1by1

The Directory Player

Contents

General features

The Directory Player

1by1 is a small and versatile audio player for MP3, MP2 and plugin supported audio formats as WAV, OGG, CD Audio and many others. With no need for playlists it simply plays your tracks, one by one directly from your directories.

The player focuses on smart file handling and enhanced play features. You won't find visual effects or skins. On the other hand you get extra features like built in dynamic audio enhancing, track mixing, a file finder, big title display, Cue sheet and Playlist support.

Note: In some cases you may need additional files - for systems without an MP3 ACM decoder (usually it's present today) or for playing MP2: the mpglib.dll. For other decoder formats: plugin files. More details in the Configuration section.

General usage

With this player you directly browse through your folders using a tree and a file list. The main functions are on a button bar, and there are four menus which all can be reached by the right mouse button. Right clicking into the button field (or F1) shows the main menu, where you can reach the options menu and the Favorites. Context menus for tree and list items can be reached by right clicking on the items.

Resume Play and Auto Resume

The Resume function is more than a simple pause button. It remembers the played file and the position - even when the program was closed. To resume (or unpause) a track, press the Stop/Play button. The Auto Resume feature allows to resume a track immediately after 1by1 has started. It is called by setting the /r option in the command line (e.g. in the command line of a desktop shortcut for 1by1). Details in the command line section.

Favorites

You can store up to 30 favorite tracks, folders, Cue sheets or playlists. They are shown in the Main/Favorites menu which appears by pressing F1 or the right mouse button in the control button area. Local folders and lists are also shown under the Favorites tree item. Network folders may not appear there, to reach them use Main/Favorites menu. There are three ways to add a Favorite: 1. from the track context menu you can add the selected track, 2. the tree context menu allows adding a folder/list, and 3. in the Main menu you can add the current track including the current position.

Uninstall

To remove 1by1 from your system, simply delete the program folder and the shortcuts. The program does not create any registry entries. 1by1 tries to store it's ini-File in the program folder. If you don't have write access there, the settings are stored in the folder 1by1 in the application data section of the user profile. To remove it from there, you can press the Remove/uninstall... button in the Control section of 1by1's settings.

Track handling

Moving and skipping tracks

With the Next button you can move selected tracks to the position after the current track. To exclude a track from being played, press the Skip button. Tracks can also be dragged with the mouse or moved up and down with the keys Shift+(Page) Up/Down. On changing or reloading the folder, any exclusions or position changes will be forgotten.

Tip: If you want the player to continue after the currently playing file at another position in the same list, simply skip the current track and select the next track to be played.

Sort and shuffle files

You can sort your file list with the tab buttons. The current mode is indicated in the tab with the direction (+) or (-). Shuffle (random file listing) is enabled by the Shuffle button in the button bar. To shuffle again press the same button. To leave the Shuffle mode, press one of the sort buttons. Jumping into random directories is not possible. If you want to play a whole path shuffled, it is recommended to use the file finder (see below).

Repeat modes

• Regular play
• Repeat all tracks (of the folder or the whole drive - depending on "Auto search dirs" set)
• Repeat the current track (works not with Cue sheets)
• Play only one file (works not with Cue sheets)

Intro scan

Gives you a fast audible overview of the tracks in the current list. Open the Intro scan view from the main menu or with Ctrl+N. It starts from the first or the selected track and works even with Cue sheets. Scanning multiple folders is not possible. The start position and the preview duration can be set with the sliders. While Intro scan is running you have full access to the rest of 1by1, allowing e.g. to enqueue files to the playlist view.

(Auto) insert

This feature allows automated and manual inserting of files from different lists. The window puts tracks from its own list to the upcoming position of the current file list or playlist. It can be opened from the search dialog or directly from the tree context menu. The time interval for automated insertion can be adjusted between 1 and 90 minutes. If the time is elapsed, the next file of the list will be inserted. The window can also be used for simply adding a track into a list you don't want to leave. The Insert button (or a double click on a list entry) adds files manually. On automated insertion (by time interval) only one file can be inserted to a position, before and after it there must be a normal list entry. The insert timer is always active when the window is open.

