Foobar2000:Foobar2000: Difference between revisions

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'''foobar2000''' is a free music player for Windows. It features multiple playlists, streaming, [[ReplayGain]] support, extensive plug-ins support and more.
{{Software Infobox|
|name                = foobar2000
|logo                = [[Image:foobar2000 Logo.png|48px]]
|screenshot          = [[Image:Foobar2000-1.0-default-ui.png|250px]]
|caption              = Screenshot of foobar2000 v1.0 using the default user interface
|developer            = Peter Pawlowski
|released            = {{start date and age|2002|12|20}}<ref>{{ha|https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,4997.0.html|Official Foobar2000 site & Foobar2000 0.3 & SDK!}}</ref>
|stable_release      = 2.1.5<ref>{{foobar2000|https://www.foobar2000.org/download|Download foobar2000 for Windows}}</ref>
|stable_release_date  = 2024-05-04
|preview_release      =
|preview_release_date =
|operating_system    = Windows
|use                  = Media Player
|license              = Proprietary, BSD
|website              = [https://www.foobar2000.org/ foobar2000.org]
}}
'''foobar2000''' is an advanced freeware audio player for the Windows platform. Some of the basic features include full Unicode support, [[ReplayGain]] support and native support for several popular audio formats.


== Platforms ==


=== Supported formats ===
foobar2000 has been written specifically for the Windows platform, and there are no plans to port it to any others. However, although not officially supported, it is known to run on [https://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=54933 Linux] and [https://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=77261 Mac OS X] through Wine and WineBottler, respectively. Also there is an [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/foobar2000 Arch Linux native package] maintained by a community member.


==== Playback ====
== Features ==
* Powerful open component architecture allowing third-party developers to extend functionality of the player, including the ability to fully replace the user interface.
* Full Unicode support: File names, user interface, tagging, etc.
* [[ReplayGain]] support: Both playback and writing ReplayGain information to file tags.
* [[Gapless playback]].
* Advanced [[tagging]] capabilities - through built-in [[foobar2000:Properties|Properties dialog]] and various optional tagging-related components.
* Built-in [[foobar2000:Preferences:Media Library|Media Library]] functionality.
** Intuitive [[foobar2000:Query syntax|query syntax]] for searching the Media Library.
** Autoplaylist support: Generate dynamically updating playlists based on queries.
* [[foobar2000:Preferences:General:Keyboard Shortcuts|Customizable keyboard shortcuts]].
* Support for [[transcoding]] all supported audio formats using the [[Foobar2000:Converter|Converter component]] (requires external command-line encoder executables for different output formats).
* [[Secure_ripping|Secure]] [[foobar2000:Ripping CDs|CD ripping]].
* Streaming support.
* Efficient handling of large playlists.
* [[foobar2000:Components/Default_user_interface_%28foo_ui_std%29|User interface]] with simple configuration to create even complex layouts quickly and easily.
* Highly customizable display of track information using [[foobar2000:Titleformat_Introduction|title formatting scripts]].


* [[MP3]], [[Ogg Vorbis]], [[MP2]], [[AAC]], [[WAV]], [[AIFF]], [[Musepack]], [[VOC]], [[SND]]
==Supported audio formats==
Natively supported ("out-of-the-box"):
* [[MP1]], [[MP2]], [[MP3]], [[MP4]], [[Musepack]], [[AAC]], [[Ogg Vorbis]], [[FLAC]] / Ogg FLAC, [[Speex]], [[WavPack]], [[WAV]], [[AIFF]], [[AU|AU/SND]], [[CDDA]], [[WMA]], [[Matroska]], [[ALAC]], [[MMS]], [[RTSP]], [[Opus]], [[Monkey's Audio]], [[AC3]], [[DTS]], [[TAK]].
Supported through optional components:
* [[TTA]], [[MOD]], [[SPC]], [[Shorten]], [[OptimFROG]], [[PSF]], [[NSF]], [[XID]], [[XA]], [[AMR]], ''etc.''


Supported through plug-ins:
In addition, foobar2000 can also play audio files within ZIP and RAR archives (typically compressed) directly, ''i.e.'' without requiring the user to extract the files first. More archive formats are supported ''via'' additional components: [https://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_unpack_lha LHA/LZH], [https://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_unpack_7z 7-Zip]


* [[TTA]], [[FLAC]], [[Monkey's Audio]], [[WavPack]], [[Speex]], [[Mod]], [[SPC]], [[TFMX]], [[Shorten]], [[OptimFROG]], [[LPAC]], [[WMA]], [[AC3]], [[PSF]], [[NSF]], [[XID]], [[XA]], [[Matroska]]
== Using foobar2000 ==


