Digital music software

[oboe]

Which do you guys think is better for managing digital music libraries, iTunes or Windows Media Player, or Zune software?

I don't own an iPod or Zune, but could see buying a portable player like that in the future.   I have used iTunes in the past, and think its convenient and I like purchasing music through the iTunes store- but I really dislike the extra software processes (like iTuneshelper.exe) that iTunes installs.

[sluggish]

Well if you get an iPod you'll have to use iTunes.  If you get a Zune you'll have to use the Zune software (see the pattern here?).  It's my personal opinion that you are better off getting a player that allows you to drag and drop you music right into the player.  Arrange your music in your "My Music" folder as you see fit.  Don't let some application do it for you.  It's amazing how many people don't even know where their music is stored on their hard drive...

I use WMP to rip to WMA (192kbps) then arrange the files and folders within "My Music" as I see fit and use Winamp to search and play on the PC.  I have a 40gb RCA Lyra and I just drag and drop whatever folders I want into the player.  I find iTunes and the Zune software to be very intrusive.  Others will strongly disagree.

[bsdaddict]

check out MediaMonkey, I've used it for a while, like it much better than iTunes...  http://www.mediamonkey.com/

[iTunes]

iTunes- without question, Especially when you look in terms of ability to netowrk through your house via Apple TV etc

[sluggish]

iTunes- without question, Especially when you look in terms of ability to netowrk through your house via Apple TV etc

Are you Jobbs or Wozniac?

[AKHog]

Well if you get an iPod you'll have to use iTunes.  If you get a Zune you'll have to use the Zune software (see the pattern here?).  It's my personal opinion that you are better off getting a player that allows you to drag and drop you music right into the player.  Arrange your music in your "My Music" folder as you see fit.  Don't let some application do it for you.  It's amazing how many people don't even know where their music is stored on their hard drive...

I use WMP to rip to WMA (192kbps) then arrange the files and folders within "My Music" as I see fit and use Winamp to search and play on the PC.  I have a 40gb RCA Lyra and I just drag and drop whatever folders I want into the player.  I find iTunes and the Zune software to be very intrusive.  Others will strongly disagree.

I agree completely with everything you said. However recently my wife bought an iPhone and I discovered I would have to start using iTunes to even sync the iPhone. So after years of holding out and organizing my music myself, I downloaded iTunes and let it take over. The way it organizes music is very frustrating. It looks at the file attached to each song that gives all the details, like artist, album, etc. So I had my music organized perfectly and could find anything quickly, but now I have 5 different AC/DC artists in iTunes because there are small errors in that details part.

Since then I have learned that just about every MP3 player works like this. I bought a creative labs MP3 player and even though it acts as an external hd, and you can simply drag and drop music on to it, it does not show up organized in the same way on the player. So if you are planning on loading your music to an MP3 player just be aware that having it organized in windows file system will not mean its organized on the MP3 player.

[Mustaine]

Just as AKHog said, I also amd totally anal about organizing my library of about 6800 songs. I do both windows file system, then manually use winamp to edit the IDv3 data to match spelling and everything. that way it transfers to everything properly.

it is a pain to do at first, but if you are just starting a library it is easy to keep up as you go... get a song, do all the naming and ID before you even play it.

[Fulmar]

Back in the day, I used Winamp, even through their terrible version 3.  I then used Winamp 5 for a year or so and within the last 2 years I've crossed over to Windows Media Player.  I organize my music in C:\My Music, not in the buried C:\Documents and Settings.... etc one.  Each band has their own folder and so does each album.  I'm not really nitpicky about file names or ID3 tags. 99% of everything I have is in mp3 format.  A few .ogg and .wma stuff.

My first mp3 file I believe was Dangerzone circa 1998.

[AKHog]

Just as AKHog said, I also amd totally anal about organizing my library of about 6800 songs. I do both windows file system, then manually use winamp to edit the IDv3 data to match spelling and everything. that way it transfers to everything properly.

it is a pain to do at first, but if you are just starting a library it is easy to keep up as you go... get a song, do all the naming and ID before you even play it.

I have 55 gigs of music, about 14,000 songs. A "pain to do at first" is an understatement!

With programs like shazam that listens to music and tells you what song it is, I don't know why iTunes doesn't have an option for it to listen to every song and correct the IDv3 data.

[bsdaddict]

I don't know why iTunes doesn't have an option for it to listen to every song and correct the IDv3 data.

media monkey's got that...  can grab album art and update id3 tags over the internet, and it's not tied into any brand of player, so it's platform agnostic in that sense.  might not be the best if you buy a lot of tracks on the 'net, but as far as organizing your existing library IMO it beats the rest...

[VonMessa]

Well, if you want a professional opinion, try PCDJ.  I'm not going to get on a soap box about it, but I have been using it  for the past 7 years in my DJ business. 

Easy to use. 


With 700+ Gigabytes of music and karaoke songs (which it also plays) it needs to be easy.

[AKHog]

media monkey's got that...  can grab album art and update id3 tags over the internet, and it's not tied into any brand of player, so it's platform agnostic in that sense.  might not be the best if you buy a lot of tracks on the 'net, but as far as organizing your existing library IMO it beats the rest...

iTunes will grab album art, but I haven't figured out how to get it to update ID3 tags.

[VonMessa]

Good, because anything that tags my music for me, frightens me.

Especially when a bride is paying me $1500 +  to play the right song at the right time.

I-tunes gives me the heebie-jeebies.

[Latrobe]

I use both iTunes and Music Media, and I like Music Media better. Maybe it's because I've used it since I was just a wee boy, but I just like it more. The hard part is getting all your songs onto it if you want them all on. I've put about 300 songs on my new computer and aren't even half-way done!

[Vulcan]

iTunes- without question, Especially when you look in terms of ability to netowrk through your house via Apple TV etc

LOL, eww apple tv. Mediaportal on a HTPC runs rings around that piece of junk.

+1 for media monkey.