Re: [SoX-users] Error when trying to run SoX Ubuntu 12.04

[Eric W. <nor...@yh...>]

katherine bennett <sta...@gm...> wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I installed SoX 14.4.0 on Ubuntu 12.04.2 I'm trying to play a wav file from
> the command line with:
> 
> # play <filename.wav>
> 
> I get the following error:
> 
> play FAIL formats: can't open output file `/dev/dsp': Unable to reset OSS
> driver.  Possibly accessing an invalid file/device
> 
> Any ideas about what needs to happen? I'd appreciate any insights!

Newer (14.4.x) versions of sox give higher priority to pulseaudio.
Perhaps:

   AUDIODRIVER=pulseaudio play <filename.wav>

Will work for you.

> server:~/sox# dpkg --list | grep sox
> ii  libsox-dev                       14.3.2-3
> Development files for the SoX library
> ii  libsox-fmt-all                   14.3.2-3                     All SoX
> format libraries
> ii  libsox-fmt-alsa                  14.3.2-3                     SoX alsa
> format I/O library
> ii  libsox-fmt-ao                    14.3.2-3                     SoX Libao
> format I/O library
> ii  libsox-fmt-base                  14.3.2-3                     Minimal
> set of SoX format libraries
> ii  libsox-fmt-ffmpeg                14.3.2-3                     SoX
> ffmpeg format library
> ii  libsox-fmt-mp3                   14.3.2-3                     SoX MP3
> format library
> ii  libsox-fmt-oss                   14.3.2-3                     SoX OSS

You can probably try uninstalling libsox-fmt-oss (and maybe
libsox-fmt-ao and libsox-fmt-alsa), too.  Maybe then AUDIODRIVER=
won't need to be set.

> format I/O library
> ii  libsox-fmt-pulse                 14.3.2-3                     SoX
> PulseAudio format I/O library
> ii  libsox1b                         14.3.2-3                     SoX
> library of audio effects and processing
> ii  sox                              14.3.2-3                     Swiss
> army knife of sound processing

You mentioned you installed 14.4.0 above, yet all the packages are
14.3.2...  How did you install 14.4.0?