snippetbashTip

arecord — Sound recorder for ALSA soundcard driver. More information: <https://manned.org/arecord>.

Submitted by: @import:tldr-pages·Mar 2, 2026·

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soundarecordcommandclisoundcardforrecorderalsa

linux

Problem

How to use the arecord command: Sound recorder for ALSA soundcard driver. More information: <https://manned.org/arecord>.

Solution

arecord — Sound recorder for ALSA soundcard driver. More information: <https://manned.org/arecord>.

Record a snippet in "CD" quality (finish with <Ctrl c> when done):

arecord {{[-vv|--verbose --verbose]}} {{[-f|--format]}} cd {{path/to/file.wav}}

Record a snippet in "CD" quality, with a fixed duration of 10 seconds:

arecord {{[-vv|--verbose --verbose]}} {{[-f|--format]}} cd {{[-d|--duration]}} {{10}} {{path/to/file.wav}}

Record a snippet and save it as an MP3 (finish with <Ctrl c> when done):

arecord {{[-vv|--verbose --verbose]}} {{[-f|--format]}} cd {{[-t|--file-type]}} raw | lame -r - {{path/to/file.mp3}}

List all sound cards and digital audio devices:

arecord {{[-l|--list-devices]}}

Allow interactive interface (e.g. use <Space> or <Enter> to play or pause):

arecord {{[-i|--interactive]}}

Test your microphone by recording a 5 second sample and playing it back:

arecord {{[-d|--duration]}} 5 test-mic.wav && aplay test-mic.wav && rm test-mic.wav

Code Snippets

Record a snippet in "CD" quality (finish with `<Ctrl c>` when done)

arecord {{[-vv|--verbose --verbose]}} {{[-f|--format]}} cd {{path/to/file.wav}}

Record a snippet in "CD" quality, with a fixed duration of 10 seconds

arecord {{[-vv|--verbose --verbose]}} {{[-f|--format]}} cd {{[-d|--duration]}} {{10}} {{path/to/file.wav}}

Record a snippet and save it as an MP3 (finish with `<Ctrl c>` when done)

arecord {{[-vv|--verbose --verbose]}} {{[-f|--format]}} cd {{[-t|--file-type]}} raw | lame -r - {{path/to/file.mp3}}

List all sound cards and digital audio devices

arecord {{[-l|--list-devices]}}

Allow interactive interface (e.g. use `<Space>` or `<Enter>` to play or pause)

arecord {{[-i|--interactive]}}

Context

tldr-pages: linux/arecord

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