Music

WinAmp is an excellent audio player that is incredibly customizable with plugins.  These plugins are dll's, and are divided into audio, visual, and general purpose categories.  For example, to read the mp3 format, WinAmp needs the general purpose Nullsoft MP2/MP3 Decoder plugin in the main directory.  WinAmp is available at http://www.winamp.com.The most popular plugins are listed on the same site at http://www.winamp.com/plugins.html, and at http://www.layer3.org/plugins (I recommend Cthugha for something pretty to stare at while listening to mp3's).  Note: to "stack" audio filters by running more than one audio plugin at once, you'll need to have a Multi DSP plugin selected, and configure it to add or remove the audio plugins.  I used this extensively in a presentation on sound cancellation.

Skins, which alter the appearance of the WinAmp box itself, are offered with screenshots and related utilities at http://www.layer3.org/software/winampmangled.html or http://skincenter.hypermart.net.  Save skins into winamp/skins/skin_name/ or they won't load.

The RealAudio player is a browser plugin that allows you to play both audio and video.  This in itself is not outstanding, but RealAudio utilizes streaming, which means that it plays as it loads, so you don't have to wait for an entire file to load before hearing or watching it.  Also, it uses some tricks to speed things up, like not re-drawing the stationary backgrounds in a cartoon.  This also means that you can listen live to radio stations through the internet, or even- if your connection's fast enough- to live television.  Download the free version of the RealAudio player from http://www.real.com/products/player/playerdl.html.  For a rather amazingly large, completely free RealAudio and Video list of worldwide sites check out http://www.timecast.com (last time I checked there were over 200 audios sites listed!).

If you'd rather listen than surf separate sites, click http://www.netradio.net.  Netradio features hundreds of (free) streaming RealAudio files- all you have to do is click on the type of music you want.

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