Foobar2000 ~ Installing A Component

Posted by tom2tec on

One of the reasons for Foobar2000’s versatility is extensibility. Its capabilities can be greatly extended by adding components.

For example, it’s good to keep track of information right from the start. An important first addition is playback statistics which are generated and maintained by foo_playcount.fb2k-component. Also consider installing foo_enhanced_playcount.

To add Playback Statistics to foobar2000, follow these steps:

  1. Download The New Component:
  2. Install The Component:
    • Go to File > Preferences, or press Ctrl + P.
    • In Preferences, go to Installed components on the left-hand side.
    • Click the Install button at the bottom of the section.
    • Navigate to and select the foo_playcount.fb2k-component file, then click Open and then Apply.
    • After installation is complete, foobar2000 will prompt you to restart.
  3. Verify Installation:
    • Once foobar2000 restarts, you should check File > Preferences > Components to confirm the component is now installed and active.

It’s also possible to install a Foobar2000 component by either dragging and then dropping a component on the component pane or double clicking a component if the file association is working.

The Get Updates button will download and update all the installed components but not Fobar2000 itself, that must be done via the Help Menu. It’s good to update the components occasionally.

The Copy Report button copies a list of installed components to the clipboard.

If the component has a visual element, you’ll also need to add the component to the DUI (Default User Interface) now. Toggle View\Layout\Enable Layout Editing Mode and then add a new panel or tab. Right click the new panel or tab area and select “Add New UI Element …“, then select the new component from the list. You may need to adjust borders to fit, then Exit layout mode.

The Playback Statistics Component keeps track of the following data:

  • Time/date first played
  • Time/date last played
  • Playback count
  • Time/date added to the Media Library
  • Rating

The Playback Statistics Component also allows playback statistics to be backed up or easily transferred to other Foobar2000 instances.

‘You can export playback statistics to an XML file and import them later, through Library => Playback Statistics menu commands, or through context menu on specific tracks. This can be used to easily transfer playback statistics between different foobar2000 installations or profiles.’ ~ XML Backup Functionality

foobar2000 version 1.6 required for compatibility with this component​

References:

www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_playcount
wiki.hydrogenaud.io/…/Playback_Statistics_v3.x_(foo_playcount)
foo_enhanced_playcount ~ Enhanced Playback Statistics
foobar2000 ~ Adding Panels To The DUI

Foobar2000 ~ foo_whatsnew Feature Watcher


audioMotion ~ Player & Realtime Spectrum Analyzer

Posted by tom2tec on

audioMotion is a media player and high-resolution real-time audio spectrum analyzer that allows you to SEE your music! ♪♫🤩

It is completely free, open-source software, created out of my passion for the graphic spectrum analyzers of hi-fi systems from the 1980s.

Features:

Dual channel high-resolution real-time audio spectrum analyzer

  • Media player with subtitles support for audio and video files
  • Fullscreen and Picture-In-Picture display at 60fps, ready for Retina / HiDPI screens
  • Logarithmic, linear and perceptual (Bark and Mel) frequency scales, with customizable range
  • Visualization of discrete FFT frequencies or up to 240 frequency bands (supports ANSI and equal-tempered octave bands)
  • Decibel and linear amplitude scales, with customizable sensitivity
  • Optional A, B, C, D and ITU-R 468 weighting filters
  • Optional effects: vintage LEDs, variable opacity, mirroring and reflection, radial spectrum
  • 17 beautiful color gradients, plus a visual editor to easily create your own gradients
  • Support for M3U playlists (.m3u and .m3u8 file extensions)
  • Visualize audio from your microphone (or “stereo mix”, if your soundcard supports it)

audiomotion.app
github.com/hvianna/audioMotion.js

Hi-Res Audio For Android

Posted by tom2tec on

Enable high resolution audio for MediaTek devices up to 32-bit/192kHz (if device supports). This module only changes the configuration on “audio_policy” because most Android devices limit their capabilities to 16-bit/48kHz only, the rest depends on whether the device used supports Hi-Res Audio™ or not.

