View source for Software:Foobar2000

{{Primary|date=January 2021}}
{{Short description|Freeware audio player}}
{{Lowercase title}}
{{Infobox software
| name = foobar2000
| logo = 
| screenshot = Foobar2000 v1.3.12 on Windows 10, with LibriVox audio books in playlist, "visualization + album art + tabs" view.png
| caption = foobar2000 v1.3.12 on Windows 10
| developer = Peter Pawłowski and contributors<ref>{{cite web|title=License|url=https://www.foobar2000.org/license|website=foobar2000|access-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160628003439/http://www.foobar2000.org/license|archive-date=28 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
| released = {{start date and age|2002|12|20}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,4997.0.html |title=Official foobar2000 site & foobar2000 0.3 & SDK! |publisher=Hydrogenaudio |access-date=2022-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707010235/http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=4997 |archive-date=2014-07-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| programming language = [[C++]]
| platform = [[Software:Android (operating system)|Android]], [[Software:IOS|iOS]], [[Software:Windows Phone|Windows Phone]], [[Software:Windows NT|Windows NT]], [[Software:MacOS|macOS]]
| genre = [[Software:Comparison of audio player software|Audio player]]
| license = Core: [[Freeware]]<br />SDK: [[Software:BSD licenses|BSD]] (3 clause)
| website = {{URL|https://www.foobar2000.org}}
}}

'''foobar2000'''{{efn|The name foobar is derived from a common [[Metasyntactic variable|placeholder]] name used in computer programming.}} (often abbreviated as '''fb2k''' or '''f2k''') is a [[Freeware|freeware]] audio player for [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]], [[Software:IOS|iOS]] and [[Software:Android (operating system)|Android]] developed by Peter Pawłowski. It has a [[Modular programming|modular design]], which provides user flexibility in configuration and customization.<ref name="abi">{{cite web|title=foobar2000 v0.9.6.9 Review|url=http://anythingbutipod.com/2009/11/foobar2000-v0969-review/|access-date=29 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708074724/http://anythingbutipod.com/2009/11/foobar2000-v0969-review/|archive-date=8 July 2012}}</ref> Standard "skin" elements can be individually augmented or replaced with different dials and buttons, as well as [[Software:Music visualization|visualizer]]s such as waveform, oscilloscope, spectrum, spectrogram (waterfall), peak and smoothed VU meters, which all of them are analysis-oriented, at least for built-in visualizations. foobar2000 offers [[Third-party software component|third-party]] [[User interface|user interface]] modifications through a [[Software development kit|software development kit]] (SDK).

foobar2000 supports many [[Audio file format|audio file format]]s, has many features for organizing [[Metadata|metadata]], files, and folders, and has a [[Engineering:Transcoding|converter]] interface for use with [[Command-line interface|command line]] encoders. To maximize audio fidelity in cases where resampling or downscaling in [[Audio bit depth|bit depth]] is required, it provides [[Noise shaping|noise shaping]] and [[Dither|dither]]ing. There are a number of official and third-party [[Plug-in (computing)|component]]s which add many additional features. The core is closed source, whereas the [[Software development kit|SDK]] is licensed under the [[Software:BSD license#3-clause license .28.22BSD License 2.0.22.2C .22Revised BSD License.22.2C .22New BSD License.22.2C or .22Modified BSD License.22.29|Three-Clause BSD license]].

==History and development==
foobar2000 was first released in 2002 and developed by Peter Pawłowski, who had previously worked at [[Company:Nullsoft|Nullsoft]] and developed plugins for [[Software:Winamp|Winamp]]. He created foobar2000 with the audiophile community in mind.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rarewares.org/rrw/foobar2000.php|title=ReallyRareWares – Foobar2000 audio player|website=www.rarewares.org|access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029174148/http://www.rarewares.org/rrw/foobar2000.php|url-status=live}}</ref> The software's mascot and logo icon consists of a white "alien cat".

