ModPlayersComparisons / 2023-03-12 16:10:15

This is the second part of a 2-part article on Amiga modules players.

The first part is here, on the history of module formats and players.

 

Comparisons

This table presents a comparison of some of the most popular players. It includes some criteria useful for my development of AmiModRadio, in particular the ARexx capabilities of the players . The table is colour-coded:

  • White/empty cells mean that a player doesn't support that format. (0 point)
    • The player shouldn't crash if given a file in that format!
  • Green cells mean that a player supports perfectly this format. (3 points)
  • Yellow cells show formats supported by players but with some light issues. (2 points)
  • Orange cells highlight formats preventing using my Amiga, at least momentarily . (1 point)
  • Red cells mean that a player crashes my Amiga when playing at least one song in that format . (Negative score)

 

Names Ami-PlayMOD AmiAMP AmigaAmp AModPlay AmoralPlay AMPlifier APlayer DAPlayer DeliTracker EdPlayer EMPY Player EaglePlayer HippoPlayer PlayOGG PlaySID PowerPlayer Prayer RNOTunes1 SID4Amiga SongPlayer SoX TKPlayer TMLG XMP
Versions 1.0 1.1598 Beta 3.31 1.60 1.8.1 2.33 2.22 1.14 2.34 2.1 v3.0 2.05 2.45 + 2.56 200327 3.0 4.2 2.1.911 1.0 3.32 1.62 14.3.1 1.5 1.350 4.1
Scores (max. 41x3=123) 13 37 73 -47 35 43 -52 51 84 37 22 98 87 105 25 64 19 -74 12 19 36 24 19 36
ARexx LOAD No ARexx LOAD LOAD LOAD No ARexx LOAD No ARexx1 No LOAD LOAD LOAD ARexx but no doc? LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD No ARexx LOAD No Arexx LOAD No ARexx No ARexx ARexx but no doc? No ARexx
PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY
REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY REPLAY
PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE
REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE No REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE No REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE REMOVE
STATUS STATUS STATUS No STATUS STATUS No STATUS STATUS STATUS STATUS STATUS STATUS No STATUS No STATUS STATUS STATUS
AHI AHI AHI AHI No AHI AHI AHI AHI AHI AHI No No AHI AHI AHI No AHI No AHI AHI AHI No AHI AHI No AHI AHI AHI AHI
GUI No GUI MUI Custom GadTools GadTools Custom Custom ClassAct, MUI GadTools Custom Custom GadTools GadTools GadTools GadTools GadTools Custom MUI MUI MUI No GUI No GUI Custom No GUI
Packers No packer No packer No packer XPK XPK No packer Upacker No packer XPK No packer XPK XPK XPK XPK XPK PowerPacker, Lh No packer No packer No packer XPK No packer No packer No packer No packer
Sources Source No source No source No source No source No source No source No source No source No source No source Source Source No source No source No source No source No source No source No source Old source No source No source Source
Formats
Formats Abyss Highest eXperience AHX                 AHX     AHX AHX AHX       AHX            
  THX                 THX                              
  Audio Interchange File Format AIFF     AIFF     AIFF AIFF AIFF AIFF1     AIFF AIFF AIFF       AIFF   AIFF AIFF AIFF    
  Sun Microsystems Audio AU     AU           AU2        AU   AU1       AU AU      
  Compact Disc Digital Audio CDDA 8SVX     8SVX   8SVX1   8SVX2 8SVX 8SVX3     8SVX 8SVX 8SVX   8SVX1   8SVX2   8SVX 8SVX      
  CDA               CDA1          CDA   CDA1   CDA2     CDA      
  CDR               CDR1          CDR1   CDR1   CDR2     CDR1      
  Custom Module CUST             CUST   CUST   CUST CUST CUST CUST1                    
  David Whittaker DW       DW1         DW     DW DW DW1   DW2                
  DigiBooster Pro Module DBM         DBM     DBM2       DBM DBM DBM2   DBM1   DBM3           DBM1
  DigiBooster DIGI       DIGI2         DIGI4     DIGI DIGI DIGI       DIGI4           DIGI1
  Digital Sound Studio DSS                                                
  FastTracker 8CH                                                
  Free Lossless Audio Codec FLAC               FLAC3          FLAC2   FLAC1   FLAC5     FLAC2      
  FutureComposer FC                                                
  Impulse IT     Impulse       Impulse3 Impulse4 Impulse     Impulse1 Impulse1 Impulse       Impulse           Impulse1
  Midi Midi               MIDI5       Midi   Midi3                    
  ProTracker MOD MOD   MOD MOD MOD   MOD MOD3 MOD MOD MOD MOD MOD MOD4   MOD   MOD           MOD1
  Moving Picture Experts Group MPEG MP2   MP2 MP2     MP2   MP2       MP2 MP2 MP25   MP21 MP2 MP26   MP2 MP2 MP2 MP2  
  MP3   MP3 MP3     MP3   MP36       MP3 MP3 MP35   MP31 MP3 MP36   MP3 MP3 MP3 MP3  
  MPG   MPG MPG     MPG   MPG       MPG   MPG   MPG1 MPG MPG6   MPG  