*applies to internal Speakers & Wired (not for Bluetooth/USB devices).

github.com/adivenxnataly/Hi-ResAudio

Lyrion Music Server ~ Logitech, SlimServer & Squeezebox

Posted by tom2tec on

Lyrion Music Server (formerly Logitech Media Server) is open-source server software which controls a wide range of Squeezebox audio players. Lyrion can stream your local music collection, internet radio stations, and content from many streaming services

lyrion.org
github.com/lms-community/slimserver

GLava ~ OpenGL Audio Spectrum Visualizer

Posted by tom2tec on

GLava is a general-purpose, highly configurable OpenGL audio spectrum visualizer for X11.

github.com/jarcode-foss/glava

Cava ~ Cross-platform Audio Visualizer

Posted by tom2tec on

Cava is a bar spectrum audio visualizer for terminal or desktop (SDL).

Cava works on:

  • Linux
  • FreeBSD
  • macOS
  • Windows

This program is not intended for scientific use. It’s written to look responsive and aesthetic when used to visualize music.

github.com/karlstav/cava
Cavalier ~ Visualize Audio With CAVA

Foobar2000 ~ The First Steps

Posted by tom2tec on

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

The next step is to set the ReplayGain values. See ReplayGain ~ Advanced Volume Normalization

Select the Playback submenu:

  1. Change Source mode to ‘by payback order‘
  2. Change Processing to ‘apply gain and prevent clipping according to peak‘
  3. 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.

References:

Adding Songs To Foobar2000’s Media Library

SongRec ~ Linux Shazam Client

Posted by tom2tec on

SongRec is an open-source Shazam client for Linux, written in Rust.

github.com/marin-m/SongRec
flathub.org/apps/com.github.marinm.songrec

Brasero ~ Gnome CD/DVD Burner

Posted by tom2tec on

Brasero is a GNOME application to burn CD/DVD, designed to be as simple as possible. It has some unique features to enable users to create their discs easily and quickly.

wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Brasero
www.linuxlinks.com/brasero
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasero_(software)

Audio Share ~ Share Audio To Android

Posted by tom2tec on

Audio Share can share a Windows or Linux computer’s audio to an Android device over a network, so your phone becomes the speaker of the computer. 

github.com/mkckr0/audio-share
sourceforge.net/projects/audio-share

FRKB ~ Rapid Audio Organization Tool

Posted by tom2tec on

FRKB is a cross-platform desktop application designed for audio professionals (such as DJs). The current beta version is compatible with Windows and will be adapted for macOS once stable. It is still under active development.

Core Features:

  • Portable: Easily transfer the database to mobile devices for on-the-go use.
  • Audio Fingerprint Deduplication: Identify and exclude duplicate tracks using audio fingerprint technology, providing prompts during import to keep your music collection clean and efficient.
  • Ergonomic Shortcuts: Ergonomically designed shortcuts that allow most operations to be performed with the left hand, making the organization process smoother and more efficient.
  • Direct File Management: When adding tracks, FRKB directly manages the audio files themselves, ensuring that the organization results are immediately reflected in the computer’s folders, achieving a “what you see is what you get” effect.
  • Waveform Visualization: Provides audio waveform display.
  • BPM Analysis: Displays BPM information.

github.com/coderDJing/FRKB_Rapid-Audio-Organization-Tool

Power Tab Editor ~ Guitar Tablature Editor

Posted by tom2tec on

Power Tab Editor 2.0 – A powerful cross platform guitar tablature viewer and editor inspired by the ceased development and missing source code from the original Power Tab Editor. This project is open-source and written from scratch so that your favorite tabbing platform can continuously grow with your needs.

Key Features:

  • Cross platform – Windows, Mac, & Linux
  • Tabbed layout for opening multiple files at the same time
  • Mixer interface for adjusting volumes during playback
  • Complete customization of keyboard shortcuts
  • Importing of Guitar Pro tabs

github.com/powertab/powertabeditor