foo_vis_wispan is a Foobar2000 spectrum analyzer visualization implemented with GDI. It is a port of the Classic Spectrum Analyzer (vis_classic) Winamp visualization plug-in by Mike Lynch.
The foo_outinfo component exposes information about the current audio output and signal, such as the active output device, sample rate, bit depth, and channel count. These fields are especially useful in the status bar, where you want quick technical confirmation without cluttering playlists.
A simple and practical example is:
Now Playing: %artist% - %title% | %output_samplerate% Hz / %output_bitdepth% bit
What This Displays
When a track is playing, the status bar would show something like:
Now Playing: Miles Davis - So What | 44100 Hz / 16 bit
This tells you at a glance:
What is playing
The actual output sample rate
The output bit depth being sent to your audio device
Step By Step Explanation:
Music Metadata (Standard Fields)
%artist% - %title%
%artist% → Track artist tag
%title% → Track title tag
These are standard foobar2000 title formatting fields and work everywhere.
Separator
|
This is just plain text. It visually separates the music info from the technical output info. You can replace it with a dash, bullet, or brackets if you prefer.
foo_outinfo Output Fields
%output_samplerate%
Displays the actual output sample rate in Hertz
Reflects resampling, DSP changes, or output driver behavior
This is more reliable than %samplerate% when DSPs are active
%output_bitdepth%
Displays the bit depth used by the output
Shows what is being sent to the DAC, not just what is in the file
More Informative Versions
If you want to include channels and output device name:
Now Playing: %artist% - %title% | %output_samplerate% Hz / %output_bitdepth% bit / %output_channels% channels
Displays:
Now Playing: Aphex Twin - Xtal | 48000 Hz / 24 bit / 2 channels
If you want to add the current Replaygain mode:
Now Playing: %artist% - %title% | %output_samplerate% Hz / %output_bitdepth% bit / %output_channels% channels | RG %output_rg_source%
Displays:
Now Playing: Aphex Twin - Xtal | 48000 Hz / 24 bit / 2 channels | RG Album
If you want to display the active DSP
$if(%output_dsp%, | DSP: %output_dsp%)
Displays the separator and active DSP, otherwise displays nothing:
| DSP: Resampler (SoX)
Minimal Technical Version (Very Clean)
For users who want only output confirmation:
Output: %output_samplerate% Hz / %output_bitdepth% bit
Displays:
Output: 96000 Hz / 24 bit
Why Use foo_outinfo in the Status Bar?
Confirms what your DAC is actually receiving
Helps verify exclusive mode, resampling, and DSP behavior
Avoids cluttering playlists with technical data
Ideal for users who care about signal integrity but want a clean UI
Beginner Notes and Caveats
All output_* fields require foo_outinfo to be installed
These fields only show values while audio is playing
If nothing is playing, the fields will appear empty
Installing and Configuring OpenLyrics (foo_openlyrics) in foobar2000
OpenLyrics (foo_openlyrics) is the most actively maintained lyrics display component for foobar2000. It provides an integrated lyrics panel, automatic lyrics downloading, local storage, and optional editing support. This guide walks through installation, panel setup, and recommended configuration options.
Verify OpenLyrics is enabled under Preferences → Components.
Confirm the panel is visible and active.
Check that playback is active (lyrics are not fetched for stopped tracks).
Try manual search from the panel context menu.
Review source availability in the OpenLyrics preferences.
Summary
OpenLyrics is currently the most complete and actively maintained lyrics solution for foobar2000. Once installed and configured, it provides automatic lyrics retrieval, reliable local storage, and flexible display options suitable for both minimal and advanced layouts.
For new foobar2000 installations or users modernizing older setups, OpenLyrics is the recommended lyrics display component.
foo_vis_spectrum_analyzer is a foobar2000 component that implements a spectrum analyzer panel. It is an attempt to recreate the foo_musical_spectrum component by fismineur for foobar2000 64-bit.
foo_whatsnew monitors your foobar2000 installation for any new additions or changes and records them. After installing foo_whatsnew, there will be a What's New? menu option on the Help menu which opens a panel displaying a list of recent changes. There’s now support for 64 bit installs and dark mode.
Before some foobar2000 components can be utilized, the component’s visual interface must also be added to the Default User Interface in order to be seen or interacted with. It just takes a few steps to add new panels and interfaces to foobar2000.
Step 1: Open the Layout Editor
Click on View in the foobar2000 menu bar
Select Layout → Enable Layout Editing Mode
A checkmark indicates that layout editing mode is enabled.
Step 2: Choose the location for the new panel
First Right-click on the area where you want to add a new panel.
Then select Replace UI Element from the context menu.