foobar2000 supports Windows, though the support of older versions for [[Software:Windows XP|Windows XP]] and [[Software:Windows Vista|Vista]] has been dropped as of version 1.6 (released 2020).<ref name="version-1.6-xp-vista-0">{{cite web|title=Changelog for foobar2000 version 1.6 (wiki)|website=hydrogenaud.io|access-date=6 July 2020|url=https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Version_1.6_Release_Notes#Compatibility|archive-date=6 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706201659/https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Version_1.6_Release_Notes#Compatibility|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="version-1.6-xp-vista-1">{{cite web|url=https://www.foobar2000.org/changelog|website=foobar2000.org|title=Release notes for version 1.6|access-date=6 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630213017/http://foobar2000.org/changelog|url-status=live|archive-date=30 June 2020}}</ref> [[Software:Windows 2000|Windows 2000]] support was dropped as of version 0.9.5 (released 2008) and Windows [[Software:Windows 95|95]]/[[Software:Windows 98|98]]/ME/[[Software:Windows NT 4.0|NT4]] support was dropped as of version 0.9 (released 2006).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foobar2000.org/changelog-old|title=foobar2000: Change Log (archived)|website=www.foobar2000.org|access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921121223/http://foobar2000.org/changelog-old|url-status=live}}</ref>

Most functionality also works as intended under [[Software:Wine|Wine]] on [[Software:Linux|Linux]], although the program's crash reporter will detect Wine and direct the user to the Wine [[Software:Bugzilla|Bugzilla]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=1749 |title=foobar2000 |website=WineHQ |access-date=4 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305063548/https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=1749 |archive-date=5 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

foobar2000 versions since 0.9.5 feature a revamped default interface, with embedded support for album list, album art,<ref name="cnet">{{cite web|title=Foobar2000: Editors' review|date=31 August 2014|website=CNET|url=http://download.cnet.com/Foobar2000/3000-2139_4-10235595.html|access-date=29 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826004514/http://download.cnet.com/Foobar2000/3000-2139_4-10235595.html|archive-date=26 August 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Spectrogram|spectrum visualization]], and some other features and improvements. 

In May 2016, versions for mobile devices were released,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,111806.html|title=Foobar2000 (Mobile Edition)|website=hydrogenaud.io|access-date=7 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605120635/https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,111806.html|archive-date=5 June 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/foobar2000-mobile/9nblggh5xs5x|title=foobar2000 mobile – Windows Apps on Microsoft Store|website=Microsoft Store|access-date=10 May 2019|archive-date=10 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510091306/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/foobar2000-mobile/9nblggh5xs5x|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foobar2000/id1072807669|title=foobar2000 on the App Store|website=App Store|access-date=7 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802021400/https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foobar2000/id1072807669|archive-date=2 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foobar2000.foobar2000|title=foobar2000 – Android Apps on Google Play|website=play.google.com|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517191831/https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foobar2000.foobar2000|archive-date=17 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and in January 2018, an early beta version for [[Software:MacOS|macOS]] was released.<ref name="foobar2000-mac">{{Cite web|url=https://www.foobar2000.org/mac|title=foobar2000 for Mac|website=www.foobar2000.org|access-date=14 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110234117/http://www.foobar2000.org/mac|archive-date=10 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 2022, a beta version of foobar2000 v2.0 was released with 64-bit support, Dark mode, and hardware-accelerated visualizations.<ref name="foobar2000_2.0_changelog">{{cite web |title=Foobar2000:Version 2.0 Release Notes |url=https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Version_2.0_Release_Notes |website=Hydrogenaudio Knowledgebase|publisher=Hydrogenaudio |access-date=16 January 2023}}</ref>

Version 2.0 beta 28<ref name="foobar2000arm">{{cite web |title=Foobar2000:Version 2.0 Release Notes |url=https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Version_2.0_Beta_Change_Log#Beta_28 |website=Hydrogenaudio Knowledgebase|publisher=Hydrogenaudio |access-date=2023-04-14}}</ref> introduced native support for [[ARM architecture family|ARM]].<ref>{{cite web |title=foobar2000 for ARM |url=https://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Foobar2000_for_ARM |website=Hydrogenaudio Knowledgebase |access-date=2023-04-14}}</ref> The ARM64EC binary is compatible with [[Software:Windows 11|Windows 11]].<ref name="foobar2000arm" />

On 26 April 2023, foobar2000 2.0 final was released after an extensive testing cycle which involved 35 beta versions.<ref name="foobar2000_2.0_changelog" />

