Playing Sounds
Let's look at some software you can use to play these formats, in case your browser can't handle what you're trying to throw at it.
But first a small explanation. I could easily just list a million software packages here and let you explore. While I do want to give you some leads on doing your own exploring—I'm including a list of software sites at the end of this section—I'm only going to cover in-depth those programs that I've used myself. There won't be as much variety in operating systems because of that, but on the other hand I want to give you more firsthand information than a simple software roundup would provide. Okay? Let's talk about the big three: playing WAVs, playing MP3s, and playing RealAudio. And let's talk about the big mystery: recording RealAudio.
Playing WAVs
If your browser/OS doesn't play WAV files, color me stunned. I figured pretty much everybody had built-in WAV support. But goodness knows I've been wrong before. And besides, you may find your WAV player a bit puny. You may want to do some editing or suchlike that a player won't allow you to do.
I've used GoldWave (http://www.goldwave.com/, Windows 95 & up) for ages. There's a shareware version you can download and try, or you can register and buy the program for $40. I've done all kinds of things with this program—cleaned up the static from audio recorded from vinyl, added some basic effects to WAVs, and cut up a WAV into individual words.
Playing MP3s
I have a lot of MP3s, but I don't use the same program to play them all the time. In fact, I use three different programs. What makes me determine which one I'll use? The programs are each good for slightly different things.
Winamp—http://www.winamp.com/ (Windows; Linux “in the works”)
This MP3 player is free and supports Shoutcast and Windows Media formats in addition to MP3.
Why do I like it? A few reasons. You can customize Winamp's appearance with a huge number of different “skins.” You can specify a file to play or a directory to play—so if I want to launch my “bemused at the universe” mix in a particular directory, it's the matter of a moment. There's also a very nice shuffle function.
Musicmatch—http://www.musicmatch.com/ (Windows)
Musicmatch has come with the last two computers I've purchased, so I've always used a bundled version, and I'm probably using a somewhat old one.
I sometimes use Musicmatch for playing MP3 files, and I don't have any complaints with it in that regard (though I will say I like Winamp better), but what I use it for most—and what I like a lot—is its ability to “rip” songs from CDs.
It works very simply. You put a CD in your CD drive, launch Musicmatch, and view the recorder window. Pick the tracks you want to pull from the CD, and Musicmatch records them. If you're using the free version like I am, it takes a little longer to rip tracks than it does with the paid version, but it's not a terribly long process.
My favorite thing about Musicmatch as an MP3 player is the fact that it saves the playlist. So if you play a couple of songs and shut down the application, the same songs are on the playlist when you open the application later.
Windows Media Player—http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/players.aspx (Windows, Mac, Palm, Pocket PC, Solaris)
The Windows Media Player also came with my computer. I use it occasionally, not as often as the two MP3 players mentioned above.
As you might expect, the Windows Media Player has a sturdy connection back to a Web site that allows you to browse new song offerings as well as radio stations. The program's way of organizing available media is pretty good, too.
Playing RealAudio
If you want to play RealAudio files, you don't have much in the line of options besides the Real player itself. If you go to the main site for the player, it tries to get you to buy the player, but you can download the free version there, too. Look for the RealPlayer download link—RealPlayer Plus is the one that costs money.
Real works. I try to avoid using it. Why? Because I hate that chirpy little pop-up box that sends you marketing stuff. I remember using Real circa 1997 or so and I loved it. I am not as enamored now. But RealAudio is a pretty standard format online, and you're going to have to use this player if you want to access a variety of audio services—especially news.
RealAudio is what's called a “streaming” format. That means that instead of waiting for the whole sound file to download, the file starts playing as soon as a certain amount has filled the playing buffer. Now, this is great if you've got a slow connection, or the sound file is very large, or if it doesn't have a clear ending (a live feed, for example). However, if you want to record the audio to listen to later, it's a pill.
Recording RealAudio
I have tried a couple of different ways to record streaming RealAudio, and I've settled on Total Recorder. It's not perfect, but it's a fairly easy and inexpensive way to get streaming audio into a burnable format.
Total Recorder—http://www.highcriteria.com/ (Windows)
Total Recorder isn't free, but it's very inexpensive—all of $11.95 U.S. for the standard version (there's a professional version with a few more features for $35.95 U.S.).
Total Recorder works by setting itself up as a “virtual sound driver.” Sound is played through the virtual driver and passed on to the sound card, so the sound that's going to the sound card can be recorded—by RealAudio, Winamp, QuickTime, whatever. Once you're using the virtual driver there's a small control panel that lets you turn recording on and off, etc. The program also has a scheduler that you can use to set up recording events.
For the most part, I've found that Total Recorder works very well. There are two slight problems with it, though. The first one is that the RealAudio streams I recorded weren't that great in quality. A recorded 28.8 RealAudio stream doesn't sound better just because it's saved as a WAV file. The second thing is that the virtual driver had problems with one program. With most programs it worked fine, but with one game it made the sound act choppy and occasionally cut out. But since deactivating the driver is the matter of a moment in a control panel, this slight problem doesn't make me any less likely to use the software.
Other Sources for Software
Maybe after reading this chapter you're feeling a bit adventurous and you want to find some other music software to experiment with. No problem. Here are some other sites to check out.
DailyMP3.com—http://www.dailymp3.com/main.html
As you might expect from the URL, this site focuses on MP3 software. Categories include players, CD rippers, skins, and a bevy of other utilities that aren't necessarily related to MP3. There's also a brief section for MIDI software and MP3 news as well as featured listing. Plenty of stuff!
Partners in Rhyme—http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/
If you just glance at the front page you'll think that this site is just about music loops and royalty-free samples. Check out the link on the left of the page for links to sound utilities for both Mac and Windows. Not tons of listings here, but they're pretty well explained.
Shareware Music Machine—http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/
Heavy duty; tons of stuff on this site. The front page is low on graphics but heavy on the sound software categories, including audio editors, audio restoration, music calculators, and tuners. Software is divided out by operating system. There's a lot of advertising and pop-ups on this site, but there's enough good material here that I'm willing to wade through it.