--- name: "alsaplayer" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "alsaplayer-common" version: "0.99.82-2+b1" release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/alsaplayer" --- # alsaplayer(1) plays various sound files ## NAME alsaplayer - plays various sound files ## SYNOPSIS **alsaplayer** \[*options*\] \[ *filename ...*\] ## DESCRIPTION This manual page documents briefly the **alsaplayer** command. This manual page was written for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution because the original program does not have a manual page. **alsaplayer** is a generic music player that can play back a large amount of file formats. If files are specified on the command line, these files are played. Otherwise alsaplayer plays its playlist from its last run, if any. ## FILENAME Play the specified file(s). Can be a file or an URL. - **CD.cdda** Special filename. Play a CD. /dev/cdrom will be used by default. Otherwise, AlsaPlayer will use the device specified in your config file (usually ~/.alsaplayer/config). ## OPTIONS These programs follow the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (\`-'). A summary of options is included below. - **-c, --config \** Use the given config file for this session. - **-h, --help** Print this help message. - **-i, --interface \** Use the specified interface instead of the default one. - **-I, --script \** Specify the script to pass to the interface plugin. - **-l, --startvolume \** Start with this volume \[default=1.0\]. - **-p, --path \** Set the path alsaplayer looks for add-ons. - **-q, --quiet** Quiet operation, no output. - **-s, --session-name name** Name this session "name" - **-v, --version** Print version of this program. - **--verbose** Be verbose about the output. - **--nosave** Do not save playlist content at exit. ### Player control: - **-n, --session #** Select session # \[default=0\] - **-e, --enqueue file(s)** Enqueue file(s) in a running alsaplayer. - **-E, --replace file(s)** Clears and queues file(s) in a running alsaplayer. - **--status** Get some information about the session. - **--volume #** Set software volume \[0.0-1.0\]. - **--start** Start playing. - **--stop** Stop playing. - **--pause** Pause/unpause playing. - **--prev** Jump to the previous track. - **--next** Jump to the next track. - **--seek \** Jump to the specified second in the current track. - **--relative \** Jump \ seconds from current position. - **--speed \** Set the playback speed with -10 \<= \ \<= 10. 1.0 = normal speed, -1.0 = normal speed backwards. Be aware that alsaplayer respect your LOCALE. That implies that the decimal point will vary accordingly. I.e., with french LOCALE, a valid speed value is 1,5 and not 1.5. - **--jump #** Jump to the specified playlist track. - **--loopsong \** Switch file looping on or off \[default off\]. - **--looplist \** Switch playlist looping on or off \[default off\]. - **-S, --shuffle** Shuffle the playlist - **--clear** Clear the whole playlist - **--quit** Quit the session. ### Sound driver options: - **-d, --device string** Select the specific device for the output plugin. For the ALSA plugin, the default is "default". For the JACK plugin, the default is "alsa\_pcm:playback\_1,alsa\_pcm:playback\_2". - **-f, --fragsize #** Set fragment size in bytes \[default=4096\]. - **-F, --frequency #** Set the output frequency \[default=44100\]. - **-g, --fragcount #** Fragment count \[default=8\]. - **-r, --realtime** Enable realtime scheduling. To use this as a normal user, alsaplayer must be SUID root. - **-o, --output \[alsa\|esound\|jack\|nas\|null\|oss\|sgi\|sparc\]** Use the specified output driver. ### Experimental options: - **-x,--crossfade** Crossfade playlist entries. ## JACK OUTPUT PLUGIN For use with JACK, -F \ is mandatory for best results. The value of sample rate must be the same as the one used by jackd. - If you forget the -F parameter, the sound can be very bad. The only remedy at that time is to restart both jackd and AlsaPlayer. ## DAEMON INTERFACE With the daemon interface, it is mandatory to add the -s option. You must process in two steps to get sound with it. First launch the daemon: - **alsaplayer -i daemon -s \** - and then add some song: - **alsaplayer -e \** ## GTK+ INTERFACE The gtk+ interface provide some basic keyboard controls: - **v** Stop - **x** Play - **c** Pause - **b** Next Song - **z** Previous Song - **g** Seek Forward - **a** Seek Backward - **f** Forward Play - **s** Reverse Play - **t** Speed Up one musical semitone. (handy for changing the key the song is played back in) - **q** Speed Down one musical semitone. - **h** Speed Up one comma. (handy to tune the song instead of the guitar when playing at the same time as listening) - **i** Speed Down one comma. - **r** Volume Up - **w** Volume Down - **l** Loop ## PREFERENCES AlsaPlayer have a preferences file located in ~/.alsaplayer/config. To modify the preferences