audiorecord(1) User Commands audiorecord(1)
NAME
audiorecord - record an audio file
SYNOPSIS
audiorecord [-af] [-v vol] [-b bal] [-m monvol] [-p mic | line | internal-cd] [-c channels] [-s rate] [-e encoding] [-t time] [-i info]
[-d dev] [-T au | aif[f] | wav] [file[.au|.aif[f]]|.wav]
DESCRIPTION
The audiorecord utility copies audio data from the audio device to a named audio file, or to the standard output if no filename is present.
If no output file is specified and standard output is a tty, the volume, balance, monitor volume, port, and audio format settings specified
on the command line will be applied and the program will exit.
By default, monaural audio data is recorded at 8 kHz and encoded in -law format. If the audio device supports additional configurations,
the -c, -s, and -e options may be used to specify the data format. The output file is prefixed by an audio file header that identifies the
format of the data encoded in the file.
Recording begins immediately and continues until a SIGINT signal (for example, Control-c) is received. If the -t option is specified,
audiorecord stops when the specified quantity of data has been recorded.
If the audio device is unavailable, that is, if another process currently has read access, audiorecord prints an error message and exits
immediately.
OPTIONS
The following options are supported:
-?
Help: Prints a command line usage message.
-a
Append: Appends the data on the end of the named audio file. The audio device must support the audio data format of the existing file.
-b bal
Balance: The recording balance is set to the specified value before recording begins, and is reset to its previous level when
audiorecord exits. The bal argument is an integer value between -100 and 100, inclusive. A value of -100 indicates left balance, 0 mid-
dle, and 100 right. If this argument is not specified, the input balance will remain at the level most recently set by any process.
-c channels
Channels: Specifies the number of audio channels (1 or 2). The value may be specified as an integer or as the string mono or stereo.
The default value is mono.
-d dev
Device: The dev argument specifies an alternate audio device from which input should be taken. If the -d option is not specified, the
AUDIODEV environment variable is consulted (see below). Otherwise, /dev/audio is used as the default audio device.
-e encoding
Encoding: Specifies the audio data encoding. This value may be one of ulaw, alaw, or linear. The default encoding is ulaw.
-f
Force: When the -a flag is specified, the sample rate of the audio device must match the sample rate at which the original file was
recorded. If the -f flag is also specified, sample rate differences are ignored, with a warning message printed on the standard error.
-i info
Information: The `information' field of the output file header is set to the string specified by the info argument. This option cannot
be specified in conjunction with the -a argument.
-m monvol
Monitor Volume: The input monitor volume is set to the specified value before recording begins, and is reset to its previous level when
audiorecord exits. The monval argument is an integer value between 0 and 100, inclusive. A non-zero value allows a directly connected
input source to be heard on the output speaker while recording is in-progress. If this argument is not specified, the monitor volume
will remain at the level most recently set by any process.
-p mic | line | internal-cd
Input Port: Selects the mic, line, or internal-cd input as the source of the audio output signal. If this argument is not specified,
the input port will remain unchanged. Please notice: Some systems will not support all possible input ports. If the named port does not
exist, this option is ignored.
-s rate
Sample Rate: Specifies the sample rate, in samples per second. If a number is followed by the letter k, it is multiplied by 1000 (for
example, 44.1k = 44100). The default sample rate is 8 kHz.
-t time
Time: The time argument specifies the maximum length of time to record. Time can be specified as a floating-point value, indicating the
number of seconds, or in the form: hh:mm:ss.dd, where the hour and minute specifications are optional.
-T au | aif[f] | wav
Specifies the audio file type to create. If the -a option is used, the file type must match the file to which it is being appended.
Regardless of the file suffix, the type will be set as specified in this option. If this option is not specified, the file suffix will
determine the type.
-v vol
Volume: The recording gain is set to the specified value before recording begins, and is reset to its previous level when audiorecord
exits. The vol argument is an integer value between 0 and 100, inclusive. If this argument is not specified, the input volume will
remain at the level most recently set by any process.
OPERANDS
file[.au|.aif[f]]|.wav
File Specification: The named audio file is rewritten, or appended. If no filename is present, and standard output is not a tty, or if
the special filename "-" is specified, output is directed to the the standard output.
If the -T option is not specified, the file suffix will determine the type of file. If the suffix is not recognized, the default is
.au. If the -T option is specified, that file type is used regardless of the file suffix.
USAGE
See largefile(5) for the description of the behavior of audiorecord when encountering files greater than or equal to 2 Gbyte ( 2**31
bytes).
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
AUDIODEV The full path name of the audio device to record from, if no -d argument is supplied. If the AUDIODEV variable is not set,
/dev/audio is used.
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
|Architecture |SPARC, x86 |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
|Availability |SUNWauda |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
|Interface Stability |Evolving |
+-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
SEE ALSO
audioconvert(1), audioplay(1), mixerctl(1), attributes(5), largefile(5), usb_ac(7D), audio(7I), mixer(7I)
SunOS 5.10 16 Jul 2003 audiorecord(1)