audio2tape(1)

📦
version 1.4.6 · 2 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 audio2tape — Sinclair ZX Spectrum audio to tape file converter 💖

okay bestie, so this little cutie lives in the Emulators manual section and it is literally the glow-up machine for your ZX Spectrum tapes ✨

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

audio2tape [-t type] [-s] [-r] [-k] [-z level] [-c level] infile outfile

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

audio2tape converts audio files to ZX Spectrum tape images.

that's it. that's the whole vibe. your wav goes in, your tape image comes out, no cap 💅

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • -t type — sets type as the level detection trigger. there are two of these triggers implemented: the simple trigger, which just uses a threshold value to convert to a one or zero on output, and the schmitt trigger, which implements a Schmitt trigger — it outputs a less noisy signal, but ngl it needs a stronger signal to noise ratio than the simple trigger does. the default trigger is schmitt. she's the standard for a reason 🫶
  • -s — shows you a frequency graph of the sound levels present in the audio file. super useful when you're picking good crossover points, like a little visual vibe check for your levels 📈
  • -r — any ROM blocks that get recognised will use idealised timing figures instead of the exact ones found in the audio file. aesthetic over accuracy, we love that for her ✨
  • -k — keeps any audio data from the original audio file that isn't recognised. this means unsupported loading schemes, encryption tones, etc. all get preserved in the file that's produced. nothing gets left behind, it's giving protective bestie energy 🥺
  • -z level — sets level as the zero point in the supplied audio file, which lets you adjust for a DC offset in the audio file. the default level is 127, from a range of 0–255.
  • -c level — sets level as the Schmitt trigger noise threshold, which reduces the sensitivity to noise in the provided file. the default level is 8, from a range of 0–127.
  • -h, --help — gives you brief usage help, listing the available options. the "what do I even do" button 💀
  • -V, --version — outputs version information.
  • infile — specifies the audio file to be converted. this file can be in any of the sound formats supported by libaudiofile.
  • outfile — specifies the output tape file. the format gets determined by the file extension, and it can be in any of the formats libspectrum(3) supports for output.

💀 BUGS 💀

None known.

(she's flawless, apparently. iconic behaviour 👑)

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

also the comp.sys.sinclair Spectrum FAQ, at http://www.worldofspectrum.org/faq/index.html — go read it, it's giving lore 🦋

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Fredrick Meunier (fredm@spamcop.net).

k that's the whole page bestie, you're so welcome 🎀✨ this was audio2tape(1), version 1.4.6, dated 25th July, 2026 — mwah, slay, periodt 💖

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