I downloaded and installed Winamp last week. When Winamp starts playing an MP3 file, the balance shifts. There is barely any sound from the right speaker. But if I tap forward or reverse keys, the sound centers properly. Then it will play the rest of the MP3 OK. Next song, it's shifted left again. It does it with Nullsoft waveout and Nullsoft Direct Sound outputs. Also, using DFX or using no DSP processing doesn't make a difference. Do I need to change a setting or use a different plugin? I searched the forums for balance answers but found none that addressed this issue. Thanks for your help.

BTW, playing an audio CD works fine.

Kentech -

First thing to check: there is a balance slider to the right of the volume slider in the Winamp main window. Make sure that it is centered. (People sometimes accidentally drag it left or right). If it is off-center, it will reset the balance at the beginning of each song.

(Unless you are using a CD plugin, CD tracks are played directly from the CD-ROM to the soundcard, so the signal does not pass through Winamp, and is not affected by the balance slider).

If this doesn't apply, please post again.

Yes, the Winamp balance says "Center". Also the Windows Play Control balance is centered. I was thinking that it might be an MP3 decoding problem since nudging the tracks' position forward or backward fixes the problem until the next MP3 loads. Like maybe the right channel parameters are off a little initially. Just a guess. Anyway, thanks for your help, Reverend Ike. I'm open to any other suggestions.