Audio Applications

This chapter will concentrate on audio applications. First we will look at XMMS (a multi-format audio player); then we'll describe KsCD (a CD player) and Aumix (a mixer).

Using XMMS

XMMS stands for X MultiMedia System. With it you can play a variety of audio sources, such as regular music CDs, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis formats.

To launch XMMS[11], access the main menu and choose Multimedia->Sound->Xmms.

Figure 12.1. XMMS Main Window

XMMS Main Window

The upper part of the window is called the title bar. The buttons at the right-hand end of the title bar do the following:

  • the leftmost button minimizes the window;

  • the middle button shrinks XMMS into “mini” mode: you will only see the title bar, the vu-meter, the elapsed time and the play controls.

  • the rightmost button closes XMMS.

Let us look at the different sliders. The one beneath the bit rate info is the volume slider. To its right is the left-right balance slider. The longest slider is used to browse through the current audio track, and is equivalent to the rewind and forward functions.

To the left of the time display and the spectrum analyzer are 5 letters: you may not see them at first because by default the letters are in black, while the background skin is in dark gray. Here are the letters and what they represent:

  • O: pops up the options menu

  • A: means the XMMS window will always be on top of other windows

  • I: pops up a file-info box

  • D: doubles the size of the XMMS window

  • V: pops up a visualization options menu

[Tip]Tip

You can also right-click on XMMS' window to access every possible option.

Equalizer and Playlist

Figure 12.2. XMMS Main Window with Equalizer and Playlist

XMMS Main Window with Equalizer and Playlist

To access the equalizer and playlist, simply click on the EQ and PL buttons found below the MONO / STEREO indicator on the right-side of the main window.

Configuring the Equalizer

The equalizer window acts exactly like the one you probably have on your stereo. If you wish to change the settings, click on its ON button. You can then change the bass and treble levels to your liking. You can use the PRESETS menu item to save your settings for future use, to load any previously saved ones, and more.

[Tip]Tip

If you want to import WinAMP settings, use the PRESETS->Load->From WinAMP EQF file sub-menu.

Using the Playlist

To access the playlist, click on the PL button. It contains 5 buttons:

+ FILE

Clicking once on this button pops up a window which you may use to select your songs. For example, if you had a directory called MP3 you would select /home/queen/MP3/ and then start adding songs from that directory.

However, if you click and hold the mouse pointer on it, two buttons will pop up: + DIR and + URL. Use the former to add a music directory to your playlist; or the latter to enter a URL such as http://205.188.209.193:80/stream/1040, which is a high-bandwidth connection streaming address.

- FILE

If you want to delete a file from the playlist, select it with your mouse and click on the - FILE button. You can also use your keyboard's Delete key. If you want to remove more than one file, click and hold the mouse over the - FILE button and select the appropriate option.

SEL ALL

Clicking on this button will select all the files in your playlist. If you click and hold, you will also have SEL ZERO (which selects no files) and INV SEL (which inverts the current file selection) entries.

MISC OPT.

Clicking and holding this button gives you a pull-up menu which shows FILE INF (pops up a file-information window) and SORT LIST (gives you sorting and randomizing options).

LOAD LIST

Clicking once on this button pops up a window from which you can choose the list you wish to listen to. Clicking and holding on this button allows you to save your playlist's files as a list of audio tracks (SAVE LIST). The NEW LIST entry is self-explanatory.

Playing Audio Tracks

To play audio tracks, simply follow the instructions given in the section called “Using the Playlist” to load a playlist and hit the Play button. Pressing on the Eject button allows you to add files to your playlist. Once you have selected the tracks you want to add, click on Add and on Close.

Figure 12.3. Loading Files into XMMS

Loading Files into XMMS

Right-clicking in the Playlist opens a handy menu which includes all the playlist options explained above.

Using the Options Menu

To access the various options, click on the O to the left of the spectrum analyzer or right-click on XMMS' window and choose Options:

Figure 12.4. Options Menu

Options Menu

Skins

Like other players, you can change the look of XMMS by altering its skin[12]. To do so, open the Preferences menu and select Skin Browser. You can also press on Alt-S.

Figure 12.5. XMMS Skins Browser

XMMS Skins Browser

The Skin Browser selects the (none) skins by default. Clicking on one of the skins will give you a real-time look at it. As an example, scroll down through the list of skins and click on chaos_XMMS.

Figure 12.6. Chaos Skin

Chaos Skin

If you wish to add skins to your Skin Browser, you can do so by visiting sites such as the XMMS site or the Customize site.

Once you have found a skin you like on a web site, download it into the ~/.xmms/Skins directory. Open the Skins Browser and XMMS will be wearing that new skin.

Other Types of Skins

As stated above, you can use other types of skins such as WinAMP ones.

Here is an example of a skin found on the WinAMP site which can be added to your Skins Browser:

Figure 12.7. Using WinAMP Skins with XMMS

Using WinAMP Skins with XMMS

Download the skin file to your skins directory ~/.xmms/Skins, select it in the Skins Browser and enjoy!

Streaming

You can listen to your favorite web radio sites, whether they be from Shoutcast, Icecast or plain radio sites.

When you have found a channel you like, save the .pls file to your hard disk and then insert it into your playlist.

Figure 12.8. Opening the Connection Information for a Streaming Channel

Opening the Connection Information for a Streaming Channel

KsCD CD Player

Although you can play CD's with XMMS, we will briefly describe the KsCD CD player since it's the default application launched by KDE when you insert an audio CD.

Figure 12.9. KsCD's Main Window

KsCD's Main Window

You can access this application through the Multimedia->Sound->KsCD sub-menu.

The buttons on the left are typical CD player ones, such as Play, Stop, Eject, etc. The ones below (Random and Loop) are also self-explanatory. The CDDB button gives you info on the disk you are listening to (artist, title, song names, etc.). The Extras button enables you to Configure KsCD, Configure Shortcuts, and more.

Using Aumix

Aumix is a very small yet useful application which allows you to control your sound card's mixer and volume.

As a matter of fact, you might not be able to hear any sound from XMMS or KsCD. Adjusting Aumix will usually solve that problem.

To launch the sound mixer application, select Multimedia->Sound->AuMix.

Figure 12.10. Aumix Application

Aumix Application

First, let us take a look at the File menu.

File Menu

This menu lets you access the basic functions that allow you to load or save mixer settings. The available menu items are:

Load

Loads the default mixer level setting.

Save

Saves your new mixer level settings.

Load From

Allows you to load mixer settings from another file than the default one.

Save To

Enables you to save settings in a file other than the default one.

Quit

Quits the application.

[Note]Note

When you launch Aumix, it loads the last configuration file you used. So, if you used ~/My_aumixrc the last time you opened Aumix, this file will be used. However, if you click on the Load sub-menu, it will automatically load the default ~/.aumixrc file.

View and Mute Menus

The View menu allows you to choose which components will be shown in the Aumix window. For instance, if you never use a microphone, you may choose not to view that entry. Clicking in the check-box next to Mic in the View pull-down menu would add or delete the Mic choice from the list. The Mute menu lets you completely mute the sound.



[11] The xmms package must be installed. Please refer to Chapter 20, Rpmdrake: Package Management.

[12] The xmms-skins package must be installed. Please refer to Chapter 20, Rpmdrake: Package Management.