I’m looking for an open-source (BSD, GPL, …) app to play music, from the files on my Mac and/or iPhone. Requirements:
Should work on both Mac (M1, M2, …) and iPhone. Those can be two different apps, but it would be better just a single one.
Should play tracks in alphabetical order. And not in the order that can be obtained from the metadata. That is, if I have:
filenames metadata
---------- -------------------------------------------
file1.flac The good old days, by The Libertines
file2.flac Sedative, by Babyshambles
file3.flac Last Of The English Roses, by Peter Doherty
… then, file1, file2, and file3 should be played in this exact order.
Shouldn’t try to “organize” music for me. E.g., shouldn’t try to combine songs into albums according to metadata. It also shouldn’t create copies of existing files like Apple Music app do.
That is, just a very simple audio player with as few bells and whistles as possible. You open the app, then you select the folder from which you want to play music, and then it plays it.
You got me thinking, and as I just installed Sequoia from bare metal, I didn’t get a prompt to “install Rosetta” when I re-installed VLC so maybe it installed automatically?
However, this is a screenshot of my reinstalled VLC.
Agree with this! While the original Rosetta sometimes got in the way Rosetta 2 (I have found to be) absolutely transparent. Clearly it is helped by the speed and memory bandwidth of the new machines. I wouldn’t hesitate at all if needed.
Ah, yes, there is ARM version, sorry. By default, the version that is downloaded from their site is for Intel Macs, for some reason. To download the ARM version you need to open a pop-up menu.
I never used VLC before. I have tried it, and thanks for suggesting this app, but I’m not really like it. There is a full set of features that are just distractions for me: playlist, library, pictures, local network, internet, Bonjour, etc… Yes, I can hide these things, but their existence mean that VLC developers don’t try to create a minimalistic player. On the other hand, I don’t see such a basic thing as a button to loop the currently played track.
Yes, @WayneG , it’s been around forever and just works.
I’m not holding it up as the shining example but it came to
mind when I saw OP.
As an aside you can skinny it down to command line and
run it in and against scripts if you are so inclined.
To modify files to make the app handle them properly doesn’t look like an idea I would agree with :-) Also, this is a lot of hassle. What I’m trying to find here is an app that will not bore me with distractions, hassle, etc. The solutions on Super User are from the very opposite camp.
You are not modifying the files, you are modifying the “mp3” tags.
FWIW I do this with old media where artist, title, etc. are lost to the mists of time.
I am curious as to why you are interested in an open source player, when you are using the most closed system there is Mac - macOS?
However, let us know what you decide on. I am interested as well.
I prefer macOS because it provides “sane” file management (color tags etc). Sometimes I prefer open source software over closed source because I prefer “stupid” apps, without bells and whistles like iCloud integration etc. Open source apps usually fit this requirement better, though sometimes the other way around. I don’t worry about licenses per se. After all, for someone with IDA or Ghidra, everything is open source.
Rosetta 2 (I have found to be) absolutely transparent. Clearly it is helped by the speed and memory bandwidth of the new machines. I wouldn’t hesitate at all if needed.