Amarok/Manual/ConfiguringAmarok

Configuring Amarok

On first start, some basic configuration is done; see also Quick Start Guide: Getting Started. But there is more under the hood.

To access the Configuration Menu, go to Settings -> Configure Amarok... and see the following dialog:

Before version 2.4.1

Amarok 2.4.1

General

In the screenshot above you can see some General Options you can set. Depending on the distribution, the default settings can vary, sometimes the Splash Screen is disabled for example. When hovering over the options with the mouse pointer, a tooltip will show to explain the individual settings.

This section allows you to configure the following options:

Option	Tooltip
Show splash-screen on startup	Check to enable the splash screen on Amarok startup.
Show tray icon	Check to enable the Amarok system tray icon.
Automatically retrieve cover art	Check to enable the automatic retrieval of cover art from the internet.
Automatically scroll playlist to current track	Check to make the playlist scroll so the current track is always visible.
Show Moodbar in progress slider	The Moodbar makes it possible to navigate in your music visually. Please note that this feature requires the external Moodbar Generator tool, or a script.
Moodbar style	Choose the mood display style.

When you enable the Moodbar, be aware of the following requirements: the Moodbar will only display if your tracks have been tagged with moods. For more about the Moodbar, refer to this section: Advanced Features -> Moodbar

Collection

The above dialog shows a large section in the center where you see the tree structure of your file system, called Collection Folders. Selecting a folder always includes also its subfolders.

The available options in this dialog are the following:

Option	Tooltip
Fully Rescan Entire Collection	Rescan your entire collection. This will not delete any statistics.
Import (statistics)	Import statistics from older Amarok versions, or from other media players.
Scan folders recursively (requires full rescan if newly checked)	If selected, Amarok will read all subfolders.
Watch folders for changes	If selected, the collection folders will be watched for changes. The watcher will not notice changes behind symbolic links.
Write statistics to file	Write play-changing statistics (e.g. score, lastplayed, playcount) as tags back to the file.
Write covers to file	Write changed covers back to the file. This will replace existing embedded covers.
Enable character set detection in ID3 tags	If selected, Amarok will use Mozilla's Character Set Detector to attempt to automatically guess the character set used in ID3 tags.

Import Statistics

This option allows you to import statistics, e.g. ratings and scores from either

• an older Amarok 1.4.x version (from SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL databases)
• from iTunes

It does not import statistics from an Amarok 2.x database, so if you want to merge an older 2.x database version, you will need to do this by hand.

Plugins; formerly Internet Services

Before version 2.4.1

Amarok 2.4.1 (Click to enlarge image)

Amarok offers by default the following Internet services:

Service	Description	Needs configuration
Ampache	Use an external music server	Yes, Ampache server needed
gpodder.net	Podcast service. See also gpodder.net	No
Jamendo	Listen to free music published under Creative Common licenses. See also Jamendo.com	No
Last.fm	A popular internet radio service, streaming only for subscribers. See also Last.fm	Yes, personal information to scrobble
mp3tunes	A personal mp3 locker. See also mp3tunes.com	Yes
Magnatune Store	Prewiew and buy music from a non-evil record label. See also Magnatunes.com	Only for downloads
Podcast Directory	Browse and subscribe to a huge list of podcasts	No

Ampache configuration

If you have access to a remote Ampache music server, click on the wrench icon and enter the necessary information. You can configure access to more than one Ampache server. For more information see the Ampache section in Advanced Features.

Last.fm configuration

While streaming is free with Last.fm's own online player for residents of the US, the UK and Germany, it only works in Amarok for paid subscribers. Scrobbling is free, however, provided you enter your Last.fm username and password by clicking on the wrench icon. Amarok allows you to store the password in the secure KDE Wallet. If you decline the use of Kwallet, your password will be stored in clear text instead.

mp3tunes configuration

If you have a personal mp3tunes locker, click on the wrench icon and enter your username and password. You will then be able to access your online locker.

Magnatune Store configuration

Listen to the music offered by Magnatune for free and buy it directly through Amarok. Click on the wrench icon to add your membership credentials if you are a member and/or add your email address to re-download music you previously have downloaded from Magnatune.

To download, you then go to the Media Sources pane, select the Internet section and click on the Magnatune Store. It will then download the catalogue and you can search and select the music you want to buy.

Playback

In the above Playback section you can configure the playback options, as well as the KDE multimedia framework called Phonon.

Option	Tooltip
Fadeout on stop	If checked, Amarok will slowly fade the volume of the playing track on stop or at the end of the playlist, or stop playback immediately.
Fadeout duration	The length of the fadeout, in milliseconds.
Resume playback on start	If checked, Amarok will resume playback where you left it the last session -- just like a tape-player.

Configuring Phonon

Phonon is the multimedia framework used by Amarok. It was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or Xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. As an added bonus, it simplifies development by providing a simple API that can work across different platforms such as Windows and OS X.

The result of all this for you, the user, is that you can choose the multimedia framework that works best for you. This is usually pre-configured by your distribution.

Another result is that playback problems in Amarok are typically not Amarok issues, but rather Phonon issues, as Amarok doesn't handle sound directly anymore.

Selecting an output device

Depending on your OS and distribution, you may need to use ALSA, OSS, PulseAudio, or something else as your default playback device. Find one that works for you with the Test button and apply to all types of output. If you would like different types of output to go with different devices, this is possible as well.

Selecting a multimedia backend

Depending on your OS you may see options such as Xine, Gstreamer, VLC, or DS9 (Windows only) here. The recommended one for Linux users is VLC or Gstreamer.

If you don't see VLC or the particular back-end you want here you may need to install the package for it. For most distributions the package for VLC, for example, would be phonon-backend-vlc.

Each backend comes with its own codecs, so depending on the backend you choose you will need to also download the codecs, as most distributions don't ship them for legal reasons.

For information on codecs and playing mp3s see the mp3 information page.

Notifications

Option	Tooltip
Use On-Screen Display	Check to enable the On-Screen Display. The OSD briefly displays track data when a new track is played. Once checked, the OSD will be visible on your screen and you can drag it to the location you prefer.
Duration	The time in milliseconds for which to show the OSD. The value must be between 500 ms and 10000 ms.
Screen	Allows you to choose the screen that should display the OSD if you have a multiscreen setup. Default is 0.
Translucent	Check to enable translucency if supported by your desktop system.
Use custom colors	Check to enable custom colors for the On-Screen Display text.
Text color	Click to select the color of the OSD text.
Use system notifications	Check to use the system notification. This can vary depending on your desktop system and/or distribution.

Database

The default database is already set to use embedded MySQL. For most users there is no need to configure an external database, as there is no change in performance. If you want to share your database or use it remotely, you can configure an external MySQL database.

Amarok expects the external database and user account to already exist. The user also requires full access to the database. You MUST restart Amarok after changing these settings.

If your database is not already set up, you can use the SQL commands in the field at the bottom to do so, after replacing the password with the correct one.

Option	Tooltip
Use external MySQL Database	Check to enable the use of an external database.
Server	Enter the name of the existing MySQL server
Port	Enter the port number to access the server. Default is port 3306.
Username	Enter the username to access the database with full access privileges.
Password	Enter the password for the default user.
Database	Enter the name of the database. Default preset is amarokdb.

You can find more information about the External Database here.

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