What Tha?!?

[JonD]

Well, this player/converter apparently has a lot of nice features, though I haven't had time to try any of them yet. I got the player because I liked the converter.
However, right off the bat I am having absurdly ridiculous problems. First there's no STOP button - I can only pause and continue playback, or use the back button to return to the beginning, which leads to the next problem - jumping to a previous track.
Next I can't figure out for the life of me how to change the volume in the player - What tha?! okay, I figured out how to get the AMP, but what a ridiculous route to have to take - and you can't even leave the AMP up!
I next learn that drag&drop of folders is not supported, so now I have to open a folder, hilite the tracks, and drop those into the player - two xtra steps - already my head is hurting. of course this leads to still another "huh?!?" when I do drop a batch of files into the player they're not added to the playlist - they must be directly added to the playlist window. and when I add another batch of tracks to the end of the first they get mixed with the first set of tracks rather than following them. Now I'm sobbing!
Other inanities include: 1. you can't attach the playlist window to the console and move it around together 2. you can't increase/decrease the size of the playlist window.
This player doesn't suck - it is stupid!

Adding insult to injury, you make people register to a forum site before you can change the ugly and useless default skin, or to address my concerns at all.

I remember trying this player out a few years ago and not liking it and apparently no one has thought to improve the player since. I find it bizarrely obtuse and am hard pressed to imagine any benefit anyone can get from using it.
Called me spoiled, but I was raised on WinAMP, which isn't the best sounding, but is certainly the easiest and I cannot fathom why other developers are not making their players Easier. Of them, the dAP creators appear to be by far the worst, in my experience.

I'll still try to use it a little while - maybe a skin change will improve matters - didn't try that the last time I used it.
Once more, into Bizarroland!

[LtData]

Re: What Tha?!?

Are you using dAP r2 or the latest r3 beta? The easiest way to tell is to right-click on a blank part of the skin. The context menu that pops up will say "dBpowerAMP" along the left side of the menu or "dBpowerAMP release 3 beta x" where x is the number of the beta you have.

[xoas]

Re: What Tha?!?

Jon-
Thank you for your post.

I would second LtData's recommendation that you use the dAP r3 Beta rather than the r2 standard version. However, I would hasten to add that there is nothing so different about the r3 beta version that would remedy the types of concerns that you raise.

I can understand your frustration at trying to adjust to a different user interface. I almost exclusively use dBpoweramp Audio Player (or dAP). I encounter many of the same frustrations you describe when I try to use WinAmp, WMP, MusicMatch or other players because I am not as familiar with those interfaces. And each interface has its own language quirks. In WinAmp, a playlist may either be a set grouping of files saved as an .m3u playlist (for example) or it may be a temporary arrangement of files waiting to be played by the program. Different programs for playing audio files have their own features that certain users rely upon a lot. Some of these features may be lacking in another player or may be available but only through a different interface or different set of procedures.

It is the case that you have to register to request support, provide feedback, offer suggestions, or offer guidance. This site decided upon that course a few years back in order to address problems with Spam and (to a far lesser degree) to unruly posters. It does seem to me that most on-line support services or forums require registration except for those who are content with merely browsing (and we do have far more users browse than register). I quite agree that having to go to a second site is a nuisance. At one point, skins were available through this site. However, dBpoweramp has limited resources at this site and it the skins section was using up a lot of space and, at times, a lot of bandwidth. I understand that there is a site you can download skins from that does not require registration, but this can be difficult to find.

I would like to make you aware that dBpoweramp (at least the last I knew) has exactly one full-time staff and that is Spoon himself. The others who have designed skins, Razgo (who helped set up this web site as well as the Skins websites), and those including LtData and Christina who help respond to questions and concerns are working without pay and on their own time (last I knew). I mention this only because some newbies mistake us for a sizable corporation with far more financial resources than we have. Here, out principal resource is out community.

Having acknowledged these, I would like to offer some other observations and suggestions:
1. Please make use of the on-line Help files for dAP. These are accessible by going Start> All Programs> dBpowerAMP> Help (and you may have to select dBpoweramp Audio Player Help, I am not sure). This explains the many features of dAP in detail.
2. Become familiar with certain parts of the interface. Sopme users may become confused by buttons or controls (like the volume slider) that are not visually laid out like a control. Know that active features of any skin will tell you what they do if you put your mouse over it.

Hope these tips help and best wishes on your listening whatever your player.
Bill