1by1 Directory Player

General

Directory Player

1by1 is a small and versatile audio player for MP3 and many more audio formats supported by the BASS library or by plugins - as WAV, OGG, AAC, MP4, FLAC, CD. 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 many extra features like audio enhancing, crossfading, file finder, Cue sheet and Playlist support.

General usage

Browse your folders using the tree and start tracks from the lists. Besides the configurable toolbar there are some menus to be opened by right clicking: On the toolbar (also by F1) you reach the Main menu with Options menu, History and Bookmarks. Track list and Tree items have Context menus.

Resume Play

The Resume function is not just a simple pause button. It remembers the played file and the position - even when the program was closed. To resume a track, press the Stop/Play button or the Space key. 1by1 always starts in the previously shown folder by default. With the Home button (or Ctrl+H) you easily jump to the current track.

Bookmarks

You can store up to 30 tracks, folders, Cue sheets or playlists. They are shown in the Main/Bookmarks menu. Under the Bookmarks item in the tree, local folders and lists are shown also. To add a bookmark you have three ways: 1. track context menu, 2. tree context menu folders/lists, 3. Main menu for 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 its ini-File in the program folder. If you don't have write access there, the settings are stored in the folder 1by1 in the user profile, usually under AppData\Roaming. To remove it from there, you can easily use the Uninstall... function in the System section of 1by1's settings.

Track handling

Moving and skipping tracks in the list

The Next button moves selected tracks to the position after the current. To exclude a track from being played, press the Skip button, which never deletes any file but removes it temporarily from the list until it is reloaded. Tracks can also be dragged with the mouse or moved with Shift+(Page) Up/Down. On changing or reloading the folder, any changes will be forgotten.

Tip: To let 1by1 continue at another position, 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. Shuffle (random file listing) is enabled by the Shuffle button in the toolbar. 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. But you can play a whole path shuffled by listing subfolder contents (see File finder).

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 track (works not with Cue sheets)
• Repeat only current track: temporary enabled until the track is changed
• Stop only after current track: one time usage of Play one track

Dropping files

A single file or a group of files can be dropped into 1by1 - with different effects:

• Drop to file list or playlist: Insert track(s) to list
• Drop to folder tree: jump to folder and start track

Intro scan

Gives an audible overview of the tracks in the current list. Opened from the Main menu or by Ctrl+N. It starts from the first or from the selected track and works even with Cue sheets. Scanning multiple folders is not possible. Adjust start position and preview duration with the sliders. While Intro scan is running you have access to the other functions, e.g. to enqueue files to the playlist view.

Insert view

Opens an additional window for automated or manual insertion of tracks from another folder into the current list. It is opened either by the folder context menu or by sending results of the search dialog to it. Tracks can be added to the current list by dragging or with the Insert button (or double click) below the selected or current track. Automatic insertions will be done after a time between 1 and 90 minutes (adjusted by the slider). The next or the first file will be inserted. Only one file can be automatically inserted to the same position.

Search and lists

Directory finder

1by1 can scan for folders with known file types, playlists and Cue sheets with the Find previous/next folder buttons. If Auto search dirs is enabled, 1by1 will search the next folder when it reaches the end of the current one. To skip playlists and Cue sheets, check the corresponding options in Settings / Special.

File finder

By F3 or the tree context menu you can call the file finder for a folder tree item. Shift+F3 or the optional toolbar button calls the file finder for the current drive. The finder searches (always including subfolders) for files with currently supported types. 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 be interrupted by pressing the Esc key. The button To insert view sends the results to the Insert window instead of the normal file list.

To list all supported audio files of a path and subfolders, press Search with nothing entered. Or use Show subfolder contents from the tree menu. Scanning all drives at once is not possible.

Playlists and Cue Sheets

Playlists (*.m3u, *.m3u8) 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 may create incorrect cue positions. 1by1 can locate the exact cue positions in VBR files with the Control option Scan Cue sheet positions on VBR files. While scanning the VBR file for the cues, the program may freeze for a short time.

