As with 95% of the software I use, Winamp is freeware, available to download from the site instantly. There is also a Pro version, which costs $19.95/£13.20. Pro features include faster CD burning and ripping at 48x, as well as the ability to convert files into aacPlus, AAC, MP3, and WMA. Nice features to have, but I don’t think it’s worth paying for when the free version of Winamp is practically the same. Both the free and Pro versions of Winamp are available in 14 languages.

The download and install was very quick – version 5.541 of Winamp is 8.56mb, whereas WMP11 is 24.5mb – although as is the case with freeware (and a lot of software generally), you need to be careful only to install what you want. There is a web browser toolbar to control your music, the option to set your search engine to Winamp, and a remote tool to use with your Wii, PS3, or 360. I didn’t opt for any of these, although I installed the plugin which allows control of Winamp via the taskbar. However, in the end I just uninstalled this, as there is no way (that I found) to completely minimise the programme, thus making the taskbar a bit of a waste, as the programme needs to remain open anyway. Some use it though so its a matter of preference.

Visualisations on WMP are good enough for me, usually bars of some kind, which are quickly selected by going through a sub-menu. On Winamp though, cycling through each visualisation takes a while, and there is no way to quickly find one that you’re after. The only thing you can do is search left or right.

Bio’s of artists is an excellent idea. When you select a song from the album, a small paragraph appears at the bottom of the screen with details of the band/artist you have selected (see image). There are also a few small photos and other albums by that artist, more details of when the band formed, who and where etc. Song details are displayed in the upper left hand side, and artist/album details are opposite.

Other features such as ‘Remote Media’ – controlling audio and video via a games console, Online Services, and the Podcast Directory are nice to have, but I haven’t really used them extensively. I receieve my podcasts through another form, and download any attached audio in my web browser, use my MP3 player connected to speakers if I want to, and the Online Media is just one big AOL advert really. Playlists can be easily created and edited if you’re into that kind of thing. I generallygroup them into star ratings and genres so I don’t spend much time with playlists. Features such as shufle, repeat, repeat artist etc are all included.

Winamp can be customised with different skins available online, but I’m happy with the standard grey skin. You can re-arrange the layout, choose columns that you want too, and hide anything you don’t want to see (artist, album, year, genre, comment). When a new song begins playing, a small box is displayed in the corner of the screen with artist and song details, along with album art. A neat touch, which displays even if Winamp is minimised.

The best thing about Winamp is that it works, and it works very efficiently. It has never crashed, and when searching for songs in the search bar, results pop up almost instantly. I’m thrilled I installed Winamp and would highly recommend it to everyone.

9/10

Screenshot of Winamp