MP3 player?

[shaq]

I use WMP 10... it works just fine and is easy to use. The newest version is a piece of crap. If 10 becomes obsolete, or incompatible with newer software, then I will probably switch to Winamp or VLC Media Player, which also both work fine and are easy to use.

I disagree. I stopped using WMP a long time ago and always used Winamp but I gave it another shot with the new version and really like it, enough to make me switch to it entirely.

 

[zimbee]

A combo of realplayer and itunes.

Yeah, that. I like the sound of Real Player the best, but in a Mac household and workplace iTunes makes things easier.

 

[shaq]

And if your running Linux - I've heard really good things about Amarok... the thing looks insane, though I've never used it.

Amarok is an awesome program, when I'm in Linux I use that and it works great. Even does a good job managing your iPod

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I prefer WMP myself, but I'm getting quite frustrated with it. My new laptop came with WMP 10 installed. But, unlike 9, I can no longer select multiple files in Windows Explorer, I can only select one song at a time. This has me peeved to no end! I am not a "playlist" or "library" person. I select all my music thru Windows Explorer. And now that I can't just add songs with a simple right-click (and Add To Now Playing List), I've just downloaded Winamp to see if I can get that feature back.

If anyone can explain to me why my WMP 10 won't let me add multiple files in in Windows Explorer, please advise as I'd rather not learn a whole new program.

 

[Braxil]

Another foobar2000 user here.

 

[Diamond45]

I use Winamp 5.xx with the DFX plugin. Makes mediocre MP3s sound pretty good.

Winamp is simple and easy to use. It can get bloated - just download the "lite" version and it has less bloat. (Tastes great, less filling!)

For streaming audio, Real Player was my favorite until streaming MP3s became common. Streaming Windows Media files suck in comparison (at least to my ears).

 

[rms]

I use Windows Media Player, but I have mostly wma files on my computer, not MP3s. I've been thinking about changing this, because I've heard that MP3s take up less space. (I also have not had an MP3 player until this past weekend when I got a new cell phone which includes that as a function.)

I like WMP and am pretty comfortable with how it works, so I am not really looking to switch to another player (unless you have some very good reasons - in layman's terms - why I should consider switching).

I do have a few questions, so maybe some knowledgeable folks on this thread can help me out:

• Is there a way to do a mass conversion of wma files in WMP to MP3s?
• Will I have to recreate all my playlists that I've created or can I convert them too somehow?
• When I burn CDs from WMP will I need to convert files back to wma's before I can burn them to a CD so they will play in my car or will it do this automatically?

Thanks to anyone who can point me in the right direction. (And thanks to Yippee for starting this thread, otherwise I might have never bothered to ask.)

WMA's are actually smaller files than MP3s which is why Creative products can hold alot more with the fact they are the only mp3 player that can use WMA.

I dont use WMA but if you download(trial) of dbPowerAMP and use it, I think you can do mass conversion, not sure on the limits of the trial though.

 

[swayn3rd]

MusikCube 4 lyfe

 

[DarkOne]

I use MusicMatch Jukebox. It is a processor hog, but it gives the most flexibility for organizing and playing my thousands of MP3s.

Steve in Philly

 

[tenebre]

I only listen to CDs. When it is required i use Real to listen to MP3s.

 

[FriendOfEntropy]

Comparison of Media Players

 

[Yippee38]

Comparison of Media Players

Cool. Thanks!

 

[FriendOfEntropy]

I've finally broken down recently and upgraded my car stereo to one that supports mp3 on CD as well as a USB port...so I can put my mp3 on CD, or plug my flash-based player, or even a portable USB hard drive or thumbdrive directly into the stereo. How nice, to have all my physical CDs tucked safely at home.

All this is to say, I list below here tools I can't live without for organizing my digital music and converting my CDs to digital files for my mp3 players.

CDex has been very good for helping me pretty painlessly get my physical CDs into organized, well-named, and tagged files for use on my mp3 players. It uses the public CDDB (database of albums and track names...heck I just said "album" what an old fogey).

If the CDDB doesn't have your CD listed properly so CDex can automatically name the files for you, the following tools are quite helpful.

Oscar's Renamer I'm comfortable doing command line manipulation and such, but heck, I'm a programmer by trade. For those who don't want to venture out of Windows Explorer graphical interface, it sucks doing one file at a time graphically. This renamer helps you work easily on all the files in a folder at once and save them. You can record macros, fix capitalization, all kinds of things to make it go faster.

MP3 Tag Tools to fix up tags from where the public database didn't have full info for CDex to do it's job correctly. To hell with typing all that in or working on each tag one at a time.


Okay, so all you have is Vinyl or Cassette...some wonderful old album that was never released on CD. You carefully record it to WAV or MP3 on your computer....and it has....issues. Audacity is an awesome music editor. Fix some hiss, take out the pop where your needle scratched at the end of a recording, etc. That link shows the LAME mp3 encoder download link, as well as some plugins for additional effects.

 

[King Lek]

Use Media Monkey....have not tried anything else that is close to it and as stable overall.

Have not tried Foobar....will have to give it a look see.


Update:
Looked at Foobar.....eh...nothing too interesting.

Here is a link to a "review" for MM if you have not looked into it....much better alternative to I Tunes as well as Winamp and MP

 

[ConnieOH]

WMA's are actually smaller files than MP3s which is why Creative products can hold alot more with the fact they are the only mp3 player that can use WMA.

I dont use WMA but if you download(trial) of dbPowerAMP and use it, I think you can do mass conversion, not sure on the limits of the trial though.

When I had a lot of conversions to make, I purchased this nice little program http://www.litexmedia.com/wma_workshop/ which can convert files to/from about 6 different formats in batch.

Good luck!

 

[Braxil]

dB Poweramp is the best music file converting program I've come across.