What Alternatives are there to iTunes?

[MK]

I try not to use iTunes because it is too rigid and won't allow me to organize music they way I want, but it has some features that I really like. I just rediscovered Winamp by accident. Someone in Europe sent me some audio files that wouldn't play on any of the players I had...including iTunes. They are FLAC audio files. After doing some looking I learned that iTunes won't play them at all. Media Player can if you jump through some hoops.....but Winamp would play them right out of the box. I remeber using Winamp several years ago. I thought it was an ok player. I downloaded the latest version (for free) and discovered it has really improved. In fact the attributes I liked about iTunes Winamp can do and it is much more flexible. I was able to keep files organized the way I want and I can search or arrange them better than any player I have seen.

I have only spent a few days with it so far, but I am really pleased.

Is anyone else here using Winamp? What other alternatives are there?

EDIT: I respectfully ask that people refrain from trying to defend Apple or debate Apple vs. PC. There is another thread here that addresses that topic. Thank you.

 

[KittyT]

Yes, I started using Winamp maybe 8 years ago and have never stopped. Love it - very, very easy to use and customize, easy to adjust the audio levels to get the mix I want, will play everything, and very easy to create and modify playlists. It's the best, in my humble opinion!

I've always hated iTunes and will only use it to update my iPod.

 

[MrFusion]

I'm with you. I got tired of organizing my music the way Mr. Jobs thinks it should be quite awhile ago. Like KittyT, I use iTunes to update my iPod but I use WinAmp to actually play my music.

 

[JEEP]

I have been using WinAmp for many years - it is imho the best mediaplayer to be found on the web.

I tried iTunes once, because I bought an iPod - I deleted it the same day I sold the iPod.


/Jakob

 

[BuddyJ]

I find the newer versions of Winamp to be bloated, so I've stuck with v5.08d for what seems like forever. I keep my music files organized by artist and album on my hard drive, so I don't have much need for a program to keep them sorted for me.

I've also found that VLC Player is a sweet program, handling pretty much all video and audio types out there, in one simple, sweet package. Give it a try if you're feeling adventurous.

 

[anon`]

Yeah, Apple doesn't like FLAC at all (something about it being Free Lossless Audio Codec, I think; I had to rockbock my ipod just to listen to my music, since they don't support Ogg Vorbis, either).

I personally utilize foobar2000 in Windows for all my music listening needs when at my computer. Most of the time, though, I'm in Linux, where Amarok is my player of choice.

Really though, I'm all about the Squeezebox

 

[MK]

?

The iPods seems problematic unless you drink the Apple koolaid and do things exactly the way they want.....or is it just iTunes? Can you add files to their gizmo without using iTunes?

What MP3 players do you guys use?

 

[nobodyspecial]

I guess I've drunk the apple koolaid. I love the ipod and drool over my daughter's nano. I've never found itunes to be particularly hard to deal with, certainly no more than any other software product.

 

[anon`]

The iPods seems problematic unless you drink the Apple koolaid and do things exactly the way they want.....or is it just iTunes? Can you add files to their gizmo without using iTunes?

What MP3 players do you guys use?

It depends on the gizmo in question. I used to use a Rio Karma for all my portable listening needs, but I've listened both of them to death now! About three months ago Apple was selling a bunch of refurbed 5.5G iPods and I picked up an 80GB model. I was quite happy to catch this sale as the 5.5G is the last iPod model to be supported by Rockbox.

Beautiful things about Rockbox include five band parametic EQ, support for FLAC and Ogg Vorbis, directory structure support (that is to say, my music is organized as /music/artist/album/## - Track Name.ogg). I can add or remove music just like the iPod were any other mass storage device.

I love being a geek!

 

[skyvue]

The iPods seems problematic unless you drink the Apple koolaid and do things exactly the way they want.....or is it just iTunes? Can you add files to their gizmo without using iTunes?

What MP3 players do you guys use?

My 160g Classic iPod's not problematic at all. Like all my Mac products -- my iPhone, my G4 tower, and my 12" aluminum Macbook -- it does just what I want it to do, simply and elegantly, with no muss and no fuss.

And the same goes for iTunes, which does everything I need it to do.

And I've never had so much as a sip of "Apple koolaid" (sheesh -- so much posturing in some of these posts) -- I'm just a satisfied customer who's been using Apple products with no hassles for more than fifteen years. I've long used Windows machines, too, at my various jobs, and they just make me that much more dedicated an Apple patron.

I'd be interested to know what it is, exactly (aside from the fact that it won't handle your favored formats, which understandably renders the iPod/iTunes not the best choice for you), that iTunes won't let you do.

 

[Samsa]

Although you can't play FLAC files in iTunes, it's not all that hard to convert them to a different file type.

And as far as organizing music goes, I've never understood that criticism. What is there to organize? More importantly, why?[huh]

 

[scotrace]

Winamp is still around? Jeebs.... I remember finding it in about... 1997? It was quite THE thing. "Looka! I can play music on my computer!"

 

[anon`]

Although you can't play FLAC files in iTunes, it's not all that hard to convert them to a different file type.

