How do you want your music?

[stefalopod]

Hey All,
No one seems to believe that Music for Metro is a serious app, and given both it's excesses (advertising) and limitations (ability to toggle your collection effectively) I'd like to know what YOU want from your music player.

What do you hate/love about Music for Metro?
What music player do you use instead?
What has your favorite feature in a music player been?
What's your least favorite?


Me? I'd really like basic music player toggles accessible in the charms bar, either under a music charm or under the settings charm -- I want album art, artist, album, and song name, pause/play, forward/back, shuffle, and repeat, oh, and volume and mute (accessible under settings), without having to swap apps or snap Music in the sidebar. At a pinch, I could live without the album art

 

[pparks1]

I spent about 1 hour today with the Music for Metro app. Total pain in the ass if you ask me. Took me forever to figure how to get a playlist going, and then forever to find the stinking "Now Playing" playlist after it was up and going. In that short amount of time, it pulled down around 30MB of data from the Internet for all of the adds and garbage that was running in the background. And of course, my company doesn't want me sucking up bandwidth on stuff like this during the working day.

Next thing I hated, I could not get a volume control up on the screen without accessing it either from the Charms bar, or by using the multimedia keys on the keyboard. If I didn't have the multimedia keys, I don't think there is any mouse or keyboard combo that would bring up the same window that appeared when I hit the vol+/- button on my keyboard. At least I couldn't find it.

My player in the past, and most likely going forward is Media Monkey. It's free, it syncs to my MP3 player, it handles Album artwork and it's drop dead simple to use and very small and quick to install. I don't need a new store type interface in which to buy my music, I already get my music from the Amazon MP3 store and I'm perfectly happy with their store, prices, cloud player and cloud storage.

 

[stefalopod]

Lol, I hear you on the music player. I tried to run an audio file off the web, and the stupid thing crashed several times, so you definitely know more about it than I do.

Given the popularity of Amazon media and cloud storage, it sounds like there's a niche for amazon to give us our media via an app -- I don't think the kindle app has adds, does anyone know?

 

[pparks1]

I don't think the Kindle app has ads. But then again, I own a Kindle and don't particularly like reading from my computer screen, so I just use my Kindle.

 

[stefalopod]

[h=1]Microsoft's Metro: Does it need iTunes to thrive?[/h]

Apple is unlikely to make a version of iTunes for Microsoft's new Windows interface, and that could make some of the upcoming Windows tablets less appealing to consumers.​

Microsoft's Metro: Does it need iTunes to thrive? | Microsoft - CNET News

I wouldn't have believed that Apple would withhold itunes from Metro, but the article says that there's no itunes for android. I can't belive Apple would give up all the itunes store money.

There are bound to be exponentially more windows 8 PCs than Android tablets in the near future. Do you think apple will make itunes available for metro? Do you care if you can get it or not?
(You'll almost certainly still be able to use the desktop version, so ultrabook users won't have an insurmountable problem here. The problem is only for the Windos 8 on ARM people)

 

[pparks1]

^ Isn't that saying that they aren't going to have a metro version of iTunes, but the standard desktop version will still be there.

But yeah, those people on ARM processor tablets are going to have issues. Oh well, people who want iTunes on a tablet probably got an iPAD.

 

[SIW2]

Interesting. It has never crossed my mind to listen to music that way.

Must sound like feeding time at the zoo ?

 

[stefalopod]

Interesting. It has never crossed my mind to listen to music that way.

Must sound like feeding time at the zoo ?

Which way, SIW2? Presently, listening to music on the Music app doesn't sound like anything because it keeps crashing on my machine

What do you use to listen to music?

 

[stefalopod]

^ Isn't that saying that they aren't going to have a metro version of iTunes, but the standard desktop version will still be there.

I assume this is the case. There are only two major OSs and up until now, Apple has been willing to play with Microsoft when it comes to things like Quicktime and Itunes. I don't see why apple would stop developing software to run on the windows desktop, as it has done in the past. But tablets? Now that may be a different kettle of fish!

