mp3blaster ( commandline interface player) not playing files

Question

I installed mp3blaster using apt-get but it didn't work (doesn't play specified files).

After that failed attempt, I removed and purged the player. I downloaded the player as a tarball. How do I install the application and launch it so that it works?.

P.S I have read the provided README and tar.bz2 installation instructions.

@Zanna installed with apt-get but didn't play, purged and downloaded the tarball — Dominic Motuka, Jul 11 '16 at 17:59
There is a solution to the audio output error: compile against libsdl1.2-dev, this gets around a cumbersome commandline to start mp3blaster... — andrew.46, Jul 11 '16 at 18:44
@andrew.46 that is very useful... may I add to my answer? If you prefer not it's ok... I upvoted your magnificent one-liner :) — Zanna, Jul 11 '16 at 21:34
@Zanna Actually some unkindly soul has also downvoted my answer :(. Why don't you absorb as much of my answer as is useful (feel free to use the checkinstall syntax etc) and then I will delete my own answer. That way there will be one really solid answer in place..... — andrew.46, Jul 11 '16 at 22:52
@andrew.46 that was indeed unkind, and strange :( I have edited, and my answer lacks the elegance of yours but I believe it is significantly more useful than it was before. Please comment if you think I should fix anything, and thank you for your generous assistance :) — Zanna, Jul 11 '16 at 23:25
@Zanna Your answer looks great :). I have not tested wget from sourceforge without the --content-disposition option, this is sometimes needed if you don't want an oddly named archive. I cannot look at the moment as I am at work and surrounded by windows :(. My own answer is deleted now... — andrew.46, Jul 12 '16 at 00:14
@andrew.46 I tested it and it comes out clean :) thanks again — Zanna, Jul 12 '16 at 05:21
How did you launch it? I installed it with sudo apt-get install mp3blaster and ran it from the terminal with mp3blaster file.mp3 Error free on 14.04 — Elder Geek, Aug 15 '16 at 03:18

Zanna · Accepted Answer · 2016-07-12T05:24:13.643

4

Note for ~~the lazy~~ others: you can install mp3blaster with

sudo apt-get install mp3blaster

For it to work properly, seemingly you need to launch it with

padsp mp3blaster

Here's how to compile it from source and eliminate the need for `padsp`:

Many thanks to @andrew.46 for explaining that compiling against libsdl fixes this bug:

Launchpad: man page says audiodriver sdl works, but doesn't

Download the tarball:

wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/mp3blaster/mp3blaster-3.2.5.tar.gz

Extract it

tar xf mp3blaster*

Enter the directory

cd mp3blaster*

You need at least these dependencies to build it:

sudo apt-get install g++ libncurses5-dev  libsdl1.2-dev

Run

./configure --with-sdl

If there are errors, you need to install more packages. Please comment, and I will fix if possible. If and only if configure exits successfully you can run

make

then use sudo make install or better use checkinstall to make it known to dpkg for easier removal (do sudo apt-get install checkinstall if you want to use it)

sudo checkinstall

follow the instructions...

Now you can launch && enjoy with

mp3blaster

edited Jul 12 '16 at 05:24

answered Jul 11 '16 at 18:14

Zanna

70,465

launched correctly now...not playing mp3 files...exists with an error message – Dominic Motuka Jul 11 '16 at 18:26
what's the message? Same as when you installed it with apt-get? – Zanna Jul 11 '16 at 18:27
Launched the player correctly, when trying to open file , exists with message Failed to open sound device – Dominic Motuka Jul 11 '16 at 18:29
1

@daumie try launching it with padsp mp3blaster source I can't test properly because I don't have audio drivers! – Zanna Jul 11 '16 at 18:33
Now works , found a solution to the problem here http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1617202 please update your answer accordingly – Dominic Motuka Jul 11 '16 at 18:33
@daumie I found that too - see my previous comment. Edited – Zanna Jul 11 '16 at 18:41

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Aug 14 '16 at 06:55

1

I downloaded the tarball for mp3blaster and according to README, to install mp3blaster, you do:

./configure
make
make install

PS: You should always read the README for installation instructions. The above commands are standard for installing software from a tarball too.

edited Aug 14 '16 at 06:55

Zanna

70,465

answered Jul 11 '16 at 18:01

edwinksl

23,789

I read the README...installed but the player ain't working...did I miss a step/ – Dominic Motuka Jul 11 '16 at 18:03
Well then your question should have been explicit about the fact you did try to install; reading installation instructions is not the same as executing them. Did you see any error messages when you tried to install? – edwinksl Jul 11 '16 at 18:05
I'll update the question.No error messages thrown..just doesn't play...I have used the player before on another machine<<if that helps – Dominic Motuka Jul 11 '16 at 18:10
1

You are probably missing dependencies, although ./configure should have told you about that. See @Zanna's answer and see if that helps. – edwinksl Jul 11 '16 at 18:24
1

Yeah, I was missing g++ libncurses5-dev. now works, thanks – Dominic Motuka Jul 11 '16 at 18:43

mp3blaster ( commandline interface player) not playing files

2 Answers2

Here's how to compile it from source and eliminate the need for padsp:

Here's how to compile it from source and eliminate the need for `padsp`: