Music - Time Computation

[eager to learn]

Hi,

I was wondering how I can ascertain how much all my music adds up to time wise?

Ex. I have 109 songs - they all add up to 5 hours 16 minutes 12 seconds.

How do I get WinAmp to calculate all the time all the songs are adding up to?

Do I first create a Playlist in WinAmp?

If so, how do I do that?

Once a playlist is created, can I just copy/paste songs into that playlist?

Once all the songs are in a playlist, how do I calculate all the music time?

Will this work if I have both .wav and .mp3 files?

Thank you so very much!!!

[Aminifu]

Hi,

Winamp will display the total play time of all your music files in any Media Library view that lists all of your music files. Winamp also displays the total play time of all the files (including any duplicates) listed in the Playlist Editor (at the bottom of it's window/panel).

You asked in 2011 and again in 2013 how to make playlists with Winamp. Each time you were given advice. Are you really 'eager to learn' or do you just want to be told what to do?

Ok, people learn in different ways and at different speeds. A playlist is just a text file that lists the names of 1 or more files and the folder(s) the file(s) is/are in. There are many ways to make playlists with Winamp. To tell you 1 of them without talking down to you, or using terms you don't understand, a basic level of what you do understand must be established before I can try to help you.

Do you know what 'context menus' are and how to use them? Do you know what the Winamp Playlist Editor is? Do you know how to add all of your music files to Winamp's Media Library? Which skin are you using? What version of Windows are you using?

Also, you should be using the current patched version of Winamp (unless you have specific reasons not to). Download links to installers for this version are in post #2 of the "Winamp News" thread. Click on the following blue text to open that thread (http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=374929). If you don't have the current patched version installed, you don't need to uninstall what you have. Just download and run the installer and it will update the version you have.

[eager to learn]

Hi Aminifu,

I do not know what 'context menus' are or how to use them nor do I know what the Winamp Playlist Editor is, nor do I know how to add all of my music files to Winamp's Media Library.

I don't know what skin I'm using. It's black with yellow up and down sliders to adjust volume levels.

I'm a very beginner so I very much appreciate all your kind help and understanding.

Thank you!

[Aminifu]

Ok, we will take things step by step.

It would help to know what skin you're using so that I could tell you exactly where to point and click. If you know how to use the main menu to get to where you can select a skin, it should list all the skins you have installed and a check mark next to the name of the one you are currently using. If not, we can start with keyboard shortcuts that work with all skins.

Are you using the current patched version of Winamp? What version of Windows?

I work 3rd shift and need to be going to bed fairly soon, so we will get started tomorrow when I return home (about 9:30 am Central time zone).

[eager to learn]

Hi Aminifu,

I'm sorry I do *not* know how to use the main menu.

I do not know how to detect which skin I'm using if you could pls share how I can do that?

Is there a Help tab I can click like in MS products?

Thank you!

[Aminifu]

Hi,

I'm going to try to answer your questions, but you also need to answer mine. What I will ask you to do can change depending on your answers. Don't hesitate to ask me to better explain anything I write that you don't understand.

There is old help info available from when AOL owned Winamp. Some of it is no longer applicable since AOL sold Winamp to Radionomy 3 years ago. Press the "F1" keyboard function key when Winamp is the active app and this info will be displayed in your default web-browser.

Some basics___

When an app is started a square or rectangular box (referred to as a window) appears on the screen containing stationary and moving text and images (referred to as content). The initial window displayed is sometimes not large enough to show all of it's content. In this case there may be a scroll bar along the right-hand side of the window that lets you scroll up and down in order to see more of the content. Or a scroll bar may be along the bottom of the window that lets you scroll left and right. Sometimes both of these scroll bars are present.

Across the top of an app's window is a narrow strip called the title bar. The title bar should contain the name of the app and at least 4 control buttons. The control on the far left-hand side will open a menu when you click on it. What is shown in this menu depends on the app, there could be a few items or several. The 3 controls on the far right-hand side will minimize, maximize, or close the app when you click on the corresponding button.

The pointing device (called a mouse) used with a PC has 2 buttons/switches on the top (there could also be a scroll wheel and more buttons/switches on the sides). By default the top button on the left is used to click on what is being pointed to. This makes it easy for right-handed people to use the finger next to their thumb on their right hand to quickly push and release (click) the button. It is possible to reconfigure a mouse so that the top button on right can be used to click. This makes it easier for left-handed people to use a mouse.

I assume you're using a mouse with the default configuration. So when I tell you to click on something, I expect you will use the top button on the left-hand side. When I tell you to right-click, I expect you will use the top button on the right-hand side. Of course, if you're using a mouse configured for left hand use, these actions will be reversed.

Now let's find out what Winamp skin you're using___

Start Winamp and right-click anywhere in the title bar, except on any of the control buttons in the title bar. This should cause the main menu to open in a pop-up window. With some skins, clicking on the control button on the far left-hand side of the title bar will also cause the main menu to open.

There are a number of items (commands) listed in the main menu. Some commands have 3 periods immediately to the right of their names. Clicking on any of these commands will cause another pop-up window to open that will let you enter information that the command needs to execute. Some commands have a right pointing triangle to the right of their names. When you point to any of these commands, another sub-menu opens with more commands related to the main command that was pointed to. It may take a few seconds for the sub-menu to appear. Some commands don't have the 3 periods or the triangle. These commands will be executed immediately when you click on them.

Winamp supports 2 general kinds of skins (classic and modern). Look in the main menu for the "Skins" command and point to it. A sub-menu will open that will let you point to the commands for "Classic Skins" or "Modern Skins". Both of these commands with open another sub-menu that lists the skins installed (classic or modern, as applicable). Look for a skin name in either list that has a check mark to the left of the name. If you have a lot of skins installed you may need to scroll until you see the selected skin (i.e. the skin name with the check mark).


Post the name of the skin you're using and the answers to my earlier questions.

[eager to learn]

Hi Aminifu,

Thank you so much for your continuing help.

I will need to post that skin type tomorrow so I will go home and check for that and then post it.

Is there any kind of a comparison chart comparing the pros/cons of the various skins?

Are there some skins better and/or easier to sue than others?

Thank you again.

[Aminifu]

Are you using the current patched version of Winamp? What version of Windows?

There are a few hundred skins available that still work with the current versions of Winamp and Windows. There are no comparison charts that I'm aware of.

Picking a skin is a very subjective thing. It depends on personal tastes and which Winamp features a person uses most often.

Classic skins provide separate windows for displaying the different default functions and features. These windows may be opened and closed as needed. Modern skins can display all the default functions and features within separate window panes (called panels) within 1 overall window. Most of these panels can be resized within the overall window. Some modern skins allow panels to be opened and closed as needed.

There are a few websites that maintain collections of skins. You could browse thru them to see if anything strikes your fancy visually. The mechanics of working with the default Winamp functions and features are basically the same with all skins, it's just that the controls would be in different places. Some skins also add features that are not part of the default features.

In addition, Winamp is modular, so it is possible to install a configuration that doesn't include all of it's default functions and features. In that case, you wouldn't want a modern skin that displays or attempts to display (resulting in a blank panel) something that you would never use.

[eager to learn]

I downloaded this - Winamp 5.666 Full (US English version).

I think I have a classic version skin as it opens to 2 windows of features. I'll double check which one I have.

Thank you!

[Aminifu]

The post in the Winamp News thread has links to the patched and unpatched versions of 5.666. I hope you downloaded a patched installer. The unpatched version may have problems adding the names and storage locations of all of your mp3 music files to it's media library and a few minor issues with a couple of other features.

Do you know what version of Windows you have? Is it XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, or 10? Winamp will probably still work on XP, but XP is no longer supported and there is no official help with any problems that may occur using that version of Windows. I've never used Winamp on XP, 8, and 8.1; so I will probably not be able to help much with any problems related to those versions.

[eager to learn]

Hi Aminifu,

Right clicking on the narrow strip along the top (title bar ?) displays a drop down menu which lists the word “Skins” which when clicked on displays a check mark next to <Base Skin>
Does that help any?

I'm using Windows 7 (32 bit) and I downloaded the English version full from the older post on this forum.

I have a .png of what the skin looks like. How do I post/upload that graphic to this forum?

Or I could upload the image to a site like SendItToMe or similar site and then post the link to that image here?

It’s challenging as when I copy/paste your posts into MS Word 2003 it misses some of your words to the far right of the screen. I’ve reduced the margins in MS Word to Left and Right 0.2 and top and bottom to 0.3 and even reduced the font to size 8 but it still misses words.
Thank you for your understanding.

[eager to learn]

I just checked the download which - winamp5666_full_en_us_redux.exe 9.84MB - is that the correct download?

Thank you!

[Aminifu]

Hi Aminifu,

Right clicking on the narrow strip along the top (title bar ?) displays a drop down menu which lists the word “Skins” which when clicked on displays a check mark next to <Base Skin>
Does that help any?

Not much. I didn't ask you to click on the word "Skins"; just point to it and after a few seconds another sub-menu should open with the words "Classic Skins" and "Modern Skins". Then when you point to "Classic Skins" or "Modern Skins" another menu should open with the list of installed classic or modern skins. Are you saying that this is not happening?

I have a .png of what the skin looks like. How do I post/upload that graphic to this forum?

Or I could upload the image to a site like SendItToMe or similar site and then post the link to that image here?

You can use this site's advance reply editor to upload the .png and then attach it to a post. If you need step by step instructions for that, it may be easier to upload the image to another site and post the link.

It’s challenging as when I copy/paste your posts into MS Word 2003 it misses some of your words to the far right of the screen. I’ve reduced the margins in MS Word to Left and Right 0.2 and top and bottom to 0.3 and even reduced the font to size 8 but it still misses words.
Thank you for your understanding.

I don't know why you can't copy and paste complete posts to MS Word. Are you sure you are selecting (highlighting) the entire post, then right-clicking on the selected post and selecting the copy command? Is so, then you should be able to go to Word and right-click at the spot in the document where you want to paste and select the paste command.

[eager to learn]

Not much. I didn't ask you to click on the word "Skins"; just point to it and after a few seconds another sub-menu should open with the words "Classic Skins" and "Modern Skins". Then when you point to "Classic Skins" or "Modern Skins" another menu should open with the list of installed classic or modern skins. Are you saying that this is not happening?
- That is *not* happening-

I don't know why you can't copy and paste complete posts to MS Word. Are you sure you are selecting (highlighting) the entire post, then right-clicking on the selected post and selecting the copy command. Is so, then you should be able to go to Word and right-click at the spot in the document where you want to paste and select the paste command.
_ This is not exclusive to this list. There's something graphically going on when one copies and pastes whether it's Ctrl C and Ctrl V content from a Web site into MS Word (it may be tables at work) But, I've also tried right clicking the mouse and choosing copy and then in MS Word right clicking the mouse and choosing paste and I get the same skewed results in MS Word.

[Aminifu]

I just checked the download which - winamp5666_full_en_us_redux.exe 9.84MB - is that the correct download?

Thank you!

Yes, that is a patched installer.