Rewind Audio in Ecasound Interactive Mode

Ecasound is a powerful command-line utility designed for multitrack audio processing, recording, and playback. When running in interactive mode, users often need to navigate through an active session's timeline without restarting playback from the beginning. This article explains the exact interactive command used to rewind the audio timeline by a fixed duration and demonstrates how to use it effectively during live sessions.

In Ecasound Interactive Mode (EIAM), the command used to rewind the timeline by a fixed duration is rw (or the full command name, rewind).

Command Syntax

rw [time_in_seconds]

or

rewind [time_in_seconds]

How It Works

• With a Specified Value: To skip backward by a specific number of seconds, pass an integer or floating-point number as an argument. For example, entering rw 10 or rewind 10 will immediately jump the transport backward by 10 seconds.
• Without an Argument: If you type rw or rewind without specifying a duration, Ecasound rewinds playback by a default increment (typically 1 second).

Practical Example

To use this command within an active session:

1. Launch Ecasound in interactive mode:

   ecasound -c -i:audiofile.wav -o:alsa

2. Start playback:

   start

3. Rewind by 15 seconds while audio is playing:

   rw 15

You can verify your current playback position at any time using the getpos command, which prints the current timeline location in seconds.