run.sh 32 32 44100 48000 zeros_in.raw src_out.raw
src test passed!
src_out size check passed!
==========================================================
test eqiir with ./eqiir_run.sh 16 16 48000 zeros_in.raw eqiir_out.raw
eqiir test passed!
eqiir_out size check passed!

Running Simulations with sof-testbench-helper.sh#

The scripts/sof-testbench-helper.sh script simplifies test execution by automatically converting input WAV files to raw PCM formats, locating the appropriate component benchmark topologies, executing testbench, and converting the processed output back to WAV:

cd $SOF_WORKSPACE/sof

# 1. Process an audio file through the IIR Equalizer
scripts/sof-testbench-helper.sh -m eqiir -i /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav -o out_eqiir.wav

# 2. Test Dynamic Range Compressor (DRC) with 32-bit audio
scripts/sof-testbench-helper.sh -m drc -b 32 -i /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav -o out_drc.wav

# 3. Check Volume component for memory corruption with Valgrind
scripts/sof-testbench-helper.sh -v -m volume

# 4. Run cycle-accurate Xtensa simulation with profiling
scripts/sof-testbench-helper.sh -x -m eqiir -p profile-eqiir.txt

Helper Script Options#

Option

Default

Description

-m <module>

gain

Target processing module (e.g., volume, eqiir, eqfir, drc, dcblock, tdfb).

-i <wav_file>

Front_Center.wav

Input RIFF WAV audio file.

-o <wav_file>

None

Destination WAV file for processed audio.

-b <bits>

32

Bit depth: 16, 24, or 32 bits.

-r <rate>

48000

Input sample rate in Hz.

-R <rate>

48000

Output sample rate in Hz (for testing sample rate conversion).

-c <channels>

2

Number of input and output audio channels.

-n <pipelines>

1,2

Pipeline IDs to instantiate (e.g., 1,2 for playback, 3,4 for capture).

-t <tplg>

Auto-detected

Force a custom topology file (e.g., production/sof-hda-generic.tplg).

-v

Disabled

Execute testbench under Valgrind memory analysis.

-x

Disabled

Execute testbench in the Cadence Xtensa simulator (xt-run).

-p <file>

None

Save Xtensa profiling output report (use with -x).

Manual Simulation Run (Step-by-Step)#

If you need to invoke sof-testbench4 directly for customized pipeline testing or debugging:

Step 1: Prepare Raw PCM Audio Input#

The testbench consumes raw PCM binary files (headerless interleaved samples). Use sox to convert an existing audio file:

# Convert standard WAV file to 32-bit 48 kHz stereo raw PCM
sox --encoding signed-integer /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Left.wav \
    -L -r 48000 -c 2 -b 32 in.raw

# Or synthesize a 3-second 997 Hz sine test tone at -3 dBFS
sox -n --encoding signed-integer -L -r 48000 -c 2 -b 32 in.raw \
    synth 3 sine 997 norm -3

Step 2: Execute the Testbench Binary#

Invoke sof-testbench4 with the prepared input file, output file, and target topology:

tools/testbench/build_testbench/install/bin/sof-testbench4 \
    -r 48000 -c 2 -b S32_LE -p 1,2 \
    -t tools/build_tools/topology/topology2/development/sof-hda-benchmark-eqiir32.tplg \
    -i in.raw -o out.raw

Step 3: Convert and Listen to Processed Audio#

Convert the raw output file back to a standard WAV container and verify the acoustic output:

# Convert raw output to WAV
sox --encoding signed-integer -L -r 48000 -c 2 -b 32 out.raw out.wav

# Listen using standard ALSA playback
aplay out.wav

# Or inspect the waveform graphically in Audacity
audacity out.wav &

Testing Capture and Full-Duplex Pipelines#

In SOF Topology 2.0 benchmark topologies:

  • Playback Pipelines: Typically consist of Host Copier (Pipeline 1) and DAI Copier (Pipeline 2). Specified via -p 1,2.

  • Capture Pipelines: Typically consist of DAI Copier (Pipeline 3) and Host Copier (Pipeline 4). Specified via -p 3,4:

    tools/testbench/build_testbench/install/bin/sof-testbench4 \
    -r 48000 -c 2 -b S32_LE -p 3,4 \
    -t tools/build_tools/topology/topology2/development/sof-hda-benchmark-volume32.tplg \
    -i dmic_in.raw -o host_out.raw

  • Full-Duplex Testing: Specified via -p 1,2,3,4 with comma-separated inputs and outputs:

    tools/testbench/build_testbench/install/bin/sof-testbench4 \
    -r 48000 -c 2 -b S32_LE -p 1,2,3,4 \
    -t tools/build_tools/topology/topology2/development/sof-hda-benchmark-volume32.tplg \
    -i pb_in.raw,cap_in.raw -o pb_out.raw,cap_out.raw