1. Audio Applications

1.1. amaroK Audio Player

amaroK is “the” multimedia application to use to listen to your favorite saxophone player, techno D.J. or what not. One of amaroK's unique features is the Context Browser. It provides you with useful information and guides you in learning how to use it efficiently, and even makes suggestions. You can also drag and drop music folders onto it avoiding having to go through numerous menus to listen to your favorite R&B artist. It's also the sexiest music player you've probably ever seen!

In this section we will go through its essential features. So let's start by launching amaroK. Access the Multimedia+Sound->Amarok sub-menu. The First-Run Wizard will be launched.

Figure 11.1. amaroK's First-Run Wizard

amaroK's First-Run Wizard

After a welcome screen you will be asked whether to use the Separate player and playlist-windows (like XMMS) (which is another multimedia player) or Single window with player and playlist functionality combined (like JuK). Select the one you prefer.

The next screen allows you to build your music collection. Click in the folders in which you have music files. If you're networked with other computers and share some folders, you might want to check folders in the /mnt directory. Of course those machines need to be powered on and file sharing must be set properly (see Section 5, “Allowing Users to Share Folders”). After clicking on Next and Finish amaroK's main window will be displayed:

Figure 11.2. amaroK's Main Window

amaroK's Main Window
[Note]Note

If you want to add other folders to your collection access the Settings+Configure amaroK->Collection menu. Then access the Tools->Rescan Collection item. You can also rerun the first-run wizard (Tools->First-Run Wizard).

[Note]Note

 Once amaroK is launched this icon will appear on the panel. Right click on it to access some options such as Minimize and Play.

Once this is done click on the Collection icon and all your music will be listed (see Figure 11.3, “Music Collection”).

Figure 11.3. Music Collection

Music Collection
[Warning]Warning

If you added files from removable devices (such as a USB key or an external hard drive), make sure they are mounted at the same location as when you originally added them to your collection or amaroK will not be able to find the files they contain.

 Click on the playlist icon to access all the playlists in your collection. If you don't have any you can listen to the Cool-Streams which is a collection of techno streams. To build one, simply drag tunes in to the playlist then select Playlist->Save Playlist As and give it a name. You can also click on at the bottom of the playlist window.

 Click on this icon if you wish to transfer songs to your iPod.

 Finally this icon allows you to access you local file system. You can also access your music there. As you can see it as an alternative to using the collection.

Now let's take a closer look at the Context Browser.

1.1.1. Context Browser

Figure 11.4. Using Context Information

Using Context Information

The Context Browser is made up of tabs which display information about the music you play most frequently, usage statistics, and more. The Home tab displays Your Favorite Tracks (which will be empty if you haven't used amaroK yet), Your Newest Tracks as well as your Least Played Tracks. Now click on the Current tab (see Figure 11.4, “Using Context Information”).

 If the album is recognized its album cover will be displayed on the upper part. You will also notice the “brain” icon called MusicBrainz which is a community-driven music database. It will give you usage statistics. Then the interactive part of amaroK kicks in: it gives you suggestions on tracks you could play from the same artist (Suggested Songs). The most played songs by that current artist are displayed in Favorite Tracks by [Artist], and all of the current artist's albums will be listed in the lower part of the Context Browser.

The last tab displays the artists Lyrics. Click on a song in your playlist and then on the Lyrics tab. It will propose a few suggestions and by clicking on the accurate title, the lyrics will be displayed in the lyrics browser.

1.1.2. Playing an Audio CD

To do so insert the CD in the drive and access the Actions->Play Audio CD item. The contents of the audio CD will be displayed in the Context Browser. Select the CDA folder and drag the .cda items to the playlist to listen to them.

You will notice that in the audiocd folder are many folders, not just the .wav files. Since amaroK is linked to K3b (see Section 3, “CD Burning”) it converts the .wav files on-the-fly to MP3 and Ogg Vorbis format. Let's see how we can make use of that functionality.

1.1.3. Burning Tracks with K3B through amaroK

Simply right-click on songs or music folders and choose in which format you want to burn the songs. For individual songs amaroK will ask you to choose between Burn to CD as data or Burn to CD as audio. The former will create a data CD which means you will be able to listen to it on your computer and your MP3 player, for example. Choosing the latter will only permit you to listen to it through a traditional CD player which doesn't support MP3 or Ogg Vorbis formats. For albums (or folders) you will find a pop-up menu stating Burn All Tracks by This Artist. Once you select that option a pop-up window will appear and will ask you to choose between audio and data formats.

1.1.4. Cover Manager

In order for the album covers to be displayed in the Context Browser, amaroK provides you with a Cover Manager. Access the Tools->Cover Manager item to launch it.

Figure 11.5. amaroK Cover Manager

amaroK Cover Manager

To recover missing album covers, click on Fetch Missing Covers. To find covers from a specific artist, type his/her name in the filter input box ().

1.2. Using the KMix Mixer

KMix is a sound card mixer application under KDE. It allows you to fine-tune your sound cards through various sliders. It's interface is shown in Figure 11.6, “KMix Main Window”

Figure 11.6. KMix Main Window

KMix Main Window

The Output tab controls the volume levels of the sound sources of your sound card. The most important one is the Master which controls the general volume. By right-clicking on each slider you have extra options such as Split Channels, Muted Hide, etc. Clicking on the green dot at the top of a column will mute/unmute that sound source.

[Tip]Tip

 Clicking on this icon will pop-up a slider which lets you control the master volume, as well as mute all sound and launch the full mixer window.

The Input tab controls the volume levels of the recording sources of your sound card. If you use videoconferencing software or are a musician this is where you will want to adjust your microphone and your auxiliary devices. Clicking on the green dot at the top of a column will mute/unmute that recording source, while clicking on the red dot at the bottom of a column will enable/disable recording from that source.

The Switches tab goes deeper into your sound card's configuration. Boosting your microphone, using an external amplifier: these features are for advanced users who wish to really master their sound system. To activate them, simply click on the dot at the top of each column.

Finally the horizontal slider enables you to balance your sound between the left and right speakers. Notice that if your sound card supports separate levels for master's right and left, the Output's Master controllers will be modified following the movement of the horizontal balance slider.