Topic: iTunes substitute

[MattD]

I have a PC as my playback device. I've been using Foobar for as long as I can remember, but have decided that I really don't like the interface. The album list is clunky and I don't like the search features. I also used Winamp in the past, but don't like it either. The thing is that I really like the iTunes-style interface. On my iBook, I've been using Play as my playback software. It combines an iTunes library style interface with FLAC playback support (including 24-bit).

Is there any iTunes-like software for the PC that has FLAC support built in or extensible?

Thanks,
Matt

[Krispy D]

I'm not that pc savvy but isn't play pc compatible?  I thought it was.  I use play and cog exclusively. (on macs...)

[MattD]

Unfortunately, no. It's written for OSX 10.4 or later. It is one of my favorite applications.

[Krispy D]

I would then suggest blowing up that damn PC.

[busterr]

Have you tried the "facets" plugin for Foobar? I've never used Itunes myself, so I don't know exactly what the main differences are between the 2...but I know some folks have customized foobar to look and function very close to Itunes(from what I understand). With facets it may take a bit of initial time to setup the UI the way you want it to look but the library is very easy to navigate IMO.
I'm no expert on Foobar, but there always seem to be new additions that make things run smoother and more intuitively. If you haven't scoured it before here's a link to hydrogenaudio's Foobar section, be sure to check out the 3rd party plugin thread, as I believe that's where I saw folks making things more Itunes like.
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showforum=28

Otherwise I'm no help to you at all, since I haven't found anything about Foobar I don't like yet .

[MattD]

Ugh, the new Foobar requires XP. I still have 2000 on that box. Is it worth it?

[Brian Skalinder]

Someone recently (and a couple years ago) mentioned Audiophiler.  I haven't checked it out, but I might.  Dunno if it supports FLAC or not.

http://www.audiophiler.com/

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,99285.msg1322324.html#msg1322324
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,51807.msg674741.html#msg674741

[MattD]

It doesn't sound like it has a player at all. Seems like it's just for categorization.

[Brian Skalinder]

There's MediaMonkey, too, another one posted by fellow TSers.  I'll probably stick with Foobar2000, but it's fun to see what else is out there.

[Craig T]

happy Media Monkey user here.

There's MediaMonkey, too, another one posted by fellow TSers.  I'll probably stick with Foobar2000, but it's fun to see what else is out there.

[Jammin72]

happy Media Monkey user here.

There's MediaMonkey, too, another one posted by fellow TSers.  I'll probably stick with Foobar2000, but it's fun to see what else is out there.

MediaMonkey rocks!  Great tool for organization and playback.  Also lets you load up your iPod or other DAP.

[grtphl]

musikcube, songbird, winamp, and foobar2000 are the apps i've used on my pc for playback.  when i had a mac, i used cog primarily.  right now i'm using foobar2000.  i dont like having all my music listed in a 'library', i drag-and-drop the show and clear the playlist when there are too many items.  musikcube is alright, but i cant control master volume on my pc, it only turns down the audio in the player, so to adjust master levels i have to use the taskbar.  this is likely an issue only on my end.  songbird is good, its like a non-apple itunes (with ipod support, iirc, but i dont have one so i'm not sure).  its a mozilla-project, which is great, but unfortunately it comes included w/ an internet browser-- a little feature intensive for my purposes.  i want a simple interface, that's easy to minimize/hide, and that features lossless playback.  winamp is nice, but its clunky imo.    it takes a long time on my pc to bring up the playlist when its "minimized" to the top of my screen as a thin toolbar.  however, foobar2000 doesnt support shn, imo.  so, 69 dead i'll usually use winamp (or other shn shows, but most are flac these days).  mediamonkey looks like a huge memory hog. 

i dont need album artwork, options to purchase the songs, album/artist/track names (just filename display needed, no metadata), ability to rip cds, ability to encode to other formats, huge libraries, ipod/mp3 player support, etc., etc.  just play lossless files, let me scrub tracks, and minimize well.  thats mostly all i need.