Control Playback in Ecasound Interactive Mode

Ecasound is a powerful command-line multitrack audio processing tool that features an Interactive Mode (EIAM) for real-time control. This guide provides the essential commands needed to start, pause, and stop audio playback once you have launched an interactive Ecasound session.

Entering Interactive Mode

To control playback interactively, start Ecasound with the -c flag along with your audio input and output settings:

ecasound -c -i your_file.wav -o alsa

Once loaded, you will see the ecasound> prompt, ready to accept interactive commands.

How to Start Playback

To begin audio processing and playback from the current position, type:

start

Press Enter, and the playback engine will launch immediately.

How to Pause Playback

Ecasound treats pausing as temporarily stopping the engine without resetting the transport position. To pause playback at the current timestamp, type:

stop

Because Ecasound retains your position in the audio stream when the engine stops, typing start again will resume playback from the exact point where you paused.

How to Stop and Reset Playback

If you want to stop playback and return to the beginning of the track:

Stop the audio engine:
```
stop
```
Reset the playback position to the start (0 seconds):
```
setpos 0
```
(Alternatively, you can use the rewind command to jump backward by a set number of seconds).

When you issue start after resetting the position, the track will begin playing from the start.

Exiting the Interactive Shell

To stop all operations and exit the Ecasound interactive prompt completely, enter:

quit