esdsample Command in Linux

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The esdsample command in Linux is a tool linked to the Enlightened Sound Daemon (ESD). It loads audio samples into the ESD server, allowing you to play or manage these sounds through the ESD sound system. The audio sample files remain in the server's memory until we remove them manually or restart the server.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to install and use the esdsample command in Linux.

Table of Contents

Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the esdsample command in linux −

• How to Install esdsample in Linux?
• How to use esdsample in Linux?
• esdsample Command Options
• Examples of esdsample Command in Linux

How to Install esdsample in Linux?

esdsample is an outdated/deprecated tool that is not pre-installed in modern Linux distributions. However, you can still install it using a distribution-specific package manager like apt, dnf, etc. Here is a step-by-step guide to installing this tool on Linux −

Step 1: Install esound

To use esdsample on your system, you must install the esd package. For this purpose, use one of the following commands depending on your Linux distribution −

#for Debian-based Systems
sudo apt install esound

#for CentOS or Fedora
sudo dnf install esound

#for Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S esound

However, you may encounter an error while running this command because esd is no longer maintained by default in most Linux distributions −

Step 2: Download esound From Source

In case you face an error, you must download it from the source using the following command −

wget http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/gnome/sources/esound/0.2/esound-0.2.41.tar.gz

The output shows that the esound has been successfully downloaded −

Step 3: Extract the Source Code

After downloading the source file for esd, use the following command to extract the downloaded file −

tar -xvzf esound-0.2.41.tar.gz

Step 4: Navigate to the Extracted Directory

Now use the cd command to access the directory created by the extraction process −

cd esound-0.2.41

Step 5: Configure and Install esdsample

After this, configure the extracted source file by running the following command −

./configure

Now compile the source file using the following command −

make

Finally, use the below-mentioned command to install the compiled source code on your system −

sudo make install

As a result, this command will install esd package (including the esdsample) on your machine −

Step 6: Confirm the esdsample Installation

Now you can verify the successful installation of the esdsample command by accessing its manual page −

man esdsample

The manual page has been accessed, which confirms the successful installation of the esdsample on our system −

Once esdsample is successfully installed, you can use it to play sample audio files.

How to use esdsample in Linux?

You can follow the below syntax to use the esdsample command in Linux −

esdsample [options] filename

esdsample Command Options

The valid options for this command are listed in the following table along with the description −

Examples of esdsample Command in Linux

Lets discuss a few examples of esdsample commands in Linux systems. This will help you in learning how to get started with the command.

• Play Sample Audio from a File Using esdsample
• Play Sample Audio from the esd cache

Play Sample Audio from a File Using esdsample

You can use the esdsample command followed by the file name to play a sample audio from a file using the esdsample command −

esdsample audioFile.wav

This command loads the audioFile.wav into the cache and then plays it.

Play Sample Audio from the esd cache

You can use the -e option with the esdsample command to play sample audio directly from the cache −

esdsample -e esdctl:audioFile.wav 

Here, the -e option specifies that the sample should be fetched from the esound cache, represented by esdctl:audioFile.wav.

Conclusion

The esdsample command in Linux is used to load and play audio samples via the Enlightened Sound Daemon (ESD). Although esdsample is deprecated and better alternatives are available in modern Linux distributions, it can still be installed and used by following the appropriate steps, including manual installation from the source.

This tutorial provided a detailed step-by-step explanation on installing and using esdsample, along with examples for playing audio files.