Playlist View

A second list in the main window can be opened to compile a playlist from different folders. Use the Playlist button in the toolbar (or Shift+F5) to switch it on/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), or drag files from the explorer into the playlist view.

For adding existing m3u Playlists 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 easily add the content of several folders to the playlist view, select Content to playlist by right clicking on each folder. To export tracks to a playlist file, open the context menu for one or more selected files and use Playlist file > Create/Append. This works also 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 using global Hotkeys you can reach basic play functions of 1by1without switching to the application. Preset Hotkeys are: F8 - F12, optionally combined with Alt, Ctrl or the Windows key:

For setting own Hotkey definitions select the function in the list on the right, then choose a key from the list below and a combination. To define the Hotkey, press Set.

Command line options

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

Audio configuration

Settings window

The Settings window can be opened with the Settings button, by pressing F6 or from the Main menu.

Audio settings

Output Device: Default is the default DirectSound device selected for the system. Also other available devices can be selected. If a selected device is not available later (e.g. by plugging out a headphone), it will result in an error.

Buffer length: Size of the total audio buffer used for DirectSound and WaveOut. Default is 1 second. On play interruptions a higher value could help.

Alt. volume setting: If (in rare cases) volume setting by the slider does not work or affects other apps, this option can be used to calculate the volume internally. Only working on 16 bit output.

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

Gapless: Allows continuous audio output on track changings. E.g. WAV, FLAC, CD and also MP3 files which are directly encoded with Lame can be played with no interruptions.

Skip silences: Parts below -56 dB at track beginnings and ends will be skipped.

Overlap mixing: Automated track transition mixing. Buffer size should be large enough, 10 seconds is the default. Out: Samplerate enables resampling to a fixed rate for avoiding interruptions on samplerate changes. Recommended is Out: Current track to disable resampling, because the quality needs to be improved. Threshold adjusts the level of the ending track where the next track sets in.

Decoders: ACM or mpglib.dll

ACM is the default and recommended decoder for MP3. It is already part of Windows since XP, so nothing to do here. Also Wine (Linux) provides an MP3 ACM, but it may return wrong "source bytes used" data causing the time and position bar run too fast. So on Wine it is recommended to use BASS also for MP3.

mpglib.dll is an alternative MPEG audio decoder and should be needed only in rare cases. It uses a little bit more CPU than ACM or BASS. Besides MP3 it also decodes MP2. It is available on 1by1's homepage. Only the binary is needed, not the source. If you use BASS, it is not needed at all.

Decoders: BASS

The BASS library decodes lots of file formats: MP3, MP2, OGG, WAV, many "trackers", and with add-ons also AAC, MP4, MIDI, FLAC, CD-Audio and more.

Usage: Download the bass.dll and optionally some add-ons from the Un4seen homepage. Copy the DLL file(s) into the 1by1 program folder. IMPORTANT: Copy the 32 bit versions, NOT 64 bit! Because 1by1 is also a 32 bit application. If you want to use the Midi add-on, you also need a GM Soundfont file in the program folder (the first one found is used). All currently supported file types are shown in the lists. The "pure" 1by1 only shows MP3 and MP2. Note: As on ACM only 16 bit output is used with BASS. Higher resolutions could be decoded by using a plugin.

BASS also allows netstreaming. The URLs must be in an m3u playlist, preferably together with a "friendly" stream name in a line above the URL (format: "#EXTINF:-1,name"). For more info check m3u format refererences or download the Webradio m3u example from the 1by1 homepage. You can also save a playing netstream: Right click on a folder in the tree and select Save download stream here...

Decoders: Winamp input plugins

Note: Plugin support is outdated. It's recommended to use the BASS library and BASS add-ons prior to Winamp plugins. Since 1by1 supports only Winamp 2.x plugins, unicode characters in filenames can't be resolved in some cases. Also problems on play and long tracks may occur.

In contrast to ACM or BASS a plugin could allow 24 or 32 bit output. This is barely tested. Also none of the DSP functions and the level meter work with higher resolutions. On output problems especially with higher resolutions switching from DirectSound to WaveOut could help.

Usage: put the needed plugin DLL files (in_*.dll) into your 1by1 directory.

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"), 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), in_flac (1.1.4; errors on 24 bit). Plugins which don't use the wave output are no longer supported (1by1 1.95), the behaviour is undefined.

Enhancer 1: Single band

A simple audio enhancer to get rid of different volumes of tracks. Depending on the settings and the input it also can enhance the sound of tracks which already have full level. Note: The enhancer works only with 16 bit output.

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

Amp raise: Time the enhancer tends towards the maximum amplification level. A shorter value will enhance more but can also cause more distortions on some input material. For more original sound choose longer values (500 ms or more), to enhance the presence try shorter values (130...80 ms).

Amp reduce: Amplification reducing speed on exceeding the threshold. 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: A value of about -3 dB is recommended. This is the "headroom" to catch distortions if "Amp reduce" does not react fast enough. The output level is not generally limited to the threshold.

Input HP cutoff: Using a highpassed "side chain" signal to reduce a "pumping" output. May create bass distortions especially on values above 80 Hz. Then also lowering the Threshold can help.

Prelisten mode: Only enabled while play. It switches to a short buffer to give a fast adjustment response.

3 Band Equalizer: In the frequency fields you can set individual frequencies (parametric EQ). The default values are: 100 Hz, 1000 Hz, 10000 Hz. Works only on 16 bit output. Sliders on 0 dB don't not use CPU.

Enhancer 2: Multiband

Multiband enhancing can produce more consistent sound of different sources. Like an "automatic equalizer" it regulates frequency bands dynamically to a threshold. Adjustments should be careful. More garbage is possible - but also a more present and smoother sound. Also this DSP works on 16 bit output.

Up to four bands are possible. If a crossover frequency is set to 0, the next bands are disabled. Threshold is the most important value for the appearance of each band. Higher frequencies usually have a lower level in order not to overshade the mix. The curve on the right shows a frequency chirp, it is not aligned by the frequencies.

Drive adjusts the level after Multiband and before Soft clipping and Limiter. Stereo reaches from a 40 % mono mix to 40 % channel separation. Soft clipping is a simple algorithm to smooth distortions of audio clipping. It can also produce a bit of wanted saturation. If disabled, the Limiter catches clippings.

Miscellaneous settings

Control options

Continue in focused list: If the paylist view is open, the next track will be taken from the current position or selection of the focused list. The dimming of the unfocused list can be adjusted in the settings. Without this option, the list focus will be ignored and 1by1 continues playing in the list where the current file was started.

Go home before track change: To prevent from playing unwanted tracks on browsing through other folders.

List options

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

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

Month colors: This feature visualizes the dates of the files. It associates a color range to the months, giving a possible overview of the track's seasons.

Display options

Show track/folder related pictures: Show images or cover art below the folder tree or in the embedded Big view on the right. If present, ID3v2 tag pictures are shown first. Otherwise 1by1 looks for picture files in the current folder. Either a track related picture file (name matches to the beginning of the current audio file name). Or an editable standard filename as "folder.jpg". In Big view the track related picture has priority, below the tree the folder picture will be used.

On no present image...: If no picture can be found, fill the place with a standard image. It must have the standard folder image filename and be stored in the 1by1 settings folder.

Custom BPM file for the toolbar buttons: Use an external image file for individual toolbar styles. The BMP file must be a row of 50 images of the same size. Its color depth should be 4 or 8 bit. The color of the first pixel will be interpreted as the transparent color. The BMP file must be in the program directory.

System options

External Programs: Start other programs for a file, folder, playlist or Cue sheet. For additional parameters a batch file could be used.

High Priority: Only recommended if other applications affect 1by1 and increasing the audio buffer size does not help.

Force portable/local settings: Create an additional ini file in the program folder (write access needed!). If present, 1by1 will never write or read settings to or from the user profile. Corresponding command line option is /localini.

Big view

Title, track and many more informations in a big text style. The view can either be embedded in the main window - below or above the lists. Or it can appear in an extra window - optionally after an individual input idle time. The font size depends on the size of the Big view area and the number of lines (Layout). The view can be switched manually by button, main menu or Ctrl+B.

Big view is configured in the settings. Sizes are adjusted by dragging the edges. If the undocked view moves out of screen for some reason, you can bring it back with Reset view position.

Extra infos: Frequently shows additional pages about play settings, track and output parameters. Info pattern defines type and order of the infos. The non-modal help window can stay open while editing.

RSS feed titles: Adds news headlines or other RSS feed information. Put source links into the URLs field, separated by space. If you are connected by proxy, the proxy address can be added in the system tab. The complete RSS download is shown with View RSS file from the Big view context menu.

Idle seconds until popup: Mouse or keyboard idle time for appearance of the undocked Big view. Auto popup works only if 1by1 is in foreground.

Enhanced features

Systray Icon

Enable/disable: Settings / System. Left mouse button on icon: Show or hide the main window. Middle mouse button on icon: Stop / Resume. Right mouse button on icon: Show the tray menu with play and config options. The Current list item shows the first 150 tracks of the current folder or playlist, sorted in the order of the window list.

Logging

The log file stores informations about played tracks. Toolbar button or main menu / View track log shows the content. The recent tracks and folders based on the log file can also be shown in optional history menus.

WAV file conversion

Tracks to be decoded by ACM, mpglib or BASS can also be saved to uncompressed WAV files (16 bit). When nothing is playing, call Special / Save to WAV file from the track context menu. Audio processing with the current settings for enhancer, equalizer and mono downmix can be applied optionally.

HTTP web and streaming server

The HTTP server feature allows to control 1by1 by a simple remote web interface. The streaming server sends the audio output of 1by1 in a configurable MP3 format to connected receivers.

After starting the server, a Firewall may ask for permission. You need either to allow the application 1by1 or the port used. By using the entered server (ip-address:port) you can access the simple web interface from any browser in the (local) network.

The MP3 streaming URL in the format http://ip:port/1by1.mp3 can be used by a remote player. The streaming link is also shown at the web interface page. Streaming starts if 1by1 is playing and a client requests the MP3 URL. If a client calls the stream while 1by1 is idle, it automatically resumes the current track.

The encoder settings can be adjusted while not streaming. Lame's lame_enc.dll must be in the path or in the 1by1 program folder. For ACM the "professional" version (l3codecp) should be used. Newer Windows versions should have it, but it may needed to be activated by adding a few Registry entries.

The option Keep connection and send silence allows streaming even if 1by1 is not playing. This may also be needed if Gapless play is not used. Otherwise an interruption of the stream may occur on track changes.

Note: Streaming of a running audio output is a quite complex matter of moving, handling, compressing and sending audio segments. Stream terminations, sound interruptions or skippings may occur. Depending on the device, WaveOut method for local audio output might give a little more stable results than DirectSound.

Version history

v2.06, 2023-06-03
- Find in current list (Ctrl+F)
- Shortcut changes for copy features

v2.05, 2022-10-27
- Key shortcut problem fixed
- Adjustable exponential fade decay
- Fade on unquiet track end option for Overlap
- Time summary for length in info column
- Select next after "Play one track" option
- Remaining time also in Big view
- Some improvements and corrections

v2.04, 2022-06-18
- Quick settings page
- Wrong label edit fixed
- Enhancer 2 user presets
- Enhancer 2 visualisation option (Big view)
- Toolbar buttons for enhancers and mono
- Group current 3 months option
- Minor changes and corrections

v2.03, 2022-04-16
- Optional Explorer style folder tree
- White config dialog tree background
- Some output corrections (hires, multichannel)
- Some minor improvements

v2.02, 2021-12-21
- Multi resume bugs fixed
- Minor modifications

v2.01, 2021-12-13
- DPI awareness
- Modified large buttons and theme presets
- Some more functions for global hotkeys
- File info dialog re-designed
- Control lock options
- Some more improvements

v2.00, 2021-10-30
- Possible folder resume related crash fixed
- Cue sheet times display bug fixed
- System properties for track context menu
- Explorer from context with track selected
- Program icon as optional picture placeholder
- File sizes shown in MB
- Some options went to Special tab
- Minor changes

v1.99, 2021-06-24
- Remember positions in folders option
- Folder content to playlist function (tree menu)
- AGC for Enhancer 2
- Presets for Enhancer 2 improved
- Config dialog display correction
- Config dialog tree item order modified
- Cue sheet display glitches fixed
- Some minor things

v1.98, 2021-03-16
- Nicer config window style
- Arrow sort direction indication
- Reading BASS tag titles (FLAC, MP4, OGG)
- Notes for Info column option
- Multiband presets added
- Fade in on resume
- Fast play improved
- Some corrections

v1.97, 2020-08-29
- Possible Multiband DSP overdrive fixed
- Stereo mode for Plugins was not shown for current track
- Multiple folder picture names possible
- Wait for pre-buffering on BASS stream play
- Toolbar is now wrapable
- Optional toolbar buttons with description
- Optional toolbar Tab key access
- New toolbar symbol color grey
- Some corrections

v1.96, 2020-05-31
- Big view below track list option
- Cover art display method changed
- DirectSound Level meter corrections
- Previous Soft clip method in Enhancer 2
- Plugin host adjustments

v1.95, 2020-03-22
- Overlap/crossfade engine rewritten
- DirectSound and WaveOut handling renewed
- New Multiband enhancer filtering
- Input plugin host rewritten
- Config dialog style changes
- Intro scan ignoring track change fixed
- Lots of improvements and corrections

v1.94, 2020-01-16
- Ini file strings changed to UTF-8
- Compare folders feature renewed
- DSP Plugin config handling modified
- Bold treeview items on current file path
- Auto time scan on multi enqueue fixed

v1.93, 2018-08-26
- Improved Soft clip implementation on multiband
- Adjustable title limit for RSS feed display
- Streaming from https enabled

v1.92, 2018-05-25
- Plugin issues fixed
- HTTP control slightly improved
- 5 band dynamics and lookahead peak limiter
- Simple host for Winamp dsp plugins
- Finer mouse wheel volume option

Frequently asked questions

How can I play MP4, AAC, WAV, OGG, FLAC, CD...?
By using the BASS library or a plugin. More infos under Audio config.

Which plugin plays exotic formats?
Known informations are collected in the Plugin section (Configuration).

The volume fader does not work or affects other programs.
Activate 1by1's internal volume adjustment: Settings / Audio / Alternative internal volume.

Play is interrupted sometimes.
In the Audio settings set a higher value for Buffer length. Try both audio device types - DirectSound is recommended prior WaveOut. First list entry of each is the default device set in the system. Also the "High task priority" option in Settings / System could help.

Can 1by1 show ID3 Tag informations in the list?
Scannable informations like titles can be shown in an extra column. This is enabled under "List and Tree". ID3 fields are also shown in the track info dialog (Context menu or Alt+Return or Ctrl+I) and in the Big view.

How can I shuffle multiple folders at once?
From a folder context menu call Show subfolder contents to show everything within this path. Or add several folders to the playlist view by calling Content to playlist. The result can be shuffled or sorted as known.

Network or desktop folders do not work correctly.
The complete network structure is only shown on browsing the network. To display an existing track path in the network, 1by1 will add the single \\server\sharepoint\ part under the network item.

Can 1by1 support multiple languages?
Language support is not planned. The program and all documentations will only be provided in english.

How can I make 1by1 portable?
See under Miscellaneous settings / System options.

Copyright © 2001-2023 Martin Pesch