No, it isn't. But what other lossless format would you suggest? WavPack is open source, but creates larger files than FLAC. Monkey's Audio is proprietary, though it does work under most platforms. Apple Lossless is certainly proprietary.
On the lossy front, a similar argument applies: Ogg Vorbis is open source, MP3 and AAC aren't. Ogg Vorbis is also less battery intensive on the decode, which is generally a good thing with portable DAPs, though frankly not applicable to the itunes-as-a-player debate.

And as far as organizing music goes, I've never understood that criticism. What is there to organize? More importantly, why?[huh]

Ummm... /artist/album/track.flac? It's been my personal experience that some people flat-out don't get this idea, and an amorphous database works just fine for them. That's all good and well, but otheres (such as myself) actually want to be able to find the physical file, not just the metadata. And myself, I'm a neat freak when it comes to file structure

Oh, it's also easier to load and unload tracks this way on an MSD, which is always nice when you don't have itunes or some other manager at your disposal. Mass tagging is easier this way also.

 

[Spellflower]

There are certainly things I would change about itunes if I could, but overall it's worked well for me over the past few years.

I also don't use it to buy music, as I prefer albums to tracks, and I can usually find a CD for less than a buck a track.

Regarding the "apple kool-aid," it is true that you have less choice about software when using a Mac (although you can always use Bootcamp and run a virtual PC...). However, this is part of why Macs have less problems than PCs.

Apple is able to test their own software on their own hardware much more rigorously than any PC manufacturer can test a new version of Windows. And Microsoft certainly isn't capable of testing Windows on every PC on the market. The result is that you have less choice, but it's less likely to crash.

Since Apple's software tends to be very user friendly, functional, and good looking, I'm willing to give up having my choice of dozens of less functional/uglier/crash-prone applications.

If Winamp better serves your purposes, enjoy! Maybe if you make enough noise, the next version of itunes will have some of those improvements!

 

[zaika]

iTunes works excellently for me, as does the iPod. then again i'm not much of a computer person, so the less i have to bother with stuff, the better. i guess it depends on how much a person cares to tinker with their music files. [huh]
and i am proud to drink apple kool aid. it goes down well.

 

[PuzzledPictures]

One thing I used Winamp for. Online Radio broadcasting . The rest goes to iTunes.

 

[MK]

.

Voicing some of my gripes with Apple wasn't meant to reflect on those who enjoy their products. I removed the word "sane" from the title because it was being taken the wrong way. There is no need to defend Apple here. There is another thread that explores that debate. If you like you Apples....great! Enjoy them.

This thread is about alternatives to iTunes and iPods. I want to learn what other members are using. I have been using MP3 and other audio files for years but haven't bought a portable device because I have been waiting for one that suits my needs. That time appears to be almost here. The technology has arrived and the market is ripe. I am confident that the free market system will bring forth the right gizmo for me.

So....what other alternative software-players are out there? I assumed you couldn't download files....or interface at all with an iPod without iTunes due to my bad experience with the iPhone, but reading what some of you wrote means I need to clarify. Can an iPod be iTunes free?

If you don't use an iPod what player do you use and why?

Thanks. I look forward to learning from your experiences.

 

[MK]

.

Ummm... /artist/album/track.flac? It's been my personal experience that some people flat-out don't get this idea, and an amorphous database works just fine for them. That's all good and well, but otheres (such as myself) actually want to be able to find the physical file, not just the metadata. And myself, I'm a neat freak when it comes to file structure

That is very important to me too. The file name is the number one way I identify an audio file. I have it set as the first column in my Winamp library. I also have file path included in the layout. I was very impressed that was an option. Knowing what folder the file is from is a big help with audio clips sent to me by other musicians. The "artist" and "album" always are left as "unknown". If I don't know the name of the file.....or at least what folder it is in, I wouldn't have a clue which clip it is.

 

[skyvue]

I removed the word "sane" from the title because it was being taken the wrong way.

I don't mean to belabor it, but again, you're putting the onus on the Mac user.

You insist that the problem is that we're taking your words the wrong way. I would suggest that the problem lies not with how we're "taking" your words, but the words themselves and the attitude they suggest.

Your descriptions of Apple users as having "drunk the Apple koolaid" and having "emotional investment" in Apple products border on insulting, frankly -- more than one of us have already told you that we regularly use both Windows machines and Macs. I base my buying choices on real experience and continuing satisfaction with the Apple products I've purchased, not emotional attachments.

So if you don't want Mac users posting defensively, perhaps you might reexamine the tone and content of your posts in this thread.

And I still don't have the slightest clue what anyone finds lacking in the organizational set-up of iTunes. I can organize my music any way I wish; I've never longed for more options than iTunes offers. I've used Winamp, though not in some time, so I'd honestly be interested to know what organizational bells and whistles I'm missing out on by using iTunes.

Edit: MK snuck in with one example of what Winamp does that I guess iTunes doesn't. It's not a function I need, but I can see where it would be useful. If I were to receive files directly from musicians, I'd want to go in and add the artist's name and song titles, anyway -- but that's just me.

 

[MK]

.

I have tried to clarify my intent above. My desire is not to offend Apple users. I wish them well.

Having said that I won't be responding to any more comments about that.

This thread is about the alternatives to iTunes.