Amarok (Software)

Amarok is a free software with graphical user interface for Unix-like operating systems and Microsoft Windows for playing audio files and order them to organize freely, sort and group. Also podcasts and audio streams such as Internet radios can be managed and played.

• 2.2.1 database functionality

• 2.3.1 Smart Playlists
• 2.3.2 Dynamic Playlists

• 2.10.1 MP3
• 2.10.2 Ogg Vorbis
• 2.10.3 other formats

General

Amarok was named (until June 2006 written amaroK ) after the album Amarok by Mike Oldfield. If one plays this with Amarok, a small popup that says thank you for the use appears. It is the name of a gigantic wolf inuitische from the inuitischen mythology, which is why the Amarok icon is a wolf.

Since Amarok is based on the KDE libraries, it runs on many Unix -like operating systems and Windows.

To organize the audio files it uses a specially guided music library to store music files of different formats with meta information (for example, MP3 ID3 tags). After these can be flexibly sorted and filtered. Another feature in this context are the so-called smart playlists (English " smart playlists "). A smart playlist is created by similarly defined criteria for a database query. In addition, Amarok offers a real-time search, the search results appear as you type.

Especially for computers without an installed Linux / Unix Amarok Live was developed, a live CD demonstrating the capabilities of the Amarok.

Functions

Amarok has a wide range of functions; in addition to some independent features resemble some of those of other media players. For example, Amarok as Winamp has global shortcuts, so shortcuts with which it can be controlled, even if they are currently working with another program or is even on a different virtual desktop.

Context view

The context view in the middle part of the Amarok window displays information about the currently playing artist. Using the database other albums and samplers are determined with pieces of the interpreter. Music recommendations and information about upcoming appointments such as concerts brings Amarok through the service of Last.fm.

Search

Integration of CD covers

Amarok has an integrated cover manager and display them during playback in the context browser, as well as the on-screen menu. There is the option to download missing covers directly from various sources or on the hard disk image files lying integrate as cover.

Music collection

The music collection is searchable by keyword, making the retrieval of specific pieces or artist is possible.

There is also a more complex search. To find, for example, "year :" 1990 " all pieces whose year of publication is after 1990, " Lyrics: love " all pieces whose lyrics contain the word " love "; with " day OR night " you will find all the pieces, the meta-information of at least one of the two words " day " and " night " contains.

Within the collection are displayed only pieces that are currently available. A part of the music is, for example, a removable storage device just not available, then these pieces are hidden and only visible, if the disk is connected. In this case, no information is lost from the database. It is also possible to move or rename without the information collected about the piece lost pieces. The same applies to changes in the metadata by external programs. A renaming and change the meta data is not recognized.

Database functionality

Amarok has an internal database that stores information about all the pieces of music collection ( such as title, artist, album, release year, but also play statistics and a derived rating of the pieces ) are stored. This information is the basis for many of the advanced features.

From a technical point of view one has the choice between two different database solutions: the embedded SQLite, which does not require any configuration by the user, or configuring an external MySQL server, which can then be shared by several Amarok instances.

Playlists, Internet radio and podcasts

Within Amarok, it is possible to manage playlists, Internet radio stations and podcasts. Internet radio stations can be stored and one can browse the Shoutcast directory for music towards more radio stations to go. The podcast support allows you to download podcasts as well as automatic transmission to mobile devices.

Smart Playlists

Smart playlists are playlists that according to fixed criteria ( certain artist, type of music, latest pieces, etc.) contain pieces from the collection. For example, such a list containing all the pieces of an artist that have appeared before a certain date.

Dynamic Playlists

Dynamic playlists are never ending playlists that fill up based on predefined smart playlists themselves. Played pieces are automatically removed from the list.

So you start with a list of just a few pieces, specifies from which ( intelligent ) playlists new pieces to add to, and Amarok does that automatically when needed. Thus, the playlist is always small and resource- saving without sacrificing functionality.

Integrated Internet Services

Prior to Version 2 Amarok had the shop of the netlabel Magnatune integrated. With version 2, the embedding of Internet services was expanded. In the meantime can be about Amarok directly the archives of free music portal Jamendo and free audio book collection Browse LibriVox and download pieces of it. Also commercial services such as the Amazon MP3 Store are available directly from Amarok. By further scripts from third party bidders, many other services can be integrated, including the archives of the BBC, NPR, and the Free Music Charts.

In addition, the integration of gPodder, a directory service for podcasts, Last.fm and the connection of Ampache servers.

On-Screen Display

The on-screen display shows the song exchange information about the current track on the screen, even running other programs. This function can be switched off and fully configurable.

Transition

Transition was supported until version 1.4, since version 2 but not more. A reintroduction could be in later releases of version 2.

Various modules for sound output

Amarok itself does not provide functionality for sound output, but used for the Phonon multimedia interface, which in turn delegates the decoding of the audio data to libraries such as GStreamer or VLC. Amarok can thus play all the support from these libraries formats.

Many Linux distributions provide this but from concerns about software patents without the support for proprietary formats such as MP3 from. In these cases fully functional versions for playback of these formats must be installed.

Scripts, D-Bus

Amarok is extensible through scripts. The built-in D- Bus functions are often used, allowing remote control and retrieval of information.

MP3 Player Support Built-in

Amarok supports not only different models of Apple's iPod, various MTP and USB mass storage devices. On the connected device Amarok can directly access, play music and play back from the devices.

The support for the iPod series also includes the embedding of album art as well as the matching of individual reviews of individual songs. However, there are some restrictions on some iPod models such as the iPod Touch with firmware 2.x, since the music database is encrypted on the iPod and so Amarok does not have access to it.

Metadata

MP3

Amarok writes the ID3 tags in MP3 files used in version 2.4 which is not supported by all devices such as MP3 players and other media players. But are also read older versions of the standard, the known uses.

Ogg Vorbis

Detailed, written with Vorbis comment data is only rudimentary support. Amarok gives here the impression that these comments were not or not properly exist.

Other formats

Other metadata formats can partially use the plugins of TagLib, the library used for reading and editing metadata, Amarok. These include, for example, the metadata from FLAC, WMA, AAC and Real Audio files.

Other Features

• Extensive implementation of Drag & Drop
• 10 -band equalizer
• Interaction with the burning program K3b.
• KDE integration (for example Konqueror navigation bar).
• Translations are available in over 35 languages.
• Amarok allows direct retrieval of the MusicBrainz database in order to add missing metadata ( tags) can. A similar functionality is planned for the 2.x versions via the Last.fm fingerprinting service.
• Amarok supports on the library libvisual visualization modules. This has replaced the support for XMMS modules with version 1.4.5.
• Amarok has a playback list management, which is particularly designed for managing large playlists.
• Last.fm connection
• Magnatune music online shop since version 1.4.4

Criticism of Version 2

With the version jump from 1.4.10 to 2.0 a number of functions were not yet implemented, which has led to some massive criticism by the users. Other criticisms were the radical transformation of the user interface by the new three-column layout. It was also criticized that the program was confusing and it is now much more complicated to adapt Amarok to individual needs. Meanwhile, however, the functionality of the 1.4er versions is nearly reached again and exceeded in many areas. The older version 1.4.10 is no longer maintained.

Due to the initially reduced functionality version 2 and performance problems early KDE Platform 4 versions of two forks of 1.4er version emerged: Clementine as a complete porting to Qt4 with active development and Pana audio player, whose development was discontinued in favor of Clementine.

Versions and version history

Forks: Pana, Clementine