[Solution in post #6]

Okay, I admit that this is a crazy idea but...

For a one-off application, I want "something" to continuously monitor an audio line-in (mono would do just fine), detect audio over a certain threshold level, record it until it drops back below the threshold, wait for a given period, play it back, go back to monitoring. And I want it to run unattended.

Detecting the threshold should be easy as the input line is squelched, so the level should be at zero (bar the input electronic's own noise) most of the time.

I did an online search and found at least one parrot program for Windows, but not that flexible (you need to press a button to record, it plays back randomly...). Then I had the brilliant idea to harness my spare N900 to do something like that.

My experience with Linux audio programming equals exactly zero. I suppose I could rip Recaller, myDicto or Orecchiette to shreds and learn something in the process, but I thought I'd ask first. Perhaps what I want could be done with a script? It sounds crazy, but having seen what people can do with a simple command line (like streaming video to a PC), my confidence in what Linux can do for someone who knows how to ask has no limits