In addition, foobar2000 can also play music directly from compressed RAR, ZIP and 7-ZIP archives without requiring the user to extract the files prior to playing.
=== Important pages ===
----
* {{foobar2000|https://www.foobar2000.org/FAQ|foobar2000 FAQ}}
=== User Interface ===
* [[foobar2000:components|foobar2000 components]]
* [[foobar2000:Legacy components|foobar2000 legacy components]]
* [[foobar2000:Encouraged Tag Standards|foobar2000 encouraged tag standards]]
* [[foobar2000:FAQ|foobar2000 FAQ (unofficial)]]
* [[:Category:Foobar2000_Guides|foobar2000 guides (category)]]
* [[:Category:Foobar2000_Preferences|foobar2000 preferences (category)]]


====Standard====
=== Specific guides ===


By default foobar2000 uses the standard interface, foo_ui_standard.  This interface is based around a tabbed list of playlists.  Playlists are then formatted according to the title formatting strings entered by the user.  These allow access to tag data, as well as information about the state of the program in the playlist display.
'''Preferences'''
* [[foobar2000:Preferences|Preferences dialog]]


====Columns UI====
'''Metadata'''
* [[foobar2000:Properties|Tag editing: the Properties dialog]]
* [[foobar2000:Query syntax|Query Syntax]]: details of Syntax for querying metadata.


[http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=28647 foo_ui_columns] is an extension of the ideas used in the standard interface.  It takes the open area of the playlist and divides it into one or more columns that have individual formatting strings.  Recent versions of Columns UI have also added support for UI Extension panels which appear in Columns UI's sidebar.  To date panels for viewing the database, [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=29363 track info], [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=29383 album art], playback buttons, volumebars and visualizations have all been created.
'''Title formatting'''
* [[foobar2000:Title Formatting Introduction|Introduction to titleformat scripts]]
* [[foobar2000:Title Formatting Reference|Titleformat Reference]]: reference guide to all fields and functions
* [[foobar2000:Titleformat Examples|Titleformat Examples]]: user-submitted code for various purposes; submit your own!


Because of the useful extensions to the Standard UI, Columns UI is rapidly becoming popular and continues to be under rapid development.
'''Others'''
* [[foobar2000:File operations|File operations dialog]]: move, copy, rename, and delete files from within foobar2000
* [[foobar2000:Commandline Guide|Commandline usage]]


*[http://music.everywebhost.com/wiki/doku.php?id=columns_ui:faqs Columns UI FAQ]
=== External Guides ===
* [https://www.audiohq.de/viewforum.php?id=27 German-language guides]
* [https://foobar2000.xrea.jp/ fb2k Wiki Page] for Japanese users.
* [https://winamp2foobar.blogspot.com Winamp To Foobar Guide] with information relevant for general users also.


*[http://music.everywebhost.com/wiki/doku.php?id=columns_ui:documentation Columns UI documentation]
=== Technical information ===
* [[foobar2000:ID3 Tag Mapping|ID3 Tag Mapping]]
* [[foobar2000:Metadata Compatibility|Metadata Compatibility]]: information about compatibility with metadata written by other applications


----
== Important Links ==
=== TAGZ strings ===
=== Official site ===
TAGZ is the code used to format the way information is displayed. Thorough documentation on various TAGZ fields and functions is laid out in titleformat_help.html, which can be found in your foobar2000 directory.
* [https://www.foobar2000.org foobar2000.org: Homepage]
* [https://www.foobar2000.org/download foobar2000.org: Download]
* [https://www.foobar2000.org/components foobar2000.org: Components]


----
=== Community ===
=== Beginner's Guide ===
* Official IRC Channel: #foobar2000 on [https://libera.chat/ Libera Chat]
* {{ha|https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/board,28.0.html|foobar2000 Forums}}
* [https://foobar-users.de/ German Support Forum]
* [http://www.fforum.ru/viewforum.php?f=59 Russian-language forum]
* [https://www.foobar2000.ru/forum/ Another Russian-language forum]


==== Getting Started ====
=== Appearance ===
* {{ha|https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,61333.0.html|Default UI .fth thread}} (fast way to clone another's DUI configuration)
* [[foobar2000:Preferences:Columns UI/Appearance|Columns UI appearance customization guides]]
* {{ha|https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,31027.0.html|Columns UI configurations}}


Always remember that the best way to become comfortable with foobar is to read [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showforum=28 the forums] regularly and to play around with foobar itself.  Download some configs (found at the "must-know sites" link below), study how they do what they do, change them around to see how you affect things, explore the preferences window, see what happens when you check/uncheck things if you can't figure out what they mean, etc. etc. I will discuss some basics, but 90% of what you learn will come from the forums and experimentation.
== References ==
<references/>


Your first stop will be these two sites; '''bookmark them now''':
[[Category:foobar2000]]
* [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=13854 must-know sites for fb2k]
[[Category:Media Players|foobar2000]]
* [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=21105 most sought-after plugins]
[[Category:CD Rippers]]
 
[[Category:Software]]
You should also bookmark and familiarize yourself thoroughly with titleformat_help.html in your foobar directory. This contains all the TAGZ code you need to know to write your own formatting strings. It will look very strange at first, but once you see some TAGZ strings "in action" it will begin to make sense.
[[Category:Tag editors]]
 
Any question you have as a beginner has probably already been asked and answered in the forums a half dozen times. Please search the forums thoroughly for an answer before posting your question.
 
