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 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 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/Documentation/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 --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 milliseconds. 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. 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)