What are some other programs that are good to store mp3's in besides iTunes? iTunes just annoys me even though I've been using it for years.
I mostly use Zune (just because I have a Zune, its just like Windows Media Player 11) and it works well. About a month ago I got Winamp for ripping CDs to FLAC and I like it a lot also.
winamp = bloated. definitely not a thread ender. Foobar200 is amazing if you have time. It's pretty lightweight, it's UBER customizable, and it can handle really huge music library [itunes had problems handling my 14k library, while foobar has no problems handling my now 20k library]. It's rather extensible, and therefore can handle any codec [as long as there's a component written for it, of course].
Winamp isn't bloated. It's a pain in the ass if you use the modern skin, but it works great if you use it with the classic skin.
I've actually preferred using WMP over Winamp for a while now, but I'm not a serious audiophile. If you just wanna play mp3s, you can certainly do a lot worse than WMP. Now if you like FLAC, m4a, or whole manner of other codecs WMP doesn't support (out of the box anyway), Winamp is the way to go. I think its interface is a little clunky, but like the others said, classic skin will rectify many problems.
[/thread] I use foobar, as well. Hands down, a great program, and it doesn't use up a lot of resources.
while we're on the subject of audio programs, quick question about Audacity: when I set the record source to Stereo Mix and hit record, it records in mono. is this a compatibility issue with my sound card or is there a setting I have to change in Audacity?
i use WMP for my library, the songs i listen to a lot. about 1/3 or 1/2 of my songs are in my WMP library. i use media player classic as the default when i open any audio file, just so it almost prevents an audio file from adding itself to my library. i use classic for videos as well. just 'cause it's quicker and more compatible with most file types and whatnot, more so than WMP.
For some reason, the last time I downloaded Winamp, it kept on erasing all of the mp3's that I put into it. Does anyone know why? Also, all of the music that's in my iTunes library isn't purchased from iTunes Store, so can I just drag and drop them into Winamp? One more question, I have an iPod, so do I pretty much HAVE to use iTunes?