A submenu will allow you to choose the splitter orientation:
Splitter (left/right): Divides the area into two vertical sections, side by side.
Splitter (top/bottom): Divides the area into two horizontal sections, stacked one above the other.
Select the desired orientation and click OK.
The new splitter will now divide the selected area into two sections. Splitters can be moved by by dragging.
Step 3: Add a new panel
After adding the splitter, right-click on the new empty white section.
The selected panel will now appear in the designated section.
Select Add New UI Element from the context menu.
A dialog will appear with a list of available UI elements. Examples include:
Playlist View: Displays your playlists.
Album List: Provides a tree view of your library.
Vu Meter: Adds a VU meter.
Choose the panel you want to add and click OK.
Step 4: Customize the new panel
Right-click on the newly added panel to access its specific settings (e.g., appearance, behavior).
If additional configuration is required, check the panel’s settings in the Preferences menu:
Go to File → Preferences.
Navigate to the corresponding section under Display or Components.
Step 5: Save the layout
When you’re satisfied with the changes, click on the yellow bar at the top and choose Apply Layout.
To save the layout permanently:
Go to View → Layout → Save Layout.
Provide a name for the layout for easy restoration later.
Step 6: Install additional panels (Optional)
If the desired panel isn’t available, you may need to install third-party components:
Download components from the official foobar2000 components repository: foobar2000 Components.
Install the component:
Go to File → Preferences → Components.
Click Install and select the downloaded .fb2k-component file.
Restart foobar2000.
After installation, repeat Step 3 to add the new panel.
Working with panels or splitters:
Right mouse clicking on any UI Element brings up the context submenu.
Scatchbox Mode:
View > Layout > Create Scratchbox
Opens a window which acts like the user interface allowing for splitter, tabs and UI elements to be prearranged. Themes can also be loaded, edited and saved.
Key Concepts: Splitters divide areas to create new spaces called containers Containers are then populate by either a tabbed container or with UI Elements Tabbed containers are also then populated by UI Elements
This Foobar2000 component collects and maintains enhanced statistics for played songs; primarily it records the timestamp of every play of a song, and not just the first and last. It will also query last.fm and record play times of every scrobble for a song.
foo_enhanced_playcount provides some additional functionality that foo_playcount does not, but is missing some functionality that foo_playcount has. They work well together, and foo_playcount should NOT be uninstalled when foo_enhanced_playcount is installed.
This component should be installed with foo_playcount and the same time foobar2000 is installed so playback statistics are maintained from the beginning.
%played_times_raw% – raw foobar timestamps: [129885911170000000, 129996456470000000, 131594314930000000] – There’s probably no reason to ever use this.
%lastfm_played_times% – Date formatted list of scrobbles: ["2012-08-04 15:58:37", "2012-12-10 14:40:46", "2018-01-02 23:38:13"]
%lastfm_play_count% – Count of last.fm plays, a la %play_count%: 5
%lastfm_added% – Single date: “2012-08-04 15:58:37“
%lastfm_first_played% – Always exactly the same as %lastfm_added%. Use whichever one makes most sense logically
%lastfm_last_played% – Single date: “2018-04-04 15:58:37“
%added_enhanced% – Returns the earliest of %added% (from foo_playcount) or %lastfm_added%. Single date: “2023-02-04 15:16:17“
%first_played_enhanced% – Returns the earliest of %first_played% (from foo_playcount) or %lastfm_added%. Single date: “2023-02-04 15:16:17“
%last_played_enhanced% – Returns the earliest of %last_played% (from foo_playcount) or %lastfm_last_played%. Single date: “2023-02-04 15:16:17“
These fields can be exposed via Title Formatting or used in scripts. This component does generate extra data per song played and may not be suitable for installations with limited storage.
For most users the latest version of Foobar2000 32-bit is adequate. Users with very large music libraries may need to install the 64-bit version. The latest Foobar2000 installers are available on the official downloads page: www.foobar2000.org/download
After downloading, installing Foobar2000 and starting Foobar2000, you will see the main Default User Interface, commonly referred to as the DUI.
The first step is to populate Foobar2000’s Media Library.
Select Preferences > Media Library > Add...
and navigate to your Music folder. Once Foobar2000 has scanned all the subfolders and files, it will continue to monitor for any additions, deletions or revisions
Change Processing to ‘apply gain and prevent clipping according to peak‘
Adjust the ‘Without RG info‘ slider to -8.0 dB
The last initial step is to set your own individual freedb address.
At this point you should see your music and it should play without issue.
This covers the very basics. The next steps will be to add additional components, more configuration and how to use Foobar2000 to accomplish day to day tasks.
The Audio File 