Switching from winamp to foobar Options

[lctm]

Hi,
I just wanted to mention a guide compiled to help people switching from winamp to find their beloved features in foobar.
http://winamp2foobar.blogspot.com/

I'm not saying it's a good thing to want to reproduce exactly winamp, but it helps at first... and it's a good way to learn how to configure foobar2000!

Thanks yall for everything you do. I installed foobar 3 days ago but am addicted already...

[Kougeru]

Hi,
I just wanted to mention a guide compiled to help people switching from winamp to find their beloved features in foobar.
http://winamp2foobar.blogspot.com/

I'm not saying it's a good thing to want to reproduce exactly winamp, but it helps at first... and it's a good way to learn how to configure foobar2000!

Thanks yall for everything you do. I installed foobar 3 days ago but am addicted already...

Great post, I don't really like anything about winamp over foobar, but I did want a notifcation. Thanks

[lctm]

Thank you for the feedback!

[dhromed]

Good stuff. Nice to see something with proper explanation and links to handy components.

A note:

An other awesome feature of Winamp (actually a plugin) is "Jump to file". [...] you get a box performing search in the current playlist. It's also possible in foobar2000. You will need to install the AMIP package.

Simple playlist search in FB does not require an extra component.

[lctm]

Good stuff. Nice to see something with proper explanation and links to handy components.

A note:

An other awesome feature of Winamp (actually a plugin) is "Jump to file". [...] you get a box performing search in the current playlist. It's also possible in foobar2000. You will need to install the AMIP package.

Simple playlist search in FB does not require an extra component.

Ah thanks!!! I looked for this feature but did not find it. It was not that hidden, though.
Gonna update.
(Its probably not worth the hassle of installing two things and stuff, but the AMIP search has one advantage: the search window comes on top of the current window if you are in another application and call it with a global hotkey. Or is there a mean to do the same thing with the PL search?)

This post has been edited by lctm: Sep 28 2008, 23:40

[jasperooni]

Thanks for putting all the effort in it. It´s more than a good start.

Maybe I would add:
*ripping CDs with foobar (at full speed only in WinampPro)
*converting
*Tagging Power
*no native CD burning in foobar2000
*Replay Gain (I think Winamp also has it but not that powerful)
*Lyrics (Minilyrics works for all players but LyricsDB is awesome)
*Lots of help and inspiration @ http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showforum=28

[lctm]

Thanks for putting all the effort in it. It´s more than a good start.

Maybe I would add:
*ripping CDs with foobar (at full speed only in WinampPro)
*converting
*Tagging Power
*no native CD burning in foobar2000
*Replay Gain (I think Winamp also has it but not that powerful)
*Lyrics (Minilyrics works for all players but LyricsDB is awesome)
*Lots of help and inspiration @ http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showforum=28

Thanks for these suggestions!
Well that's a lot =)

This post has been edited by lctm: Sep 29 2008, 02:14

[lctm]

Thanks for putting all the effort in it. It´s more than a good start.

Maybe I would add:
*ripping CDs with foobar (at full speed only in WinampPro)
*converting
*Tagging Power
*no native CD burning in foobar2000
*Replay Gain (I think Winamp also has it but not that powerful)
*Lyrics (Minilyrics works for all players but LyricsDB is awesome)
*Lots of help and inspiration @ http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showforum=28

About CD ripping: I tried, using the commandline Lame encoder, and it worked.
But:
-The files just came in the folder without subfolders as I would have expected, and did not find where to set it up
-I didn't find out how get data from freeDB or whatever. I think this is supposed to be built-in in foobar 9.5.x ?

thanks!

[Slotos]

About CD ripping: I tried, using the commandline Lame encoder, and it worked.
But:
-The files just came in the folder without subfolders as I would have expected, and did not find where to set it up
-I didn't find out how get data from freeDB or whatever. I think this is supposed to be built-in in foobar 9.5.x ?

thanks!

1. Use backslash "\" in title formatting string to specify folder structure. I.e. [%album artist%\]%date% - %album%\$abbr(%album%)[ CD%disc%]. Location: Preferences - Tools - Converter - Output File Names
2. Select "freedb tagger" check box while installing foobar2000. Or get foo_freedb from the installer using 7z (un)archiver.

This post has been edited by Slotos: Sep 30 2008, 18:35

[Yirkha]

Just a sidenote:

Or get foo_freedb from the installer using 7z (un)archiver.

This method is not recommended, because the installer.ini file is not updated to reflect that FreeDB component is installed and it won't be automatically upgraded during installation of the next version. (It also makes people feel like running the installer more than once does something bad, when it's in fact the only proper way to upgrade fb2k.)

[lctm]

Just a sidenote:

Or get foo_freedb from the installer using 7z (un)archiver.

This method is not recommended, because the installer.ini file is not updated to reflect that FreeDB component is installed and it won't be automatically upgraded during installation of the next version. (It also makes people feel like running the installer more than once does something bad, when it's in fact the only proper way to upgrade fb2k.)

Thanks guys.
I ran the installer and chose the full installation, that enabled the freeDB search
I did that thing with the folders, that's perfect.

Awesome!
I put that on my winamp->foobar for dummies guide.

This post has been edited by lctm: Sep 30 2008, 20:42

[buktore]

I saw you recommended foo_history in your blog, I think you should try foo_navigator out since I believed it have foo_history feature and more.

