Preferences

Startup

Main window

You can choose main window behavior on startup (centered, use last position, maximized).

Re-scan database on startup

You can choose behavior of MP3 Manager at startup. Possible options for reading tag info:

  1. Skip it  (cached) - quickest, but could make troubles, if you add/move/delete some files and don't activate database update.
  2. Database update - data from database are updated from files. It should take only few seconds.

Display Tip of the Day

You can disable or re-enable the startup "Tip of the Day" screen from here.

Display splash screen at startup and database update

If there is splashscreen displayed, it shows already scanned folder even on update during program run

Tags edit

Autoformatter moves "The" from artist's name to end

Helps for sorting by artist... otherwise all "The...." groups are sorted under "T" which could be unpleasant sometimes.

Autoformat title for new ID3 Tag taken from file name

Title is simply pre-formatted by autoformatter.

Automatically autoformat ID3 Tag on every "Save" action

If you are using autoformatter regularly, this makes your task a little easier.

Display "Lose changes?" dialog after changes in edits
Display warnings for mass editing functions

Both are options for you to be sure...

Enable saving to already playing track (Winamp)

If enabled, your edits will be saved always - even if you are already listening to edited track. This is usually impossible because of sharing rules, but MP3 Manager uses simple trick - it stops play for few milliseconds, saves edits to file and restarts song from last position. There are two disadvantages, however:

1. it works for Winamp only. Sonique and CoolPlayer doesn't allow such advanced remote control.

2. Short sound dropout can be heard. From my experience length of this dropout depends on Winamp's prebuffering (less prebuffering = shorter dropout).

Always auto-save date (YYYY-MM-DD) when comment field empty

If enabled, always puts current date into comment field on "Save" action when this field is empty. May be useful for sorting/filtering by date of adding into collection. Default is unchecked.

Select

Deselect tracks after use of "Play selected tracks" function

does exactly what it says:-)

Set number of tracks to be selected randomly ...

You can set amount of tracks which will be selected using "Randomly select ... tracks" function. Don't set this number higher than (number of tracks minus number of tracks with flag "inhibited for random select")! Nr. 10 is set as default.

Set minimal number of tracks from album for automatic addition to favorite selections

To avoid creating "one track albums", you can define what number of tracks should be recognized as album.

Batch "Auto-add" commands are creating shuffled selections

For favorite selections... if you don't like to have your favorites sorted .

Play

Minimize itself when player starts

After launch of player MP3 Manager minimizes to taskbar. Default setting is unchecked.

Always keep main window active after launching player

If disabled, when you start player (not minimized), it goes to the front. Default is checked.

Stop play (close player) when MP3 Manager exits

Choosing Exit will close player as well. Default setting is unchecked.

Display status bar with track info and time from Winamp

Only Winamp supports both. Sonique and CoolPlayer display the track info.

Check if there is player already playing before starting new play

Only for Winamp.

Preview mode

2 values to be set here:

  1. At what % of time of track should preview begin (default = 30 %)
  2. Duration (default = 10 seconds)

CD Cache

Here are settings for using CD Cache for playing from multiple CDs. You can disable this feature at all here (initially enabled), select folder which will keep temporary media files and delay before deleting. Be sure to select some unused path for temporary files - files are deleted without any warning from this path according to the file timestamp and time delay set here. For manipulating with CD Cache go to menu File/CD Cache maintenance. If images are to be copied to the temporary folder together with sound files, the "Replace original tag by CD Cache data" option must be enabled.

Colors

6 different settings for track list available. You can configure absolutely freely your own colors set. If you will feel lost, you can always return all colors to default setting. Button "Try" will make a preview of colors edited. You can save/retrieve color scheme.

Fonts

Track list font

select own font for main track list.

Font for all dialogs and status bar

select own font here. Note that dimensions of all windows are automatically changed so all displayed texts should always fit. This setting requires program restart. Not valid for OSD mode.

Set database codepage

On some non-English Windows systems may happen, that edits saved in "Track properties" are then shown in track list with some incorrect characters. If you encounter this problem, try to correct it here.

Easy access

Show button for right-click menu

Designed for touchscreen system where is no mouse available... or if you hate right mouse button:-)

By pressing this button will the right-click menu open.

Show "Go to" submenu in right-click menu

Valid for "track", "artist", "album", "genre", "comment" columns. 2 cascading submenus with alphabet are displayed, clicking on any menu item will scroll the list to the right place.

Other

Display path to currently selected track on title bar

Default is checked. If you will find that moving through the track list (scrolling) is slow, try to uncheck it.

Show Tooltips

Tooltips are handy tool but can disturb experienced user. If you feel like experienced user, let me know:-)

Update volume control in real time

Updates volume control from other Windows applications. As well updates volume control on Winamp, if checked. Uncheck in case of incompatibility with your soundcard (sound volume drops to zero even if you set it to higher level).

Include path in main track list/column "filename"

Well... why not, the path can still be visible in Track properties  or in title bar when "Display path to currently selected track on title bar" is checked.

Display extended media info in track list

MP3 Manager now gathers all possible information from media files. They can be displayed here - info about media type, bitrate, sampling frequency, stereo/mono, variable bitrate.

Allow question about folders for artist/album in file copy/move function

You can decide, if you wish to see a messagebox with question offering you to create folders for artist and album, when you are copying or moving files.