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Updated: Wednesday, July 27, 2022
 
 

pacat (1)

Name

pacat - dio sound server

Synopsis

paplay [options] [FILE]

parecord [options] [FILE]

pacat [options] [FILE]

parec [options] [FILE]

pamon [options] [FILE]

pacat --help

pacat --version

Description

pacat(1)                    General Commands Manual                   pacat(1)



NAME
       pacat  - Play back or record raw or encoded audio streams on a PulseAu-
       dio sound server

SYNOPSIS
       paplay [options] [FILE]

       parecord [options] [FILE]

       pacat [options] [FILE]

       parec [options] [FILE]

       pamon [options] [FILE]

       pacat --help

       pacat --version

DESCRIPTION
       pacat is a simple tool for playing back or  capturing  raw  or  encoded
       audio files on a PulseAudio sound server. It understands all audio file
       formats supported by libsndfile.

OPTIONS
       -h | --help
              Show help.

       --version
              Show version information.

       -r | --record
              Capture audio data and write it to the specified file or to STD-
              OUT  if  none is specified. If the tool is called under the name
              parec this is the default.

       -p | --playback
              Read audio data from the specified file  or  STDIN  if  none  is
              specified,  and  play  it  back. If the tool is called under the
              name pacat this is the default.

       -v | --verbose
              Enable verbose operation. Dumps the  current  playback  time  to
              STDERR during playback/capturing.

       -s | --server=SERVER
              Choose the server to connect to.

       -d | --device=SINKORSOURCE
              Specify the symbolic name of the sink/source to play/record this
              stream on/from.

       --monitor-stream=INDEX
              Record from the sink input with index INDEX.

       -n | --client-name=NAME
              Specify the client name paplay shall pass  to  the  server  when
              connecting.

       --stream-name=NAME
              Specify  the  stream  name  paplay shall pass to the server when
              creating the stream.

       --volume=VOLUME
              Specify the initial playback  volume  to  use.  Choose  a  value
              between 0 (silent) and 65536 (100% volume).

       --rate=SAMPLERATE
              Capture  or  play  back  audio  with  the specified sample rate.
              Defaults to 44100 Hz.

       --format=FORMAT
              Capture or play back audio with the specified sample format. See
              https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documenta-
              tion/User/SupportedAudioFormats/ for supported values.  Defaults
              to s16ne.

       --channels=CHANNELS
              Capture  or  play  back audio with the specified number of chan-
              nels. If more than two channels are used it  is  recommended  to
              use the --channel-map option below. Defaults to 2.

       --channel-map=CHANNELMAP
              Explicitly  choose  a channel map when playing back this stream.
              The argument should be a comma separated list of channel  names:
              front-left,  front-right,  mono,  front-center, rear-left, rear-
              right, rear-center, lfe,  front-left-of-center,  front-right-of-
              center,  side-left,  side-right,  top-center,  top-front-center,
              top-front-left, top-front-right, top-rear-left,  top-rear-right,
              top-rear-center,  or  any of the 32 auxiliary channel names aux0
              to aux31.

       --fix-format
              If passed, the sample format of the stream  is  changed  to  the
              native format of the sink the stream is connected to.

       --fix-rate
              If  passed,  the  sampling  rate of the stream is changed to the
              native rate of the sink the stream is connected to.

       --fix-channels
              If passed, the number of channels and the  channel  map  of  the
              stream  is  changed  to  the  native  number of channels and the
              native channel map of the sink the stream is connected to.

       --no-remix
              Never upmix or downmix channels.

       --no-remap
              Never remap channels. Instead of mapping channels by their  name
              this will match them solely by their index/order.

       --latency=BYTES
              Explicitly configure the latency, with a time specified in bytes
              in the selected sample format. If left out the server will  pick
              the  latency,  usually relatively high for power saving reasons.
              Use either this option or --latency-msec, but not both.

       --latency-msec=MSEC
              Explicitly configure the latency, with a time specified in  mil-
              liseconds. If left out the server will pick the latency, usually
              relatively high for power saving reasons. Use either this option
              or --latency, but not both.

       --process-time=BYTES
              Explicitly  configure the process time, with a time specified in
              bytes in the selected sample format. If left out the server will
              pick the process time. Use either this option or --process-time-
              msec, but not both.

       --process-time-msec=MSEC
              Explicitly configure the process time, with a time specified  in
              miliseconds.  If left out the server will pick the process time.
              Use either this option or --process-time, but not both.

       --property=PROPERTY=VALUE
              Attach a property to the client and stream. May be used multiple
              times

       --raw  Play/record  raw audio data. This is the default if this program
              is invoked as pacat, parec or pamon.

       --file-format[=FFORMAT]
              Play/record encoded audio data in  the  file  format  specified.
              This  is  the  default  if this program is invoked as paplay and
              parecord.

       --list-file-formats
              List supported file formats.

LIMITATIONS
       Due to a limitation in libsndfile paplay currently does not always  set
       the  correct  channel  mapping  for playback of multichannel (i.e. sur-
       round) audio files, even if the channel mapping information  is  avail-
       able in the audio file.

AUTHORS
       The   PulseAudio   Developers   <pulseaudio-discuss  (at)  lists  (dot)
       freedesktop (dot) org>; PulseAudio is  available  from  http://pulseau-
       dio.org/


ATTRIBUTES
       See attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:


       +---------------+--------------------------+
       |ATTRIBUTE TYPE |     ATTRIBUTE VALUE      |
       +---------------+--------------------------+
       |Availability   | library/audio/pulseaudio |
       +---------------+--------------------------+
       |Stability      | Pass-through volatile    |
       +---------------+--------------------------+

SEE ALSO
       pulseaudio(1), pactl(1)



NOTES
       Source  code  for open source software components in Oracle Solaris can
       be found at https://www.oracle.com/downloads/opensource/solaris-source-
       code-downloads.html.

       This     software     was    built    from    source    available    at
       https://github.com/oracle/solaris-userland.   The  original   community
       source  was  downloaded  from  http://freedesktop.org/software/pulseau-
       dio/releases/pulseaudio-14.2.tar.xz.

       Further information about this software can be found on the open source
       community website at http://freedesktop.org/software/pulseaudio.



Manuals                              User                             pacat(1)