== Features ==

=== Core ===
At its core, foobar2000 natively supports a range of audio formats, including MP1, [[MPEG-1 Audio Layer II|MP2]], [[MP3]], [[Musepack|MPC]], [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]], [[Windows Media Audio|WMA]], Ogg Vorbis, [[Software:FLAC|FLAC]] / [[Software:Ogg|Ogg]] FLAC, [[Software:Apple Lossless Audio Codec|ALAC]], [[Software:WavPack|WavPack]], [[WAV]], [[Audio Interchange File Format|AIFF]], [[Au file format|AU]], [[SND (file)|SND]], CD, [[Software:Speex|Speex]], and [[Software:Opus (audio format)|Opus]].

foobar2000 also has a highly customizable user interface, advanced [[Software:Tag editor|tagging]] capabilities and support for [[Engineering:Ripping|ripping]] Audio CDs, as well as [[Engineering:Transcoding|transcoding]] of all supported audio formats using the Converter component. The player can read inside [[ZIP (file format)|ZIP]], GZIP, and [[RAR (file format)|RAR]] [[Archive format|archives]].

Additional features include [[ReplayGain]] support (for both playback and calculation),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=ReplayGain|title=ReplayGain|website=Hydrogenaudio wiki|access-date=25 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706172230/http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=ReplayGain|archive-date=6 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://joncairns.com/2010/10/foobar2000-4-3-replaygain/|title=foobar2000: 4.3 Replaygain|author=John Cairns|date=3 October 2010|access-date=25 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609070813/http://joncairns.com/2010/10/foobar2000-4-3-replaygain/|archive-date=9 June 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gapless playback|gapless playback]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Gapless_playback|title=Gapless playback|website=Hydrogenaudio wiki|access-date=25 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706172312/http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Gapless_playback|archive-date=6 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> keyboard shortcuts and support for [[Digital signal processing|DSP]] effects such as [[Equalization (audio)|equalization]] and [[Fade (audio engineering)|crossfade]].

Users can configure the foobar2000 Media Library with automated folder watching<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foobar2000.org/?page=ReleaseNotes&version=096 |title=foobar2000 0.9.6 release notes |access-date=9 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716075844/http://www.foobar2000.org/?page=ReleaseNotes&version=096 |archive-date=16 July 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Windows Media streaming.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foobar2000.org/?page=ReleaseNotes&version=10 |title=foobar2000 1.0 release notes |access-date=4 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611100734/http://www.foobar2000.org/?page=ReleaseNotes&version=10 |archive-date=11 June 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> The client is built with an open component architecture, allowing third-party developers to extend functionality of the player.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maximumpc.com/how-to-manage-your-music-the-power-user-way-with-foobar/ |title=How-To: Manage Your Music the Power User Way with Foobar |author=Alex Castle |date=14 April 2010 |website=Maximum PC |access-date=29 May 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324050445/http://www.maximumpc.com/how-to-manage-your-music-the-power-user-way-with-foobar/ |archive-date=24 March 2016}}</ref>
=== Optional ===
With addons or plugins, foobar2000 can read the [[Software:Monkey's Audio|APE]], HDCD, AC3, [[Company:DTS (sound system)|DTS]], [[Engineering:Super Audio CD|SACD]] and DVD-Audio formats.

Other optional features include playback statistics, CD burning, kernel streaming, ASIO support, WASAPI output compatibility, and a UPnP/[[Organization:DLNA|DLNA]] renderer, media server and controller for networking. Third-party support is also present in the audio client. For instance, foobar2000 supports Last.fm scrobbling and integration with [[Engineering:IPod|Apple iPod]], including album art support and automatic transcoding of audio formats not supported by iPod itself.

==Derivative works==
foobar2000 developer Peter Pawłowski has also made other audio software, including Boom, which his web site describes as an "easy to use audio player intended for casual computer users".  It runs on Windows.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perkele.cc/software/boom|title=Peter Pawlowski's home page : Software : Boom|website=www.perkele.cc|access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111214909/https://perkele.cc/software/boom|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Software:Comparison of audio player software|Comparison of audio player software]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
*[http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Main_Page Hydrogenaudio Knowledgebase (HAK)] – official knowledge-base for foobar2000.

{{Media player (application software)}}

[[Category:Tag editors]]
[[Category:Media players]]

{{Sourceattribution|Foobar2000}}