Find and list

Directory finder

1by1 can scan for folders with known file types, playlists and Cue sheets. The sequence of found lists depends on the folder depth and the alphabetical order.

To search a folder forward or backwards, press the Find previous/next folder button. If "Auto search dirs" is enabled, 1by1 will search the next folder when it reaches the end of the current. If you don't want to scan for playlists and Cue sheets (e.g. to prevent files from being played twice) check the "Search skips playlists/Cue sheets" option in the control settings.

File finder

The File finder is called by F3, Ctrl+F or from the tree context menu. It searches under the current path (always including subfolders) for files with supported types (mpeg audio and plugin depending). You can enter a search string (e.g. part of a track name or an extension), a date range, a size range or a combination of all ("AND" combined). A running search can only be interrupted by pressing ESC.

Small time and size preset buttons allow setting some basic search patterns, for e.g. newest files or files with size limitations, by simple clicks without entering numbers. The button "To insert view" opens the (Auto) insert window and puts the search results there instead of the normal file list. To list all (supported) files within a path, press Search with nothing entered. Scanning all drives at once is not possible.

Playlists and Cue Sheets

Playlists (*.m3u) and Cue Sheets (*.cue) appear like folders in the tree. Playlists can be shown in their original order, sorted by filename or path or be shuffled. Cue sheets are used to display large files (e.g. CD images) with track indices and titles. A Cue sheet can only be played in the given order.

Note: Cue sheets used together with VBR files will usually create incorrect cue positions. 1by1 can locate the exact cue positions in VBR files: check the option "Scan Cue sheet positions on VBR files". While scanning the VBR file for the cues, the program may freeze some seconds.

Playlist View

A second list can be opened to compile playlists from different folders. Use the Playlist button in the toolbar (or Shift+F5) to switch it on or off. If you quit 1by1 or close the list, the content will be saved.

To add files, simply drag them from the file list or press Ctrl+Return or choose "Enqueue" from the file context menu. You can also enqueue a file at the command line by starting 1by1 with the option /enqueue (see Command line options). Also from the explorer files can be dragged into the playlist view for enqueuing.

For adding existing Playlists (*.m3u) to the playlist view, copy the whole list from the normal view to the playlist view by selecting all (Ctrl+A). If the file of a playlist entry does not exist, it will not be copied to the playlist view.

To export any list or selection to a playlist file, open the context menu for one or more files and select "Save/append ... to playlist". This works even in the normal file view.

Status bar

The status bar on the bottom gives information of folder summary, track type and decoder, and on the right side some informations about program settings in short form. These are the meanings:

Shortcuts and external control

Keyboard shortcuts

Global Hotkeys

By global Hotkeys you can reach the basic play functions without switching to the application. They can be enabled in the Control settings. The Hotkeys are: F8 - F12 (see table), optionally combined with Alt, Ctrl or the Windows key. It is recommended to use the Alt, Ctrl or Win combination.

Command line options

Usage: 1by1.exe <audio file / folder / Cue sheet / playlist> <options>

Audio configuration

Settings window

The Settings dialog can be reached with the Settings button, by pressing F6 or Ctrl+S.

Supported MPEG audio decoders

ACM Codec: recommended for mp3 decoding. Decodes Layer 3 only. It must be installed in the system.

mpglib.dll: alternative decoder with good sound quality but little more cpu usage. Must be in 1by1's folder or the "path". Version 0.92 decodes Layers 3 and 2. It is available at 1by1's homepage.

Winamp Input Plugin Support

1by1 can use Winamp 2.x input plugins to play different file formats.

Usage: put the needed plugin DLL files (in_*.dll) into your 1by1 directory. The program scans for them at startup. The additionally supported files then also will be shown in the file list. Without plugins the program shows only mp3 and mp2. For playing mp3 it's recommended to use ACM/mpglib rather than a plugin.