But yeah, those people on ARM processor tablets are going to have issues. Oh well, people who want iTunes on a tablet probably got an iPAD.

Metro would have to come a really long way for me to buy an 8 on ARM tablet.

 

[SIW2]

A hi fi system.

You know the kind of thing - all separate high quality components.

 

[stefalopod]

A hi fi system.

You know the kind of thing - all separate high quality components.

Nope, never heard of it I might educate myself after I pay off the student loans,

I remember my older sister had a 'stereo' that she was really proud of. The components all fit in a cabinet and they all had more than a 1'x1' footprint -- even the cd and cassette player. I put some thought into it and figured the only reason they had to be that big was to fit an lp, and then the other components got made the same size so they would stack nicely. It really got up my nose when the first DVD players were that big.

Do they still make them that big? There might still be something to say for stacking nicely, if you play LPs anyway.

.... stereo. Lol, even the word is retro.

 

[SIW2]

LOL.

I don't refer to it as stereo - but of course it is.

I even have a cd player - with a dedicated cd transport.

Not one of those ghastly dvd transports which can't play cd properly and use all kinds of error correction in an attempt not to muck it up.

CD transports are expensive of course.

 

[pparks1]

Yes, I have multiple stereo setups in my house. I don't listen to music on the computer at home, much at all.

 

[stefalopod]

Gosh, I haven't had anything but computer speakers from Costco since college... actually, I think they're the same ones from college.

Is there anyone on the forum who uses their computer as a media device?

I use Windows Media Center on my desktop to listen to music and watch movies on Hulu. I use Windows Media to manage my music collection -- although it's a real drag compared to how I remember itunes.

I'm not sure tiles are a good way to manage your music on a PC with 8000 plus titles -- and that's probably a small collection compared to some users.

 

[stefalopod]

I'm on vacation, so I had time for an art project.

This is my idea of what a Metro Music app should look like.

I'd probably put pause/play, forward, back, and volume and mute buttons in the upper bar, and maybe shuffle and repeat. The lower bar, which would pop up automatically when you select a genre, artist/album, or song title by dragging it right or left or right clicking (like the mail app), would pop up automatically. Clicking a genre, album/artist, or song title would simply play it. I guess you could put an "edit" button in the bottom bar for when you select any of the above.

If they had to stick an ad or some album art in, then I'd put that in the bottom left corner under Genre and playlists.

Thus you have a fully Metroized, useable Music app.

 

[khainguyen97]

Can someone help me???
I put all my music in Libraries > Music but when I open the Music Metro App, I can't find any music in it and I have to open them without add them in Music Library. Please show me how to add music in Music Metro App play list

 

[Coke Robot]

The Music App is a literal PITA. I decided to give a go the first day when I installed the Release Preview. It is MUCH better than the CP's incarnation, but whew! Bleh. Yuck! It's a TERRIBLE attempt to build a WinRT version of the Zune Software. The app couldn't find everything in my Music Library to start, when it did, it seemed to only play a few artists in shuffle. Exiting it and opening it up again made it sometimes lose the Music Library, annoying. The Artist Visualizer is kind of cool, since it has literally every artist in the visualizer whereas Zune only does it for popular bands and artists. But the animation is choppy and not smooth. The Mosaic is kind of cool, but again, not anywhere near Zune. It's a cheesy RGBY coloring over random album covers that make it look like I'm running Zune on a low end PC with the display settings on low. I hate the advertising and don't care for justin beiber but yet it's in the mosaic.

