VOX for OS X: That was supposed to be WinAmp in 2013
Makradar Technologies / / December 19, 2019
Those switchers who switched to Macs in the first half of zero years, will remember this "break", which had forgotten favorite "Winamp" and change to iTunes. Many did not want to accept the concept of media managers Apple, choosing as a result of any "Playlist Manager" type VLC. However, all such software frankly pales against the backdrop of VOX program which is piping hot available in the Mac App Store.
While I personally have long since moved to the "tuna" and is completely folded in his head usage model This program, pay tribute to the efforts of the guys from Coppertino: their hot fans Player VOX necessarily find. Why? Here is a list of the ten most probable answers to this question.
1. compact box
Oh, yes, fans of compact software will be delighted. :) At that time, like many other media players (including WinAmp for Mac) are tightened to the iTunes, increasing the functionality directly proportional to the size of its window, the creators of the VOX, on the other hand, had packed their applications to very small window.
At first glance, the VOX resembles a mini-player from the current version of the "tuna", but the size of the window - the only thing one can see the resemblance. In visual terms "koppertintsy" tried to create an original design in the poppy-style, one is not copying.
2. multiformat
In the list of formats popular among users appear not only MP3, AAC and Apple Lossless, but Monkey's Audio (APE), FLAC, and OGG Vorbis. The last three iTunes is unlikely ever to be maintained, and if you are too lazy to engage in their transcoding gigabytes of music in any "Flake" (especially not divided into separate tracks) - VOX to deal with that on time. Just drag a folder, a stack of files or CUE-file into the program - and enjoy your favorite music.
3. well thought-out interface
This is my favorite: search in product minor, seemingly, the details of which the developers have paid as much attention as the basic functionality of the program. For example, note how VOX takes objects that you drag on his window: enough to let go of the mouse button in the right area, and the current playlist is cleared from its previous content. ;) Back in the Dock program instead of its icon shows the current track cover of the menu bar are the main control buttons (They can be compressed into a single icon with a drop-down menu), and when you pause and resume audio playback, respectively, gradually subsides and magnifies. Sliders scroll and adjust the volume to respond to mouse scroller - also set off, it is not forgotten. :)
Special attention should be part of the experimental settings. You can enable automatic detection coding tags (you can not worry about abracadabra instead of text in Win-1251) force the full music downloads in memory (improves performance, but hungrily eats the RAM) and suspend VOX for incoming Calling Skype.
4. Support "lentyaek"
You probably know that the media keys on the "apple" keyboards are not supported applications available through the Mac App Store (Apple such rules). But the developers found a "workaround", providing a software module, which further downloaded from site VOX and is installed as an extension of "System Preferences." Through it, you can customize and multimedia keys, and enable support for controls (including including Apple Earphones with headset), and VOX to start by pressing the F8 key as it is arranged in iTunes.
5. Support for AirPlay and audio output interfaces
None of the modern media player for Mac should not do without the support of already-promoted technologies. So this is another trump card in favor of the VOX - for those who have already managed to stock up wireless acoustics, placed throughout the home. :) Switches between sound receivers is quick and easy using the menu Audio Settings button in the main menu.
Similarly, one can easily switch between the audio interfaces that are connected in the system as output. This is purely a function of geeky, but the VOX, by and large, is more focused on the geeks who prefer to shuffle your library manually. ;)
And further…
In the second five of the main advantages of the program, I would mention such possibilities:
6. Support for Internet radio. Function paid, but if you like to listen to the Internet broadcast, a dollar - not the amount you would like to pinch. :)
7. Supports iTunes library: true, of course, only for those who have already managed to gather at some music collection within the "apple" media player.
8. Support for last.fm, including function skroblinga.
9. Notification Center Support OS X: while the program is running in the background when changing tracks you watch posts with the song title and the name of its author. By the way, in iTunes it will appear only in version 11.1, which is preparing to release in the fall.
10. The nominal price of VOX in Mac App Store - zero. By this there is something else to add? ;)
Disadvantages? And who is without sin ?!
The first pancake is always lumpy VOX difficult to call: the program was very decent. But, of course, nothing is perfect. For example, in my opinion, "Vox" is not physically fit to show in a convenient form library iTunes. While on the other hand, what if it is better to use the "tuna"? Frankly, I would support iTunes generally removed: nevertheless VOX is focused on music playback, the user himself distributed into folders in an easy manner to him. And with the music library "tuna", even with the help of the search fields is not always as convenient as we would like.
What else... List of the downsides of internet radio stations while the program is very modest, but it already promises to expand. Window for editing the tags of the selected file, too, would not hurt. Actually, all... Other comments - absolutely out of the field of pure subjective, but if you really want to add something to the VOX, the offer can be left directly at the site of the program. There and voting is screwed.
The bottom
His conclusion after a cursory acquaintance with the program I learned in viewing the headline: it had to be so WinAmp in 2013. Not bloated freak clumsily repeating iTunes, and the functional "pocket" pleerochkom that we loved so much in the turn of the century. But once already in the Nullsoft decided it was not a format for the modern media programs, the diametrically opposite view Coppertino team for whose development they say thank you many, many times. :)
→ VOX Download for OS X from the Mac App Store (free).