snd_pcm_format_signed(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 snd_pcm_format_signed(9) — a Kernel API Manual moment 💅

okay bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual, and today's main character is literally this one function: snd_pcm_format_signed. and bestie… what does it do? it checks whether a PCM format is signed linear 🎀 that's it. that's the whole vibe. she's small, she's iconic, she's doing exactly one job and doing it well. ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

snd_pcm_format_signed — check if a PCM format is signed linear 💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int snd_pcm_format_signed (snd_pcm_format_t format );

like, that's the whole signature. no cap. 🦋

🧚 ARGUMENTS 🧚

  • format — the format you wanna check 👀 that's the one and only thing you pass in, and yes it's a snd_pcm_format_t. she's the subject of the vibe check, periodt.

👑 RETURN 👑

okay so here's the tea, and the return value really said "three moods" 💀:

  • 1 — the given PCM format is signed linear. slay. 🎉
  • 0 — the given PCM format is unsigned linear. so close bestie, but no. 🙈
  • a negative error code — for non-linear formats 😭 it's not linear at all, it's giving… something else entirely.
fr fr, remember: 1 = signed linear, 0 = unsigned linear, negative = non-linear. don't mix them up or the audio gremlins will get you 🔥

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

the Kernel file ./sound/core/pcm_misc.c is where this lives, and honestly the whole friend group is here — go say hi to all of them 🫶:

and that's the whole page bestie 💅

so like, this one's from ./sound/core (iykyk 🍓), dated October 2026 ⭐, and it's the snd_pcm_format_signed(9) page — literally the same doc you just read, no notes, she ate and left absolutely no crumbs. go forth and check your PCM formats, queen 👑💖

📦 where this page comes from