# Install sox with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper SOund eXchange: universal sound sample translator. Version 14.4.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-19. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:sox ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install sox ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install sox ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: audio/sox/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add sox ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: sox from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libsox-dev ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libsox-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install sox ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: sox from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#sox ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/so/sox/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S sox ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: sox from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libsox3 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libsox3 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/sox ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/sox.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id ChrisBagwell.SoX -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: ChrisBagwell.SoX from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:sox - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 14.4.2 - **Source summary:** SOund eXchange: universal sound sample translator - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-19T12:32:44-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - play (cli) - rec (cli) - sox (cli) - soxi (cli) - play (alias) - rec (alias) - sox (alias) - soxi (alias) ## Dependencies - flac - lame - libogg - libpng - libsndfile - libvorbis - mad - opusfile ## Build dependencies - pkgconf ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 14.4.2 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-19 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://sox.sourceforge.net/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage SoX, short for Sound eXchange, is a long-running command-line audio conversion and processing suite. It is a classic Unix-style media tool: scriptable, format-oriented, useful in pipelines, and packaged broadly across Unix, Linux, macOS, and Windows package managers. ### Project history The official ChangeLog traces SoX back to July 1991 and records release history before and after the 11gamma series. The maintained SourceForge tree includes manuals, release notes, and library documentation for the `sox`, `play`, `rec`, and `soxi` commands. SoX's manual describes the program as a command-line audio processing tool especially suited to quick edits and batch processing. Its model is intentionally non-graphical: input files, format options, output files, and effects are combined into a shell-friendly processing chain. ### Adoption history SoX persisted because it solved a package-manager-shaped problem: one small CLI could convert, inspect, record, play, synthesize, and batch-process audio without a desktop editor. The input package facts show it packaged by Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Nix, MacPorts, Scoop, winget, and other systems. The 14.x release history shows active maintenance through the 2000s and 2010s, including format support, effects, libSoX changes, and portability fixes. Its SourceForge project page describes it as the Swiss Army Knife of sound processing utilities. ### How it is used Common usage includes converting file formats, applying effects while converting, mixing or concatenating inputs, recording through `rec`, playing through `play`, and inspecting headers with `soxi`. The man page gives examples such as AU to WAV conversion, rate changes, fades, normalization, synthesis, and multitrack recording. For package users, SoX is often installed because another script, build, podcast workflow, test fixture, or audio data pipeline needs a dependable `sox` binary rather than an interactive editor. ### Why package nerds care SoX is package-nerd infrastructure: tiny enough to script, old enough to be everywhere, and broad enough to replace many one-off audio converters. Its many optional codec and device backends make distro packaging choices visible to users, which is why formula variants and build dependencies matter. The companion `play`, `rec`, and `soxi` entry points are also packaging-relevant because one installed program exposes several command names. This makes SoX a good example of a CLI package whose symlinks, optional libraries, and man pages are part of the user-facing contract. ### Timeline - 1991: Official ChangeLog traces project creation to July 1991. - 1995: ChangeLog covers history through the sox-11gamma era. - 2007: SoX 14.0.0 released. - 2012: SoX 14.4.0 released with deprecations, format updates, and effect changes. - 2015: SoX 14.4.2 released with Ogg Opus and RF64 WAV read support among other fixes. - 2021: Source tree includes maintained manual page updates. ### Related projects - libSoX is the library at the heart of SoX, according to the manual. - Audacity is mentioned by the SoX manual as the interactive graphical editor to use when the command-line model is not appropriate. - sox_ng is a later hard fork of SoX 14.4.2. ### Sources - - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** sox - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 6 - **Conflicts With:** sox_ng - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libsox-dev - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Development files for the SoX library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox-fmt-all - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-fmt-all from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | All SoX format libraries | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox-fmt-alsa - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-fmt-alsa from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | SoX alsa format I/O library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox-fmt-ao - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-fmt-ao from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | SoX Libao format I/O library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox-fmt-base - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-fmt-base from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Minimal set of SoX format libraries | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox-fmt-mp3 - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-fmt-mp3 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | SoX MP2 and MP3 format library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox-fmt-opus - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-fmt-opus from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | SoX Opus format library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox-fmt-oss - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-fmt-oss from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | SoX OSS format I/O library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox-fmt-pulse - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox-fmt-pulse from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | SoX PulseAudio format I/O library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - libsox3 - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libsox3 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | SoX library of audio effects and processing | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Debian apt - sox - 14.4.2+git20190427-5+b3: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: sox from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Swiss army knife of sound processing | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Nix - sox: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/so/sox/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - libsox-dev - 14.4.2+git20190427-4build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libsox-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Development files for the SoX library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Ubuntu apt - libsox-fmt-all - 14.4.2+git20190427-4build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libsox-fmt-all from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | All SoX format libraries | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Ubuntu apt - libsox-fmt-alsa - 14.4.2+git20190427-4build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libsox-fmt-alsa from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | SoX alsa format I/O library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ - Ubuntu apt - libsox-fmt-ao - 14.4.2+git20190427-4build4: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libsox-fmt-ao from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | SoX Libao format I/O library | https://sox.sourceforge.io/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Media and graphics packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/media-graphics-tools/) - Matched media, image, audio, video, or graphics metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [flac](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/flac/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [lame](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lame/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [libpng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libpng/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [libsndfile](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libsndfile/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [mlt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mlt/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [sox_ng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sox-ng/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, audio-conversion, audio-editing, cli, media. - [abcde](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/abcde/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, media. - [adplay](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adplay/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, media. - [adplug](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adplug/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, media. - [aften](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aften/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, media. - [alsa-lib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/alsa-lib/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, media. - [bandcamp-dl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bandcamp-dl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, media. - [carla](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/carla/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio, cli, media. - [timidity](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/timidity/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: audio, cli, flac, libogg, libvorbis. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/sox.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/sox.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph