Or: The history of hmvh vs. mp3
Like most connected people in the 21st century, I’ve accumulated a plentitude of MP3 audio/music files. Like many modern people in the western world, I’ve ripped most of my CD collection to MP3 music files, and like many other people I’ve also converted my old cassette collection to MP3 audio files.
Like a luddite audiophile, however, I’ve not switched to this so-called digital camp.
Despite the ubiquity of digital audio files (in whatever format) and the devil’s walkman (iPod), MP3 files are by no means my preferred means of listening to music. Still, they are kinda cool, convenient, useful, comparatively small, and portable.
As a result I’ve accumulated a fair share since I started collecting them (as far as that’s even possible) in earnest after I decided to rip all my CDs during several boring weeks of being holed up in an apartment in 2001. Before long, I got broadband, discovered P2P and even managed to fill a few gaps (yes, I’ve been a naughty boy). Still, most sound like crap and all it’s done is make me go out and buy more CDs.
But on a positive note, a great feature of MP3 files is their ability to store additional metadata (ID3 tags) such as song and artist name, album title and track number, genres, and even “artwork”. Researching those missing and incorrect ones proved to be quite the challenge in the early days, and it was this how I happened across and eventually got involved with Discogs. It is the information within the ID3 tags alone that turns the MP3 format from background noise into a powerful and informative tool. Usefulness is key.
And throughout, Winamp has been (since version 1.x) the default player of choice. It was quick, simple, free, allowed editing of ID3 tags, and supported just about any audio format thrown at it — including MIDi and MODule files (from the BBS days) as well as Ogg Vorbis and FLAC formats (although initially only via plugins).
All in all, Winamp did and still does what I need it to do.
In fact, as I write this, it’s playing a mix.
Yes, a mix. All the MP3 stuff that’s been collecting on my hard drives as of late consists of either DJ mixes or other free downloadable material by netlabels, or mashups, promos and freebies by aspiring or independent artists, or my own CD/tape/vinyl rips. There is so much out there — all for free and perfectly legal.
Digital media has arrived, and I suppose it’s here to stay for a while.
But how does one effectively maintain a growing collection of MP3 files, one that, as the owner’s tastes and interests change, becomes increasingly unclear and unwieldy? How does one keep track of everything?
In the beginning it was easy to keep an overview of a hard drive with a batch of songs on it: Windows’ own old file manager in conjunction with a great indexing utility called Everything and Winamp (now matured to version 5) and my own stringent tagging standards and sorting methods ensured that I always know where my shit is. No duplicates, no problem — notwithstanding that there were a lot less files to worry about.
As for playing entire directories or MP3 CD-ROMs, it’s the outstanding 1by1 Directory Player that has earned itself a permanent place in the regular arsenal.
So what’s missing, I hear you ask? What’s the point of this blog entry?
Well, if you’re looking for a “professional” review of software-based music players, look no further than this good and informative article at anythingbutipod.com.
What follows below is my own experience and opinion. Continue reading
