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Shortcut Sunday #2: Winamp

20 08 06 - 16:49 - Bookmark this post

Winamp is one of those programs you'd wish Microsoft put in Windows itself instead of that pesky Windows Media Player. Winamp is of the first apps I reinstall after a fresh start with Windows or otherwise. One of the finest features in Winamp is the way to configure the shortcut keys for quick acces to the most common tasks. So for this second shortcut post, let's look at the way I have configured Winamp for my best use.

Winamp has a lot of options to make it really your program. If you go to Options > Preferences (or Ctrl+P) you see a lot of possibilities. But just go to General Preferences > Global Hotkeys to check the hotkeys for Winamp.

Now, you have to remind yourself that these are global hotkeys. Which means that even when Winamp is minimized in your systemtray and you are working in another app, these hotkeys still work. So I can tell you from experience, don't use hotkeys with the Control, Alt or Shift key. This will definitely interfere with hotkeys in other programs. It is a great feature though, because I can work in Word, Outlook or anything and quickly change my music without actually going to Winamp.

I use the Windows-key (Win) to make my own hotkeys. Furthermore, when you look at the list of possible hotkeys you will come to the conclusion you don't need that much shortcuts for the basic operations. I have 7 hotkeys to use during the day. They are

• Volume Up: Win+Up
• Volume Down: Win+Down
• Forward: Win+Right
• Rewind: Win+Left
• Next in playlist: Win+1
• Play/Pause: Win+`
• Bring up/hide Winamp : Win+Q

You'll see I have the last keys real close to eachother so I can acces them with my lefthand in a flash. The use of the arrow-keys for volume is just because it was most logical for me. You can add, edit, delete new hotkeys real easy by choosing the action and hitting the combination of keys for your shortcut. Big advantage for this method is it also gives you a first try if the shortcut feels OK.

Have fun exploring Winamp with the Global Hotkeys

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Frank Meeuwsen