I don't think it's a good idea to recommend foo_ui_gfx, there's no "skin" for user to download, no documentation (as far as I know), and it seem that there's no one working on it.

If peoples from winamp really want foobar to look like winamp, IMHO it's better to stick with winamp.

Anyway, good blog but I think if you really into this, you should add something that is... "foobar2000" a bit more instead of focus on making foobar "emulate" winamp too much you know, it kinda made me think when I read your blog, "Um, why not just use winamp..." Hope you get the idea.

I use foobar because of something other players can't do, and I believed other who use and like foobar share the same idea.

Regard

[skyhopper88]

Nice job. I moved from Winamp long ago but you had some components I didn't know about.

[Kougeru]

Thanks for putting all the effort in it. It´s more than a good start.

Maybe I would add:
*ripping CDs with foobar (at full speed only in WinampPro)
*converting
*Tagging Power
*no native CD burning in foobar2000
*Replay Gain (I think Winamp also has it but not that powerful)
*Lyrics (Minilyrics works for all players but LyricsDB is awesome)
*Lots of help and inspiration @ http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showforum=28

I don't know if the winamp Replay gain is as powerful, but it's several times slower. Foobar can scan my playlist of 1500 songs in about 5-10 minutes. Winamp takes over an hour...and often times freezes.

[lctm]

I don't think it's a good idea to recommend foo_ui_gfx, there's no "skin" for user to download, no documentation (as far as I know), and it seem that there's no one working on it.
If peoples from winamp really want foobar to look like winamp, IMHO it's better to stick with winamp.

Anyway, good blog but I think if you really into this, you should add something that is... "foobar2000" a bit more instead of focus on making foobar "emulate" winamp too much you know, it kinda made me think when I read your blog, "Um, why not just use winamp..." Hope you get the idea.

I use foobar because of something other players can't do, and I believed other who use and like foobar share the same idea.

Regard

gfx: I had written at the end of the post the following text:
"NB: -This UI is a bit old (last update 2006) and maybe not up-to-date. It can be difficult to find skins to apply.
-It probably doesn't add any usability, it's merely the contrary.
-If you really want something like that... I know an awesome player called, wait for it, Winamp =) "
So I totally agree with you. I had just put it in case. I changed it and put a warning at the beginning.

the purpose of the blog: I know that if you want winamp, then use winamp. The idea was like:
-"I am using Winamp and my friend told me foobar is cool; I may try, but is it worth it? does foobar do everything I'm doing with winamp?"
-"OK, I'm in foobar2000 now. Where the fuck is the "Jump to" function? damn it, I'm going back to Winamp"

The other purpose is that in many places the things are like a list of components and what they do, rather than a list of features and what component does them. Winamp is just a way to identify clearly the features.
I also like foobar for everything it has in addition, of course... but the first thing is to prove that it doesn't have anything less (well, hardly)

Thanks a lot for the feedback anyway! I will think about it.

Regarding navigator, is it right the interesting features (I mean, the ones history doesn't have) only are compatible with UI columns?

This post has been edited by lctm: Oct 2 2008, 16:58

[Spirit_of_the_oc...]

Maybe you should write about functions that foobar has which Winamp hasn't.

[lctm]

Maybe you should write about functions that foobar has which Winamp hasn't.

Yes, I may do that after...
But there are plenty of good sites for this =)
Primarily I wanted to talk about how not to lose features when you switch.
Now let's talk about what you win...

[Spirit_of_the_oc...]

but sometimes it is mores effective to know what you won`t loose but what you will win

For example to decide where to put an element / a colums ui plugin in the layout.

I miss the followong things:

A better description of the UIs. A noob can't imagine the things you can do with the different uis. I miss the mentioning of the panel splitter plugin replacing the panel ui

This post has been edited by Spirit_of_the_ocean: Oct 5 2008, 10:30

[callisto]

I don't think the panel splitter / panels ui should be in a beginners guide. It's just too complex, misdeveloped and it leads too much to the "skinning"-part of foobar (skinning =/= layouting) This guide should be about the functions foobar provides (native/plug-ins)...

[lctm]

I don't think the panel splitter / panels ui should be in a beginners guide. It's just too complex, misdeveloped and it leads too much to the "skinning"-part of foobar (skinning =/= layouting) This guide should be about the functions foobar provides (native/plug-ins)...

Hey, thanks for the feedback
I dont know about the panel splitter actually. This is in the columns_UI, right?

Actually I don't use the columns for the reason that, I wanted the content of the panels (three panels Genre/Artist/Track, in the iTunes/Winamp style) to be filtered by the search field. And I couldn't find that, whereas it is easy in the default UI. Is it possible in the columns UI?

I don;t know very much, I have actually only been using foobar for about 10 days... (and 2 days 8hrs of playback)

I'm going to investigate that....

This post has been edited by lctm: Oct 5 2008, 15:44

[lctm]

But yeah definitely I'd try to tell more about UIs. When I know more =)

[jasperooni]

I think lctm did a great job with the blog. It´s the basics and good for somone considering switching. You can´t change that there will be work included and some things aren´t out of the box features.

I like the idea that You try to help build a Winamp similar UI first with foobar2000´s Default UI (and Facets).