Navigation takes a bit to get used to though. Overall, it's improved but still not good. My favorite that I use is obviously the Zune Software, that will be getting the axe this summer. The part I hugely enjoy is the quintessential clean, crisp, modern metro design of it. It literally the best metro designed program you can get your hands on. Honestly, it would take a few UI tweaks to get it to work with touch input perfectly. Besides that, I adore the Artist Visualizer in Now Playing. The Album Mosaic is awesome! Music isn't just sound, it's an audio/visual experience that iTunes will not and will never offer or have. I was able to see what the artists and bands I commonly listen to look like and even see ALL my album covers, something I've never been able to do.

But fortunately...
E3 2012: Xbox Music - YouTube
Microsoft is building the new replacement for Zune, called Xbox Music so they can kill the failed brand off. The Music App isn't really the real thing you'll be using, it will be Xbox Music. Strange title, but it's Microsoft push to unite an ecosystem of Windows Phone, Windows, and Xbox with the Xbox being the brand known for entertainment. The app looks pretty decent and clean, modern, and metro. The Zune Software will be proud!

 

[jimbo45]

I spent about 1 hour today with the Music for Metro app. Total pain in the ass if you ask me. Took me forever to figure how to get a playlist going, and then forever to find the stinking "Now Playing" playlist after it was up and going. In that short amount of time, it pulled down around 30MB of data from the Internet for all of the adds and garbage that was running in the background. And of course, my company doesn't want me sucking up bandwidth on stuff like this during the working day.

Next thing I hated, I could not get a volume control up on the screen without accessing it either from the Charms bar, or by using the multimedia keys on the keyboard. If I didn't have the multimedia keys, I don't think there is any mouse or keyboard combo that would bring up the same window that appeared when I hit the vol+/- button on my keyboard. At least I couldn't find it.

My player in the past, and most likely going forward is Media Monkey. It's free, it syncs to my MP3 player, it handles Album artwork and it's drop dead simple to use and very small and quick to install. I don't need a new store type interface in which to buy my music, I already get my music from the Amazon MP3 store and I'm perfectly happy with their store, prices, cloud player and cloud storage.

Hi there

Winamp -- far better and you don't need "No stinkin' playlists" either (although you can set them up --it's just easier to copy stuff you want to play into one or more folders and just tell winamp ==go and play it). You can just double click on a file (web or otherwise) and it will play it.

Winamp can play directly from FOLDERS (Or Directories if you prefer to call them that) , can play FLAC directly, Rips CD's decently also to FLAC and works exactly the same on a Mobile phone as on the laptop and has quite a good equalizer. Also is fairly Nag free too. With folders you don't even need to sync to the target phone / mp3 player if it also can play in folders --just drag and drop required files although winamp does have Sync facilities.

(Makes it easy to span music across multiple volumes - and as no internal proprietary data base is used backup and restore no prob either).

I NEVER buy mp3 stuff - unless it's something like audio books -- I refuse to pay for LOSSY compressed music so Itunes can go wherever. There are a few sites now who sell uncompressed (WAV) or LOSSLESSLY compressed music (FLAC) now.

Storage is no longer an issue -- even my phone has a 32 GB removable micro sdhc card in it --extra to the internal memory of the phone itself (another 32 GB). Plug the phone into a decent pre-amp or a good set of Cans (Bose, Sennheiser etc) and you'll hear the difference quite easily between FLAC and 128 mp3. 320 is a bit harder but remember once you start opening and messing around with COMPRESSED files you lose fidelity and add more artifacts. The phone it must be said (Galaxy III s) does have an excellent DAC in it of course.

Why would I even THINK of using a metro music app --- I'm sure I'd be doing something else while listening anyway -- not staring at the metro apps music screen .

I almost never work in Full screen mode == I can start winamp while still doing my spreadsheet etc. With the Metro app I'd temporarily have to leave the EXCEL app -- do whatever the metro app wants and then switch back to EXCEL -- totally and utterly BONKERS way of working on a computer -- fine for a tablet or phone but A COMPUTER IS NOT A MOBILE PHONE.


I can't use kindles --screen not big enough for reading --so I'm happy in situations where I'm not reading a physical book to choose an audio book.

Cheers
jimbo