Best MP3 library software

M

Milenko

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 15, 2002
Messages
1,482
I currently use winamp, and open a file at a time from a huge folder with 3200+ songs in it.

I need something that makes it easier for me to play songs. This is a pain in the ass.

I would like something with a feature like winamps J button, which is the best thing in the world.

Thanks for your input in advance.
 
I use iTunes. Some people, like me, love it, but others hate it. Give it a shot, and be sure to set it to show the browser.
 
I can't recommend anything, but do have a clarification question that will help others who look. Are you looking for software that will classify your music into certain genres or something? Otherwise, have you tried hitting the "Add Directory" button on the bottom of Winamp (part of the Playlist)...as opposed to using the "Add File", which results in one file at a time?

If you click and hold down that button on the very left you'll get an option to add every single song in your collection at once. My guess is you already know this though and are looking for something else?
 
Yes, I'm looking for something else.

I don't need them sorted by genre. Just ABC order I guess, but with the ability to jump to a song real quick (and playlists).
 
i would almsot 2nd itunes .... but in my search for an easy to use mp3 player i only found a few that i like. itunes was great except that it wanted to categorize and resort all my stuff by what the program said, this left some stuff hard to find and it was a pain searching thru all the directories that may *or may not be* right. it does a decent job organizing, and it is pretty nice how it names everything by folders and lays it all out, but i want control over my files.

media jukebox is pretty neat. it allows you to customize quite a bit. it also lets you burn/rip/convert a few things *not sure if the free version allows that*. it always seemed a bit buggy to me though and slow on load times

i currently use media monkey. its a much more basic program but it runs great. it leaves the files alone, doesnt seem buggy, and still contains basic music features that itunes and media jukebox have. it has the ability to use winamp main window skins for the player section. i like hwo it adds music too, it doesnt duplicate entries either if you include a folder that already has songs imported into the program. it also lets you sort by artist, filename, date, etc like the others. I just so happen to use this one

give them all a shot like i did and see what fits you best; each person is different
 
do you have WMP10? You can click each file and start a song, and just click on the library tab to have your list of music still there.
 
Im currently running Musicmatch Jukebox (latest version) for My Mp3 Needs. I feel that it works out well for My Mp3 Collection (4400+ Songs). Nice interface, easy to use.
 
I still just use wmp10, and have all the songs separated by band/albumname/song.mp3, you can just right click on a song and add it to the currently playing list. I only listen to a few songs here and there, so that works fine for me.
 
I like winamp, just have the media window open and you can go right to an album or artist... or look at a complete list and hit the letter that your looking for
 
i would reccomend using itunes to sort them all out, and then just go back to winamp.

seems to be the best bet to me.
 
I really like itunes. Not only does it organize everything within itunes, but you can have it physically organize all the mp3s you import on the drive as well. I don't know what kind of gripes people have with its organization. It does things by artist, genre, album etc. and lets you create playlists pretty easily.
 
Whats wrong w/ winamp 5? Has media library built in, you kneo the interface cos you already use it. iTunes is good, but lack of windowshade mode is not a winner
 
When I am using my PC as a "music only" appliance, I start up www.mediaengine.org.

Yes it is designed for a car mp3 player. But I like that runs in fullscreen mode with a hidden close button. Nice for party situations where you don't want you friends looking up porn while you are out back entertaining.

And if your lucky enuff to have a touchscreen......
 
sonicstage.. just kidding


nothing beats manually organizing your music into folders how you wish, then pretty much any program can handle your music nicely
 
...winamp works prefectly if it is set up correctly. Make sure to load your entire collection into the media library and be sure to turn on "watchfolder" so that it will update itself automatically, then in the media library you can sort by what ever you want artist, genre, name, time, rating, etc. use "shift" to select big groups and right click to say "enque" which adds it to the playlist, use "ctrl" to select specific songs that may be spaced out and again enque them, or just hit "ctrl+a" to select all of your music and say enque.

use features like random and such and it will play whatever you have in the playlist.

personally i have everything loaded up on shuffle, then i use global hotkeys so that no matter what i am doing, i can control what is playing.
 
I love Winamp 5. Especially the Media Libary. You say that you open each file one at a time; just use the media libary and load the entire folder, and it'll be sorted by Album, genre, artist etc. if your ID3 tags are properly setup.
 
in a related field
that of keeping track of what MP3s are on what backup CDs and elsewhere...

Cathy

An extremly small, very fast and easy to use media cataloging tool. You can use it to index files stored on removable media (CD-ROMs, LS120, Iomega Zip and Jaz disks, or even diskettes), hard disks or net drives, and create searchable catalogs that can be used without having access to original media. Searching capabilities are based on file name, date and size. Additional features include filtering options, search duplicates or singles, customizable date format, etc. Found files can be opened (executed) or deleted directly, if they are present. Drag&drop support. Directory trees, MP3 album/song lists can be printed, disk space usage can be investigated. Single file executable, no install needed.
Click to expand...
 
I resisted change for a long time and used an older version of Winamp. However when I bought the Mac I decided what the hell I may as well embrace Steve Jobs vision of world domination. So I tried iTunes out and really liked it. I like the Mac version a little better, just because of some of the inherent features of OSX.

I use to be real anal about manually ordering the directories, and you don't have to let iTunes control the directories but it works out well once you get the hang of it.

The Smart Playlists are nice too. They let you create dynamic playlists that update continuisly. I have decade lists like 70's, 80's, 90's. The playlists look for songs that fit the parameters and add them to the list as needed. Then I can go through and rate the songs and have a Best Of The 80's that only has 4 and 5 star songs.

Despite what alot poeple (myself included) think, you do not have to mess with AAC and/or DRM in iTunes. iTunes is happy to let you use MP3, or several other codecs (not sure if there are plug-ins though). Plus you do not have to use the iTunes store, in fact you can disable the option in preferences so that it doesn't even show up.
 
I had been using Winamp but the playlist sorting "feature" were pissing me off so I switched to MusicMatch which has been working really well. I just wish that it had a way for me to print out a copy of my library without having to buy the Pro version.
 
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