The plugin support is not 100% and the several plugins may behave differently. These plugins are successfully tested: in_wave (2.0+2.06), in_vorbis (1.13a, 1.2b19+1.32; on seek problems set the plugin priority to "normal", see FAQ), in_CDReader (1.95), in_mp3 (2.75j, 2.81b, 2.91; problems with seek on VBR files with no "TOC" in the header), in_mp3pro (1.1), in_mod (2.2.10b29), in_mad (0.14.2b, 0.15.1b; problems with seek on CBR files; 24/32 bit output successfully tested), in_mp4 (2.1b; buffer size must be divisible by 4!), in_flac (1.1.4). At least playing a file: in_mpp (1.7.9f), in_mod (1.3), in_snes (3.2), in_sid (1.4b).

Plugins which don't use the wave output are also supported. But note that waveout features like volume control, gapless or audio enhancer are not working with (the non-waveout mode of) these plugins. Successfully tested: in_midi (3.01, 3.07; mode "DirectMusic with output" uses few buffers caused by realtime/midi input), in_cdda (2.90a).

Audio settings

Maximum wave buffer: Maximum size of a single wave buffer. The default value is 32 KB. Enlarge it if a longer buffer time is needed, e.g. for Overlap or on low resources (play interruptions). You can also try to vary this value if the output is disturbed by periodical clicks.

Number of buffers: Default is 8. Increase if a longer buffer time is needed, e.g. for Overlap or on low resources (play interruptions). Values below 4 are not recommended.

Buffer length: The time in seconds is the buffer setting method for Direct Sound mode.

Gapless output: This option allows continuous audio output between tracks. E.g. when playing a CD with the CDReader plugin or MP3 files with the encoder delay value set in the Lame header, the transitions of mixed tracks will not be interrupted. Gapless enables the additional options Silence skip and Overlap.

Use with plugins: Means that the gapless feature will be used for plugin played files, too. In some cases gapless play with plugins may be faulty. So the feature can be disabled seperately for plugins.

Skip silences: If enabled parts below -55 dB will be shortened. This function also improves the Overlap feature on tracks with pauses at the beginning or the end.

Overlap: Allows mixed track transitions. Disabled by default. As the maximum mixing time depends on the total wave buffer size, you need large buffer settings, e.g. 20 buffers with a size of 64 KB. With the Threshold value you can adjust the level of the ending track at which the new track will be started and mixed over. The default value is -9 dB.

Note: All gapless functions work only if the samplerate and the stereo mode don't change. This means: A song with 44.1 kHz and another one with 48 kHz cannot be played gapless. Overlap works only with ACM or mpglib - not with plugins.

Auto space: Waits the entered time (in milliseconds) before starting the next track. Maximum is 10 seconds. Disables the Gapless output. Disabled by default.

Reverse balance (internal): Even 1by1 has no balance adjustment, it can store it if set somewhere else (e.g. in the Windows mixer). And some sound devices need a swapped balance. Only for these cases this option may be useful.

Alt. volume setting: If the sound driver does not support Windows' volume setting, this option can be used to calculate the volume internally. Disabled by default. Only working on 16 bit output.

Built in audio enhancer and stereo wider

The DSP gets rid of tracks in different volumes. Depending on the settings and the audio material it can also drastically enhance the sound of tracks which already have full level. Note: The enhancer works only with 16 bit output (mono or stereo).

Max amp: maximum amplification (up to 20 dB = 10x)

Amp raise: time the enhancer tends towards the maximum amplification level. Faster raise will enhance more but can also cause more distortions on some input material. To keep the sound of dynamic music natural choose longer values (500 ms or more), to enhance the presence try shorter values (130...80 ms) combined with a faster 'Amp reduce' value (0.6...0.8 ms).

Amp reduce: if the maximum output level is too high the amplification will quickly be reduced with this speed. To minimize distortions it must not be too slow but even not too fast. Recommended values are from 0.6 ms to 1.0 ms.

Threshold: if enabled the enhancer tries to look ahead to reduce the amplification if the output level would pass the adjusted value. The output level is not generally limited to the threshold. It rather represents a 'headroom' to catch audible distortions if 'Amp reduce' does not react fast enough.