MPG

MPG  
  OctaMED MED MED                 MED     MED   MED       MED           MED1
  MMD0     MMD0 MMD0 MMD0   MMD0   MMD0 MMD0 MMD0 MMD0 MMD0 MMD0   MMD0   MMD0           MMD01
  MMD1     MMD1 MMD1 MMD1   MMD1   MMD1 MMD11 MMD1 MMD1 MMD1 MMD1   MMD1   MMD1           MMD11
  MMD2     MMD2 MMD2 MMD2   MMD2   MMD2 MMD21   MMD2 MMD2 MMD2   MMD2   MMD2           MMD21
  MMD3         MMD3   MMD3   MMD3     MMD3 MMD32 MMD3   MMD31   MMD37           MMD31
  Music Line Editor MI                                                
  Xiph.Org Foundation OGG OGA               OGA3          OGA1   OGA1                
  OGG               OGG3          OGG3   OGG1   OGG8     OGG2      
  Oktalyzer MOD     Oktalyzer Oktalyzer     Oktalyzer   Oktalyzer     Oktalyzer Oktalyzer Oktalyzer   Oktalyzer3   Oktalyzer           Oktalyzer1
  Sound Interface Device PSID       PSID PSID   PSID   PSID     PSID2 PSID PSID PSID     PSID9 PSID          
  SID                                                
  Quadra Composer EMOD       QUAD     QUAD   QUAD     QUAD   QUAD       QUAD           QUAD1
  Scream Tracker 3 S3M     S3M       S3M S3M3 S3M     S3M S3M S3M       S3M           S3M1
  SoundFX DaTaS                                                
  Soundmon 2 BP                                                
  Symphonie SymMOD                                                
  Creative Labs VOC                 VOC5        VOC             VOC      
  Waveform Audio File Format WAV     WAV     WAV WAV WAV WAV6     WAV WAV WAV       WAV     WAV WAV    
  FastTracker II XM     XM       XM XM3 XM     XM XM XM       XM           XM1

Notes

  • AModPlay:
    1. David Whittake: Crashes my Amiga.
    2. DIGI: Makes my screen "jump".
  • AmoralPlay:
    1. 8SVX: Recognises but no sound.
  • APlayer:
    1. ARexx: Should be possible but the ARexx port APLAYER is not opened.
    2. 8SVX: Recognises but no sound.
    3. Impulse: Crashes my Amiga.
  • DAPlayer
    1. CDA, CDR: Freezes my Amiga for a little while before playing the next modules.
    2. DBM: Corrupted file name (e.g. "DBM0.ÿÿNAME").
    3. FLAC, MOD, OGA, OGG, S3M, XM: Renders "choppy" music and takes all the CPU.
    4. Impulse: DAPlayer freezes and takes all the CPU.
    5. MIDI: Renders no sound.
    6. MP3: Some MP3 are not recognised like Gibs' remix of GoldRunner - From Past to Present
  • DeliTracker:
    1. AIFF: Makes a MuForce hit but play the songs just fine.
    2. AU: Renders "noise" instead of music.
    3. 8SVX: Makes a MuForce hit but play the songs just fine.
    4. DIGI: Renders "noise" instead of music.
    5. VOC: Makes a MuForce hit and opens a dialog box "Initialization error".
    6. WAV: Makes a MuForce hit but play the songs just fine.
  • EdPlayer:
    1. MMD1: Plays the musci partially.
    2. MMD2: Doesn't play anything.
  • EaglePlayer:
    1. Impulse: Makes a MuForce hit but play the songs just fine.
    2. PSID: Makes MuForce hits, doesn't play the song, crashes my Amiga eventually. Can play PSID when using DeliSID from DeliTracker.
  • HippoPlayer:
    1. DIGI: Makes my screen "jump".
    2. MMD3: Software Failure 8000 0005.
  • PlayOGG:
    1. CDR, CUST, DW, OGA: Renders "noise" instead of music.
    2. DBM, FLAC, OGG: Renders "choppy" music and (sometimes) takes all the CPU.
    3. Midi: Plays the songs "slower" than intended.
    4. MOD: Makes a MuForce hit but play the songs just fine.
    5. MP2, MP3: Plays the songs play sometimes a bit choppy, takes most of the CPU.
  • PowerPlay:
    1. AU, 8SVX, CDA, CDR, FLAC, MP2, MP3, MPG, MMD3, OGA, OGG: Makes a MuForce hit and complains of lack of memory, possibly because it tries to put the whole file in memory.
    2. DW: Makes MuForce hits, trashes the display, but eventually plays the song just fine.
    3. Oktalyzer: Makes MuForce hits and complains of "Error in the module" and doesn't play anything.
  • RNOTunes
    1. Generally, I cannot move in the song using the slider and the detection of some song format takes up all the processor for some times, e.g., AU, CDDA. Also, it shows "ahx", "med", or "s3m" as (wrong) names of songs, maybe because it uses the first part of file names as song names...
    2. CDDA formats: takes a long time to start playing them, renders just noise, and makes the UI unresponsive, I must reboot to get control back. (8SVX and CDR are recognised as "MPEG audio layer 2/3" and CDDA as "raw ADTS AAC".)
    3. DBM: renders noise.
    4. DIGI: doesn't recognise some DIGI files, like this one, and renders noise.
    5. FLAC: plays but very choppily... and takes all the processor!
    6. MPEG formats: renders just noise and makes the UI unresponsive, I must reboot to get control back.
    7. MED formats: MMD3 makes the UI unresponsive, I must reboot to get control back.
    8. OGG: renders just noise and makes the UI unresponsive, I must reboot to get control back.
    9. PDIS: plays at the wrong speed and pitch.
  • SoX
    1. CDR: Renders "noise" instead of music.
    2. FLAC, OGG: Renders "choppy" music and takes most of the CPU.
  • XMP:
    1. All recognised formats: Renders "choppy" music and takes half of the CPU.