itunes vs winamp(or any other music program)

[I_Know_Nothing]

I am using itunes. Someone suggested a switch to Winamp. Does anyone see a reason I should switch to Winamp ar any other program? If I decide to switch after ripping a few thousand songs, would it be difficult to switch then?

[Tuckerfan]

It'll be difficult if you rip all your songs to the AAC format and Winamp doesn't support it (I don't know if it does or not), but not too difficult, as you can simply configure iTunes to burn the tracks as MP3s and then copy them to Winamp that way.

I've used an early version of Winamp, Rioport (which no longer exists) and another program that I've forgotten the name of now, but I prefer iTunes to all of them. No particular reason for that, really. I just like the interface and the way it organizes files, not to mention that once a year when Pepsi gives out codes, it's nice to be able to get tons of songs legally for "free."

[KeithT]

If you don't have an iPod or any purchased iTunes Music Store songs, you should be OK switching; WinAmp has supported Apple's AAC format for well over a year now.

WinAmp seems much faster and is more flexible (supports more formats with plugins, is skinnable, etc.), but it's easier for me to keep everything organized with iTunes. Since I have around 10 GB of ripped CDs, I've stuck with the latter.

[E-Sabbath]

It is entirely possible.
And here is how.
http://macs.about.com/od/ipod/qt/ipod_winamp.htm
The fun thing is that the winamp plugin lets you copy songs on and off your ipod. Also, you can still play stuff from the iTunes music store.

[Scott Plaid]

Winamp is skinable. Not that that matters very much. It has been around for longer, so there are more skins.

[mhendo]

I prefer WinAmp myself. I liked its versatility, and in my experience is uses about half the system resources (memory, etc.) of iTunes.

[MacSpon]

iTunes lets me instantly sort by any column in the window. That alone was enough to get me to drop Winamp.

(Skinnable? Who cares?)

[asterion]

If you don't have an iPod or any purchased iTunes Music Store songs, you should be OK switching; WinAmp has supported Apple's AAC format for well over a year now.

WinAmp seems much faster and is more flexible (supports more formats with plugins, is skinnable, etc.), but it's easier for me to keep everything organized with iTunes. Since I have around 10 GB of ripped CDs, I've stuck with the latter.
Does WinAmp support Apple's DRMed version of AAC or just the standard non-DRMed AAC?

[E-Sabbath]

According to the link I provided,
# Download M4P Input plugin to use Winamp to play music purchased from the iTunes Music Store
So, yep. Looks like.

Havn't tried it myself, mind you. And there are ways to strip the DRM wrapper off. They would, in the context of this discussion, be legitimate uses. But they'd be more of a hassle than just listening to the DRMed music. Anyone want to try and see if it works?

[EvilHamsterOnCrack]

If you learn to use Winamps "Media Library" tool well, it dwarfs Itunes in awesomeness.

[chefjef]

Really? I'm a huge fan of iTunes and I am a former Winamp user. I never really got Winamp - just didn't click with me I guess.

[JohnBckWLD]

You'll find Winamp has the most devout users. As far as 'other music programs' mentioned the the OP:

(Dare I say) Music Match Jukebox 10: For ripping, organizing, tagging & playlist management

Magix Audio Cleaning Lab Deluxe: Exclusively for mixing & burning

[E-Sabbath]

I just like WinAmp because it's nice and light and low overhead.

[Raguleader]

I tend to use Winamp because I've used Winamp for many many years.

Skins are nice if you can find one to your tastes (i have a selection of retro skins for Winamp2/5.

Can't say much about the Media Library, as I tend not to use it too much.

But mainly, you should use Winamp because it really whips the llama's ass. :cool:

[Dr. Love]

I like Winamp because it runs much faster on my computer.

Quick slightly off-topic question: does anyone know how to change the default program for running music cds? Somehow it got switched to iTunes, causing me some mild irritation.

[Scott Plaid]

<snip> does anyone know how to change the default program for running music cds?</snip>.Ya' using Windows XP? Then go to the list of drives, right click your CD-Rom, select properties, hit the auto play tab, select "Music CD" from the dropdown list, and then "select what action to perform" for the default CD player.

[asterion]

Ya' using Windows XP? Then go to the list of drives, right click your CD-Rom, select properties, hit the auto play tab, select "Music CD" from the dropdown list, and then "select what action to perform" for the default CD player.I've never gotten that to work. I don't know what it is, but the selection never seems to stick, especially when I've told it to do nothing.

[Scott Plaid]

"I've told it to do nothing?" Please elaborate.

[mhendo]

"I've told it to do nothing?" Please elaborate.What he means, i think, is that he has followed your advice and, when selecting what action to perform, has chosen the "Take no action" option.But it hasn't worked for him.

FWIW, asterion, the "Take no action" selection has always worked for me. I have also disabled autorun in the registry.

[Scott Plaid]

I see. However, what he should do (And what I thought he would, following my directions) is not to tell it to take no action, but to select "Winamp" as the default player. Sure, it will make the CDs play automatically, but it will also bump Itunes off the lregistry list of what to do.

[Dr. Love]

Thanks, Scott Plaid, that worked. For some reason, WinAmp wasn't listed there, but installing the new version fixed that, and I think I have it set to do what I want now. Thanks.

[BabaBooey]

Another slightly off topic question: In XP, is there any way to display the music filetype (mp3, wma, etc)? All of my music files just have the Winamp icon which is a problem because I've normalized all of my mp3's with MP3Gain, but any non mp3 file (maybe 3-5% of my 3000 songs) are of random volume still.

[Scott Plaid]

Thanks, Scott Plaid, that worked. You are welcome. ::Blush::

The way to view the type of file is go to any folder, selecct "Folder Options" From the drop down menu named "Tools", hit the tab marked "View", and uncheck "Hide Extensions of Known File Types" from the advanced selection.

[Misnomer]

once a year when Pepsi gives out codesOnce a year? This last promotion period was the first one I noticed, and I assumed it was a one-time thing. Cool! :)

[Cardinal]

I've used iTunes to rip my CDs and organize the files.

Does iTunes really change the tags when you change the "info" of a song? It's not just some iTunes-only notation, right?

It is possible to get iTunes to play a set of songs while you use the program to view and change other songs? When I'm working on the tags for one set of songs, it refuses to continue playing the set I'd like to hear.