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Is there a way (via the command line) to output the decibel level of the audio coming into the soundcard's line-in jack? I want to run a script if the volume/intensity of the audio coming into line-in exceeds a certain threshold.

I've checked the files and sub-directories in /proc/asound and have played with the alsa/a* tools a bit, but I haven't found anything promising.

Any ideas/thoughts?

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migrated from serverfault.com Nov 18 '10 at 20:26

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1 Answer

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Generically, no. The data recorded is a relative value (relative to the maximum the setup will record, which varies by mic, sound card, and other factors).

If you have another piece of equipment by which you can calibrate the values output by the sound card then you can figure it out (again, for a particular setup). But without this external reference there's no way to know.

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That makes sense. Given that, is there a command-line program that will tell me if there is audio coming into the line-in jack, regardless of strength/decibel level/volume? At the end of the day, the decibel level isn't as important - simply knowing whether or not there is a signal on the line is. – fsmaniac Nov 18 '10 at 21:53
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