Input HP cutoff: if enabled the compressor uses a highpass filtered (less bass) analyze signal. This can help to reduce ugly "breathing" or "pumping" sounds of the compressor output. The result may sound more stable and fuller. On the other hand it may create bass distortions (especially on soft scenes with much deep bass). So a higher cutoff frequency may often require to lower the Threshold value.

Stereo separation: enhances the channel separation on a scale up to 50% before passing the compressor. On no extra stereo enhancement it shows "normal".

Prelisten mode: Only enabled while play. It switches to short buffers to give you a fast response of the enhancer and equalizer settings.

Enhancer presets: Can be created by entering a name and pressing Add. Delete by selecting a set and pressing Del. The program presets at the beginning of the list cannot be deleted.

3 Band Equalizer: Works only on 16 bit output. To reset all sliders to 0 dB press Reset. The EQ takes some additional cpu power which can be reduced: each slider on 0 dB does not use cpu. In the frequency fields you can set individual frequencies for the different sliders. The default values are: 100 Hz, 1000 Hz, 10000 Hz.

Miscellaneous settings

Control options

External Programs: Allows starting other programs by the context menu of a selected file, folder, playlist or Cue sheet. If you want to start an external program with additional parameters you should create a batch file and set it as the external program instead of the program itself. Example: for calling the Lame encoder from 1by1 create a file "Lame.bat" containing a line like "C:\Windows\Lame.exe -m j -q 1 -b 128 %1", where %1 is the placeholder for the file to be sent to the external program.

Continue in focused list: Can be used if the paylist view is open. Means that the next track will be taken from the current position or selection of the current/focused list. The focused list can be slightly hilited by an option in the List settings. Without this option checked, the list focus will be ignored and 1by1 continues playing the list where the current file was started.

High Priority: Disabled by default. Only recommended if other applications interfere with 1by1 and increasing the buffer size and amount on WaveOut or the buffer time on Direct Sound does not help.

List options

Folders and lists in file view: Shows subdirectories, playlists and Cue sheets of the current folder at the top of the file list. Useful for navigating without the folder tree.

File info in context menu: Displays audio parameters, length and ID3v1 fields of the selected file directly at the top of the context menu.

Show created instead of modified date: Disabled by default. If enabled, the last row of the file list shows the creation date of a file instead of the date of the last modification. For normal usage this should be disabled. The creation date of a copied file is newer than its modified date. This option also affects the features File finder and Easy renamer.

Allow sort by month: Gives you an additional sort option in the date row, which sorts the list at first by month and then by year.

Month colors: This feature visualizes the date of your tracks. It associates a color range to the 12 months of the year, giving an overview of the seasons the files are dated.

Display options

Show track/folder related pictures: This feature shows images (e.g. cover art) in the lower left corner. It looks for two types of picture names in the current directory: either a picture which filename beginning fits to the current track (e.g.: "album5.jpg" for the tracks "album5_track1.mp3", "album5_track2.mp3"...) - or, if no track related picture is found, an editable standard filename as "folder.jpg". If a picture is found in an ID3v2 tag, 1by1 will use it before looking for track related picture files. With embedded Big title view, the picture is shown on the right and always track related or ID3v2 if present. If the image is placed below the tree view, it shows the folder picture file of the currently browsed folder if present.

On no present image...: If the picture function does not find any picture, this option allows to fill the place with a standard image. It must have the standard filename and must be stored in the 1by1 settings folder (which can be reached easily by the corresponding button in the Control tab).

Bitmap file for the toolbar buttons: Lets you select an external image file for individual toolbar styles. The BMP file must be a row of 21 images of the same size. Its color depth should be 4 or 8 bit (16 or 256 colors). The color of the first pixel will be interpreted as the transparent color. As 1by1 saves not the path of the BMP file, it must be in the program directory.

