G'day Everyone & Thank You for looking in

I'm a newbie to Foobar (and a self-confessed computer idiot ) and would like to download the right version of the player so that it kinda looks & behaves like Windows Media Player in it's layout as I find that WMP is easy to use.

I'm here because I'm just overwhelmed at all the forum & 3rd party info & components that I've viewed and simply have got no idea of what to do or what I really need to achieve my goal.

My attempts so far have been to download the latest version of foobar ( as to my ears, foobar is an exceptionally superb sounding media player ), but when I get to the 3rd party installations, all the components seem to somewhat state " Not available for the current version".

But having given it a try anyway, after downloading the 3rd party components, I'm not sure of where the downloaded component should be saved to & how to open it.

Basically, what I'd like in addition to the aforementioned idea of how the player will resemble & behave like WMP, is to have the Volume, both VU & Peak Meter components.

It'd be great if someone could kindly send me the exact URLs or Links for these components and a guide on how to install them as well please, in addition to exactly which version of the player is required to be able to use these components.

My OS is Windows XP Home & fitted with a Creative Sound Blaster 5.1 Sound Card.

Naturally, since my first few attempts didn't work, I've totally un-installed all foobar & 3rd party components from my pc so that I'm able to start afresh. Hence, I'm-a-ready-and-waiting

Many Thanks yet again for looking in and I look forward to any guidance & assistance, please.

Cheers,
Coco Marantz (DJ)

ADSL Email (Broadband) : cocomarantz@westnet.com.au

Fb2k has its own merits you know, and once you get to know the software, you'll want other media players to look & behave like it instead of the other way around!

But with that aside, I'll try to get you headed in the right direction.

First, be sure to bookmark The Foobar2000 Wiki since that'll answer a lot of your questions before you have to ask. This is THE REFERENCE.

Then, here's the Foobar2000 Manual geared to getting new users up and running. It's updated for v0.9, and there's a section for new users, so it should help.

Here's the verified 3rd party plugin list for foobar v0.9x. Though I think there are 1 or 2 on that list that actually weren't updated, but I think 98% on that list is good.

If I were you, I'd try to get my feet wet first, understand all the default foobar options, the DSP chain, playlist manipulation, titleformatting, how simple plug-ins work, etc.. Default foobar crushes the competition with all its back-end capabilities. There's a lot to learn and a lot to love about it, especially if you're into messing around with audio. Then move on from there to the visuals and front-end stuff (it's just eye candy anyway, right?). To get the visuals up, you'll have to delve into column_ui or panel_ui, which imo are about 2x as more complex to understand than default foobar (and I have a BS in comp sci, which might mean something or maybe it just means I went to a bad school?).

I'll just give you one starting direction: all plugins go in the "C:\program files\foobar2000\components" folder (if you used default installation settings). If the plugin comes in a ZIP file, you have to unzip it first. A couple plugins require libraries (usually one other external file) to function. The plugin author should be able to tell you where to get the library. The library file goes in "C:\program files\foobar2000" directory, not the "components" subdirectory. And finally, restart foobar after you install a new plugin to initiate it.

Have fun!

G'day nawhead & many thanks for your guidance - very much appreciated!!

It's very sound advice indeed and I will certainly be going the avenue you've suggested.

Kind Regards,
Warren.

Your mind is playing tricks with you

The question is why you use fb2k. For tagging? Applying replaygain? Ripping? Converting? Then fb2k is your choice. If because "fb2k does sound so much better" you are wrong.
If only for playback or eye candy, I'd rather recommend you to get xmplayer with a wmp skin. A very quick and tiny player with skinning support (fb2k hasn't). fb2k in addition with look and feel is not a "self-confessed computer idiots" toy. It's the exact oppossite then.