setting by hand, you must exit from the running program and edit this file. The default value is put in the description below when appropriate: ### General settings - **main.default\_interface=gtk2** Specify the default interface. - **main.default\_output=alsa** Specify the default sound server. - **main.multiopen=true** Specify if it is possible to run multiple AlsaPlayer instances. - **main.period\_count=8** Number of periods in the sound buffer - **main.period\_size=4096** Frames per period in the sound buffer - **main.play\_on\_start=false** Start playing at launch time ### Output settings - **jack.output1=alsa\_pcm:playback\_1** Output device 1 when using JACK sound server - **jack.output2=alsa\_pcm:playback\_2** Output device 2 when using JACK sound server ### Input settings - **cdda.cddb\_servername=freedb.freedb.org** Server used by the cdda input module to retrieve the cddb information. - **cdda.cddb\_serverport=80** Port used by the cdda input module to retrieve the cddb information. - **cdda.device=/dev/cdrom** Device used by the cdda input module to retrieve the CD. - **cdda.do\_cddb\_lookup=true** Must AlsaPlayer retrieve or not the cddb information. - **http.buffer\_size=1048576** Size of the input buffer when \ is an URL. - **mad.parse\_id3=true** Parse or not the Id3 tags. ### GTK+ interface settings - **gtk2\_interface.background\_colour=#000000** Default background color of the interface. The playlist windows will use the background color from your gtk+ theme. - **gtk2\_interface.default\_play\_path=~/** Default path used by the Add file function - **gtk2\_interface.default\_playlist\_add\_path=/** Default path used by the Add file function in the Playlist window - **gtk2\_interface.default\_playlist\_load\_path=/** Default path used by the Load playlist function - **gtk2\_interface.default\_playlist\_save\_path=/** Default path used by the Save playlist function - **gtk2\_interface.font\_colour=#ffffff** Default font color of the interface. The playlist windows will use the font color from your gtk+ theme. - **gtk2\_interface\_font=** Default font of the interface. The playlist windows will use the font from your gtk+ theme. The main window will also use that font if none is specified. - **gtk2\_interface.height=118** Default height of the interface. - **gtk2\_interface.loop=0** Start in loop mode. - **gtk2\_interface.play\_on\_add=false** Jump playing to a new song when added. - **gtk2\_interface.play\_on\_title=false** Show song title in title bar. - **gtk2\_interface.playlist\_active=false** Launch or not the playlist window at start up. - **gtk2\_interface.playlist\_height=0** Default height of the playlist window. This value combined with the defaukt value of gtk2\_interface.height correspond to no visible playlist. - **gtk2\_interface.sopeswindow\_active=false** Launch or not the scopes selector window at start up. - **gtk2\_interface.smooth\_transition=false** Will functions such as pause use a smooth speed transition. - **gtk2\_interface.width=529** Width of the interface. ### XOSD interface settings - **xosd\_interface.color=#55ff55** Colour used by the XOSD interface. - **xosd\_interface.outline\_color=black** Colour used by the XOSD interface outline. Colors can be specified using hexadecimal notation prefixed by #, or by their name as in the file rgb.txt from your X11 distribution. - **xosd\_interface.font=-adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal-\*-24-\*-\*-\*-\*-\*-\*-\*** - **xosd\_interface.shadow=1** Shadow offset - **xosd\_interface.outline\_offset=1** Wide of the outline - **xosd\_interface.h\_offset=20** Display horizontal offset from the left of the screen - **xosd\_interface.timeout=5** Set the display time. - **xosd\_interface.v\_offset=20** Display vertical offset from the top of the screen ### Scopes settings - **blurscope.active=false** Launch or not the blurscope plugin at start up. - **fftscope.active=false** Launch or not the fftscope plugin at start up. - **levelmeter.active=false** Launch or not the levelmeter scope plugin at start up. - **logbarfft.active=false** Launch or not the logbar scope plugin at start up. - **monoscope.active=false** Launch or not the monoscope scope plugin at start up. - **opengl\_spectrum.active=false** Launch or not the spectrumgl scope plugin at start up. - **opengl\_spectrum.height=480** Height of the spectrumgl scope plugin - **opengl\_spectrum.width=640** Width of the spectrumgl scope plugin - **spacescope.active=false** Launch or not the spacescope plugin at start up. - **synaescope.active=false** Launch or not the synaescope plugin at start up. ## SEE ALSO [**mikmod**(1)](/mikmod/1.md), [**mpg123**(1)](/mpg123/1.md). ## AUTHOR This manual page was written by Ivo Timmermans \, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others). FILENAME, GTK, DAEMON INTERFACE and PREFERENCES sections added by Dominique Michel \ from the Alsaplayer team.