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Foobar. Before that Winamp.

Mr Bump wrote: ↑Wed Oct 04, 2023 5:55 pm Is there an award for the most badly designed audio software ever? I nominate Windows Media Player.

I use VLC.

Personally, I really like WMP's design. (big Frutiger Aero fan) That's the program I probably use the most. Been using it for years. It's default on Windows. Plug & play - no hassle.

I also use Audacity when I want to really explore the sound. OOPS it, reverse it, alter the EQ - that sort of thing. Uncover more than what you can hear just by playing it straight over & over again.

Also use Foobar & MPC-BE sometimes. Usually click and drag for playlist listening. Can't stand VLC. This is more of a video/DVD issue, but it's really finnicky for me - and on multiple systems. Seems it runs better on some PCs than others. While I love that it's free, the devs get a little jerky imo. Turn aggressive at the smallest suggestions. (the highlight - being able to easily rewind / jump backwards frame by frame - like 90% of all video players & streaming platforms. Been a feature request for a decade and they turn salty if you mention it.) After using VLC for years I just sought out other programs that better suited my needs & didn't have the dev baggage. And I've been happier since.

I had gotten out of the habit of it until recently, but I also like spinning CDs in the drive too - playing 'em 'live.' With a good DAC and a nice pair of headphones it's a dream. Sure, who knows if it's using error correction or accurate? Just sit back and enjoy the music, man.

I think it was the version 3's which were bloat. I imagine they improved on that for the version 4's and 5's.
But the version 2.9x's are considered a classic, plus it does what I need it to do.

MusicBee is pretty great for easily customizable library and does have a tons of features out of the box. I find it much easier to use and mess around than Foobar2000.

I'm currently reorganizing my digital library now that I bought a new computer. I like to arrange it like this:

I have used VLC and plays anything throw at it

Foobar. It's light-weight, ageless, and well-maintained.

I got VLC too, but that's for videos (only use it as a backup for mpv these days).

MediaMonkey has a learning curve, but what I like best about it is the way you can alter tags based upon the filenames, and alter the file (directory) structure based upon the tags. Once you get it all down-pat, it makes managing a library very simple.