==== Using Columns UI ====
 
It is best to start with [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=28647 Columns UI] as your user interface: the TAGZ formatting needed is very basic and the panel plug-ins will make foobar much more user-friendly, resembling mp3 players you're more accustomed to.
 
Bookmark and '''thoroughly read''' these sites before using Columns UI:
 
*[http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=28647 the Columns UI thread]: '''Very''' large, but the first post contains links to important related sites
 
*[http://music.everywebhost.com/wiki/doku.php?id=columns_ui:faqs Columns UI FAQ]: A short FAQ, including installation instructions
 
*[http://music.everywebhost.com/wiki/doku.php?id=columns_ui:documentation Columns UI documentation]: it is '''crucial''' that you read this
 
===== Panel Extensions =====
 
Installing panel extensions (such as [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=29383 albumart] and [http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=29363 track info]) is simple; just copy the .dll into your foobar2000\components folder.  To enable these panels, first you must enable Columns UI's sidebar.  Check both "Enable sidebar" and "Show sidebar" in the "Columns UI" subgroup of the "Components" menu.
Track info is highly recommended, as it is capable of displaying in real-time what TAGZ strings will produce.  While you are learning to use TAGZ code, this will make a handy "scratch pad."
 
----
 
=== Advanced Use ===
 
----
 
=== Supported languages ===
 
* English
 
----
=== Supported platforms ===
 
* Windows
 
No known plans exists to port it to other platforms, but attempts have been made, with varying degrees of success, to run foobar2000 on x86 Linux systems by using Wine.
----
=== Guides ===
 
* [[FB2K's Masstagger]] (written by [[picmixer]])
----
=== External links ===
 
* [http://www.foobar2000.org foobar2000.org: Homepage]
 
* [http://www.foobar2000.org/download.html foobar2000.org: Download]
 
* [http://www.foobar2000.org/requirements.html foobar2000.org: Requirements]

Latest revision as of 11:50, 30 July 2024

foobar2000

Screenshot of foobar2000 v1.0 using the default user interface
Developer(s) Peter Pawlowski
Release information
Initial release December 20, 2002; 22 years ago[1]
Stable release 2.1.5[2] (May 4, 2024)
Preview release
Compatibility
Operating system Windows
Additional information
Use Media Player
License Proprietary, BSD
Website foobar2000.org

foobar2000 is an advanced freeware audio player for the Windows platform. Some of the basic features include full Unicode support, ReplayGain support and native support for several popular audio formats.

Platforms

foobar2000 has been written specifically for the Windows platform, and there are no plans to port it to any others. However, although not officially supported, it is known to run on Linux and Mac OS X through Wine and WineBottler, respectively. Also there is an Arch Linux native package maintained by a community member.

Features

  • Powerful open component architecture allowing third-party developers to extend functionality of the player, including the ability to fully replace the user interface.
  • Full Unicode support: File names, user interface, tagging, etc.
  • ReplayGain support: Both playback and writing ReplayGain information to file tags.
  • Gapless playback.
  • Advanced tagging capabilities - through built-in Properties dialog and various optional tagging-related components.
  • Built-in Media Library functionality.
    • Intuitive query syntax for searching the Media Library.
    • Autoplaylist support: Generate dynamically updating playlists based on queries.
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts.
  • Support for transcoding all supported audio formats using the Converter component (requires external command-line encoder executables for different output formats).
  • Secure CD ripping.
  • Streaming support.
  • Efficient handling of large playlists.
  • User interface with simple configuration to create even complex layouts quickly and easily.
  • Highly customizable display of track information using title formatting scripts.

Supported audio formats

Natively supported ("out-of-the-box"):

Supported through optional components:

In addition, foobar2000 can also play audio files within ZIP and RAR archives (typically compressed) directly, i.e. without requiring the user to extract the files first. More archive formats are supported via additional components: LHA/LZH, 7-Zip

Using foobar2000

Important pages

Specific guides

Preferences

Metadata

Title formatting

Others

External Guides

Technical information

Important Links

Official site

Community

Appearance

References