audacious
Play audio files
TLDR
Launch the GUI
Start a new instance and play an audio
Enqueue a specific directory of audio files
Start or stop playback
Skip forwards ([fwd]) or backwards ([rew]) in the playlist
Stop playback
Start in CLI mode (headless)
Exit as soon as playback stops or there is nothing to playback
SYNOPSIS
audacious [options] [file1] [file2] ...
PARAMETERS
-h, --help
Show help options.
--version
Show program version.
[file1] [file2] ...
Files to be added to the playlist. Supports various audio formats.
-e, --enqueue
Enqueue files to the playlist instead of replacing the current playlist.
-q, --quiet
Suppress output to terminal.
-p, --play
Begin playback.
-s, --stop
Stop playback.
-u, --pause
Pause playback.
-r, --rewind
Rewind to the beginning of the current track.
-f, --forward
Advance to the next track.
-t, --next
Jump to the next track in the playlist.
-b, --previous
Jump to the previous track in the playlist.
-v
Set the volume (0-100).
-m, --show-main-window
Show main window (GUI).
--exit
Exit Audacious.
-H
Load a playlist file.
-S
Save the current playlist to a file.
--skin
Start with specific skin.
DESCRIPTION
Audacious is an advanced audio player derived from Beep Media Player, which itself was based on XMMS.
It is designed to be lightweight, efficient, and highly customizable, making it suitable for a wide range of users and systems, including older or resource-constrained machines.
The `audacious` command allows you to play audio files (like MP3, FLAC, WAV, etc.) directly from the command line. This functionality is useful for scripting audio playback, integrating it into automated tasks, or simply controlling the player without a graphical interface. The command-line interface offers most of the basic controls, such as adding files to the playlist, playing, pausing, skipping tracks, and controlling the volume. Audacious also supports a variety of plugins for extended functionality, from visualizations to advanced audio processing.
CAVEATS
The command-line interface relies on an existing Audacious process. If Audacious is not running, the command may not behave as expected. Ensure an Audacious instance is running (even in the background) for commands to take effect.
EXAMPLE USAGES
Playing a single file:
audacious my_song.mp3
Adding multiple files to the playlist: audacious song1.flac song2.wav song3.ogg
Playing files and starting playback immediately: audacious -p song1.mp3
Enqueue files to the existing playlist: audacious -e new_song.mp3
Set the volume: audacious -v 75
Playing all files inside a directory audacious *.mp3
HISTORY
Audacious evolved from Beep Media Player (BMP), which was a fork of XMMS (X Multimedia System). The primary motivation was to modernize the codebase, improve GTK+ 2 integration, and address some of the limitations of XMMS. Development has continued to focus on maintaining its lightness and customizability, making it a popular choice for users who prefer a simple and efficient audio player.