LinuxCommandLibrary

pasuspender

temporarily suspends PulseAudio to allow another application exclusive access

TLDR

Suspend PulseAudio while running JACK
$ pasuspender -- jackd --driver alsa --device hw:0
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Suspend PulseAudio for any command
$ pasuspender -- [command]
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SYNOPSIS

pasuspender [-s server] -- command [arguments...]

DESCRIPTION

pasuspender temporarily suspends PulseAudio to allow another application exclusive access to audio hardware through ALSA. This is necessary for applications that cannot work with PulseAudio or require direct hardware access.
When the specified command exits, PulseAudio automatically resumes normal operation. This is commonly used with professional audio applications like JACK that need low-latency direct hardware access.

PARAMETERS

-s, --server _server_

Connect to specified PulseAudio server
--
Separator between pasuspender options and command
-h, --help
Display help information
--version
Display version information

CAVEATS

Only works with PulseAudio (not PipeWire without compatibility layer). The command runs with exclusive audio access, blocking other audio applications. PulseAudio must be running for the command to work. Some applications may not release audio cleanly.

HISTORY

pasuspender is part of the PulseAudio sound system developed by Lennart Poettering and the freedesktop.org community. It addresses the common need to temporarily bypass the sound server for applications requiring direct hardware access.

SEE ALSO

pulseaudio(1), pactl(1), jackd(1)

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