Specifications

Sun workstation (.au) sound files can be played by sending them to the /dev/audio device. Raw samples
can be sent to /dev/dsp. This will generally give poor results though, and using a program such as play is
preferable, as it will recognize most file types and set the sound card to the correct sampling rate, etc.
If you are running a graphical desktop such as KDE or GNOME then it should already include a graphical
sound file player program.
Programs like wavplay or vplay (in the snd−util package) will give best results with WAV files. However
they don't recognize Microsoft ADPCM compressed WAV files. Also older versions of play (from the Lsox
package) doesn't work well with 16 bit WAV files.
The splay command included in the snd−util package can be used to play most sound files if proper
parameters are entered manually in the command line.
6.3. How can I record a sample?
Reading /dev/audio or /dev/dsp will return sampled data that can be redirected to a file. A program
such as vrec makes it easier to control the sampling rate, duration, etc. You may also need a mixer program
to select the appropriate input device.
6.4. Can I have more than one sound card?
With the current sound driver it's possible to have several SoundBlaster, SoundBlaster/Pro, SoundBlaster16,
MPU−401 or MSS cards at the same time on the system. Installing two SoundBlasters is possible but requires
defining the macros SB2_BASE, SB2_IRQ, SB2_DMA and (in some cases) SB2_DMA2 by editing
local.h manually. It's also possible to have a SoundBlaster at the same time as a PAS16.
With the 2.0 and newer kernels that configure sound using make config, instead of local.h, you need to
edit the file /usr/include/linux/autoconf.h. After the section containing the lines:
#define SBC_BASE 0x220
#define SBC_IRQ (5)
#define SBC_DMA (1)
#define SB_DMA2 (5)
#define SB_MPU_BASE 0x0
#define SB_MPU_IRQ (−1)
add these lines (with values appropriate for your system):
#define SB2_BASE 0x330
#define SB2_IRQ (7)
#define SB2_DMA (2)
#define SB2_DMA2 (2)
The following drivers don't permit multiple instances:
GUS (driver limitation) •
MAD16 (hardware limitation) •
The Linux Sound HOWTO
6.3. How can I record a sample? 18