Features of Paloma

Current features

  • An all-in-one rip/encode/store/play music solution.
  • Stores playable music files in a relational (SQL) database.
  • The emphasis is on MP3's, but any kind of music file can be stored and played, provided you have a command-line utility that can play it.
  • Playlists can be built up from arbitrary queries on the database. A number of pre-designed queries are supplied, providing easy lookup by performer, composer, song title, CD title, music genre, or year. It's also possible to build a playlist from an arbitrary SQL expression.
  • Fully automates the process of ripping CD's to MP3 form and collecting track names from the Internet, making it easy to enter a large collection of CD's in a reasonably short time.
  • CD's can be ripped into temporary WAV files and then converted to MP3 form in the background, or if disk space is limited and you have a fast converter, you can rip directly from CD to MP3.
  • The database need not be stored entirely on a single hard disk. You can store your MP3 files across multiple CD-R's, and rotate them in and out of your machine as necessary.
  • Partially automates the process of building MP3's from analog sources, like cassette tapes and vinyl records. With the included tool resplice, it is easy to divide a long recording session into separate tracks, which may then be imported into Paloma.
  • Imports existing volumes of music files from a directory hierarchy you may already have.
  • Exports the entire database, or just a playlist of songs, to a new directory hierarchy.
  • Exports a playlist to WAV files for burning to CD.
  • As with most client/server SQL applications, the database may be stored on a different machine than the one on which you are running.
  • The sound card you are using to play music need not be on the same machine you are running on, either. Paloma uses a client/server model to play sound, so that Paloma clients running on various machines in a network can play sound through the same or different machines.
  • Supports "one-touch" hotkey jukebox playback, where a playlist can be sent to the jukebox program of choice (e.g. xmms or Windows Media Player) via a single keypress.
  • Directly supports the Turtle Beach AudioTron, by generating an AudioTron-friendly table of contents file for the database, and/or by sending playlists directly to the AudioTron for playback.

    Upcoming features

  • Database fields will soon be customizable by the user. You'll be able to piggyback any data you like along with songs, CD's, artists, or whatever, and enter values for these fields on the standard Paloma dialogs.
  • Queries will also be user-designable. You'll be able to define your own queries of whatever sophistication you require to select the playlists you want to hear.
  • Queries will also become more sophisticated through the ability to combine two or more queries using boolean logic, for instance, "All songs performed by Paul Simon AND recorded between 1970 and 1980."
  • Playlists to be saved and later retrieved. You'll be able to choose either to save the exact list of songs, or the query command which built the playlist.