Big title view

1by1 can show title, track and other informations in a big text style. The Bit title view can either be embedded in the main window - below (default) or above the lists. Or you can configure 1by1 to let the Big view appear in an extra window, optionally after an individual input idle time. Font and colors can be set in the Big view settings tab. The font size depends on the size of the Big view area and the number of lines (Layout). The Big title window can be switched manually from the main/favorite menu or by the shortcut Ctrl+B.

To set up the title display, switch to the Big view tab in the configuration window or choose Configure... from the Big view context menu. For adjusting the window position and size drag the window and borders. If the window disappears and stays away for some reason, you can restore the default position with the Reset view position button in the settings.

Extra infos: If activated, the title display frequently shows some additional pages about program and play settings or track and output parameters. How long a page is shown, can be set in the Speed/Info cycle time field.

Info pattern: The occurance of the info pages can be individually adjusted here. The ? button shows the meaning of possible letters - while the help window is open, you can work in the program.

RSS feed titles: You can enrich title and track informations with news headlines or any other RSS provided information. 1by1 can frequently download RSS files and show their titles (no further text, only titles). Enter one or more RSS sources into the URLs field - separated by a space character. If you are connected to the Internet via proxy, you can enter a proxy address in the system tab.

Update after (min) lets you adjust in minutes how often 1by1 shall try to get a new version. The RSS feed file content will be ignored if it is older than the amount of hours set under Skip if older - or shown always if that entry is 0.

Under Idle seconds until popup or in the Big view context menu you can set, how many seconds with no keyboard or mouse activity should pass until the Big view apears automatically. The auto popup works only if 1by1 is the foreground window.

Logging and Scrobbling

1by1 can send informations of played titles to an audio scrobbling server. To use audio scrobbling, the log feature must be enabled. Both settings can be found in the Log/AS tab. If you are connected to the Internet via proxy, you can enter a proxy address in the system tab.

Logging: The log file stores informations about played tracks. You can view the content by calling View track log from the main menu. The log file is needed for retrying scrobbling if a connection error has occured. If a title has been scrobbled successfully, the last column in the log view shows 'done'. If the transfer failed, it shows 'tried'. You can also use the track log to browse played tracks and restart them by double clicking or call other functions with the right mouse button.

Filename title patterns: By deafult, 1by1 will only try to submit titles found in an ID3 tag. For files with no tags 1by1 can interpret the filename. You can enter multiple recognition patterns as described below the pattern field. Example: "%A (%B) %N %T:A% - %T (%I):%A - %T" This pattern detects titles if the filename format is "Artist (Album) Tracknumber Title" or "Artist - Title (something irrelevant)" or "Title - Artist". Note that in this example it's required to set %A - %T (%I) before %A - %T to avoid a title "Title (something)".

Version history

v1.70, 2010-07-07
- Audio scrobbling support
- Own HTTP connection implementation
- Optional proxy configuration
- Reading from multiple RSS sources
- ID3v2 crash possibility fixed
- Simple manual beat counter (Start and beat with Ctrl+Shift+B)
- Editable location fields in Compare folders tool
- Direct folder access dialog (Ctrl+Shift+G)
- Compare Tool improvements
- Some other things

v1.69, 2010-04-07
- Compare feature scans subfolders
- List and tree font face can be set
- Fade on skip works on more manual track changes
- Adjustable skip time for Left/Right key
- Adjustable time to jump back on Resume
- New configuration dialog tab "System"
- Mousewheel optionally scrolls list and tree on hoover
- Hidden files/folders shown only optionally
- Adjustable size of mp3 file buffer (ACM/mpglib)
- Minor Unicode corrections
- Track log feature
- New configuration dialog tab "Log"
- Reading ID3v2 fields Artist, Title, Album, Track for Big view and Log
- Showing ID3v2 Picture
- Fixed crash on corrupted picture
- Storing search window position
- New options:
    Allw quit by Escape
    Program start in Base folder
    Don't remember Playlist and copy destinations
    Hide network
    Don't hide drive A:
    Hide Cue sheets/Playlists
    Mono downmix
- Lots of other improvements

v1.68, 2009-06-26
- Partial Unicode implementation (optional, switch in the settings)
   Working in Unicode: file list, play, resume, file info, home, big title,
   cover art, search results
   STILL ANSI: tree and folders (!), plugins, playlists, window title,
   file tools, compare tool, favorites, easy renamer, cue sheets...
- New icon, old version selectable in the settings
- Cue sheet improvements
- The file finder now also detects folder names
- Corrected ID3v1 year item in the context menu file info
- Larger filename buffer for Big title view
- Accepting wildcard for standard picture name
- Showing surrogate image also in embedded Bit title view
- Fixed: standard Big title disappeared on switching to Compact view
- Random tips after start in the status bar
- Some other things

Frequently asked questions

How can I play WAV, OGG, FLAC, ... or CD tracks?
By using a plugin. More infos under Audio config.

Which plugin must I use to play format XYZ (e.g. RAM/RA, WMA...)?
I don't know. Not all plugins and file types are tested. Known informations about the plugin behaviour are collected in the Plugin section (Configuration) of this manual.

1by1 hangs when seeking OGG files
This problem occurs with the input plugin "in_vorbis.dll". Workaround: Call the plugin's configuration under Settings - Decoder. Select the plugin and press the Settings button. Set the "Priority" slider to "normal" or lower (it's on "highest" by default) - Thanks oneflyfish and 7Orfeo7!

The volume fader does not work or affects other programs
Activate 1by1's internal volume adjustment: Settings - Audio - Options - Alt. volume setting.

When using 1by1 in background, there are sound interruptions
In the Audio settings switch to a Direct Sound output device (usually to the first list item beginning with "DirectSound:") or check "High task priority" in the System settings tab.

Why doesn't 1by1 show ID3 Tag informations in the list?
Because every file would have to be scanned - and reading folder contents would be much slower. But 1by1 shall not be slow. Storing file informations in a database after scanning once is not planned. 1by1 supports ID3v1.1 view and edit in the track info dialog (Context menu or Alt+Return or Ctrl+I) and can show ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags in the Big title view.

How can I shuffle multiple folders at once?
Random play is only possible for the current list. But you can fill the list with the whole content including sufolders by using the function Show all subfolder content in the tree context menu. (It runs the File Finder with an empty search string.) The resulting list can be shuffled or sorted by name, path, date or size.

The network or desktop folders do not work correctly
The Network and virtual folder support is in an early state (since version 1.62). If you find a reproducable problem, you can report it under my contact address given on the homepage. Note: the complete network structure is only shown on directly browsing the network. To display an existing track path in the network, 1by1 will add the single \\server\sharepoint\ part under the network item. Virtual folders are successfully tested under Windows 95, 98, XP and Linux/Wine.

I can't correctly handle file and directory names with Unicode character sets.
Unicode support is under development and must be enabled in the settings (System tab). While folders are not supported, filenames should be.

What is a command line parameter and how do I use such a thing?
Command line parameters can be set for example in the properties for a program shortcut - which is one of the most usual cases. For usage details, please, refer some documentation of your operating system.

Can 1by1 support multiple languages?
No. Language support is not planned. The program and all documentations will only be provided in english.

How can I make 1by1 portable
1by1 is already portable, if: 1. the program folder has write access for the ini, 2. there is no 1by1 folder in the user profile. 1by1 will only store the settings in the user profile, if it hasn't write access to its folder. Once the settings are in the user profile, 1by1 uses this location first. To force local ini file usage, the program can be called with the /localini command line parameter.

1by1 starts, but I can't see the window!
This may only happen in rare cases, e.g. if 1by1 was portably used in a multi monitor system, and is being started on another computer with a smaller desktop. To reset the position of the windows, do this: Go to the program data folder - either the program folder itself or the folder "1by1" in the user profile (Application Data / Roaming - may be hidden). Open the file 1by1.ini (usually by double clicking). Delete these lines: "window_x=.. / window_y=.. / compact_x=.. / compact_y=.." and save the ini file back.

Thanks for using 1by1!
Copyright (c) 2001-2010 Martin Pesch