Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)

FreeBSD Manual Pages

  
 
  

home | help
pacat(1)		     General Commands Manual			pacat(1)

NAME
     pacat  -  Play  back or record raw or encoded audio streams on a PulseAudio
     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  STDOUT
	    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  speci-
	    fied,  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. The special names , and can be used to  specify  the
	    default sink, source and monitor respectively.

     --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 con-
	    necting.

     --stream-name=NAME
	    Specify the stream name paplay shall pass to the server when  creat-
	    ing 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 channels. If
	    more than two channels are used it is recommended to use the --chan-
	    nel-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 la-
	    tency, 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 millisec-
	    onds.  If  left  out the server will pick the latency, usually rela-
	    tively 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 mil-
	    liseconds. 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. surround)  audio
     files,  even  if  the channel mapping information is available in the audio
     file.

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

SEE ALSO
     pulseaudio(1), pactl(1)

Manuals 			      User				pacat(1)

Want to link to this manual page? Use this URL:
<https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=pamon&sektion=1&manpath=FreeBSD+Ports+15.1.quarterly>

home | help