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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 au-
       dio 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.	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
	      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  be-
	      tween 0 (silent) and 65536 (100% volume).

       --rate=SAMPLERATE
	      Capture  or  play	back audio with	the specified sample rate. De-
	      faults 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 na-
	      tive format of the sink the stream is connected to.

       --fix-rate
	      If passed, the sampling rate of the stream is changed to the na-
	      tive 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 na-
	      tive 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
	      milliseconds. 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/

SEE ALSO
       pulseaudio(1), pactl(1)

Manuals				     User			      pacat(1)

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