Music playing apps

[Hoddyman]

I'm looking for a simple music managing and playing app, hopefully with some EQ control. I can't find an audio equalizer in I Tunes (if there even is one), and I simply want something that more-or-less organizes my music and plays it. Everything I've seen in the App Store seems to be oriented toward getting "free" streaming stuff, and that,'s fine, but I have an already-existing very large personal music collection that I want to listen to, without all kinds of interference from people who want to sell me stuff, or include and list their online, cloud stored musical "suggestions" and promotions into my collection. I simply want something that plays and lists the actual stuff I put on my IPad myself. Does such a thing exist?

 

[twerppoet]

OPlayer, AVPlay, VLC, and half a doezen others.

I have OPlayer and VLC. Neither has an equalizer, and I'm not aware of any audio/video apps that do.

I keep these apps around for the occatonal audio or video file that I need to listen to and/or keep, but don't want to go to the trouble of importing it into iTunes. That means I'm not really looking for a great music app, just one that works on the rare occation I need it. So, I'm not claiming eithe of these are the best options.

That said, I just use Music and iTunes. I have a considerable collection of music, but I also use Apple Music and iCloud Music Library. To be honest, the distinction between the services and library has become very blurry. I only notice it on the rare occation when I'm without internet and have to depend on what I've downloaded to the device.

Music does have an equlaizer (Settings > Music). To get your library into the Music app you first have to import it into iTunes on a computer, then sync iTunes to the iPad.

 

[Hoddyman]

Thanks for your suggestions! I do use the music app, and have my collection in ITunes at home on my PC. I was just unable to find the equalizer, here. I was looking for a really basic music playing and organizing app, though, without all the promotional jive that comes with "streaming" music apps. "Apple Music" seems like a neat service, but I would never entrust my collection to anyone who could, in future, hold it for "ransome",or allow it to be in a position where it could be subject to censorship.

 

[twerppoet]

No problem.

The following isn't really in answer to your question, which I've answered the best I can, but I started thinking with my keyboard, and it seems like it might be informative to someone, so I've left it here.
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There are basically three kinds of music tracks in iTunes.

1) The tracks you import. Apple does not own or control these, they just let you import them so you can play them through iTunes and Music on your computers and devices.

2) Music you've purchased from iTunes. In theory these are yours (only and always yours) to enjoy forever. However, nothing is perfect and some tracks occationally disappear from iTunes. This does not effect the songs you've already downloaded, but it does prevent you from re-downloading them if you happen to lose your local copies. These, in theory could be taken away from you. I don't think Apple would ever do this, at least not willingly; but the future is never a sure thing.

3) Apple Music's streaming service. An all you can eat service, everything in the iTunes library is yours to listen to, so long as you keep up your subscription. You can't really call this holding your library for ransom, because it's never your library in the first place. It's their library, that you're paying to access.

The import options is the oldest, and how those of us who started with the orginal iPod's started our libraries (there was no iTunes Store). In theory, these songs are safe from deletion. They are legaly yours (so long as you do not lose the original media or license). In practice, iTunes can sometimes replace them with tracks from the iTunes store. This was what the original iTunes Match did, in order to make them more streamable and easier to sync accross devices. Well intentioned, it occationally lost the original track in iTunes.

My recomendation is, if you want to use iTunes and Music to sync and play your non-iTunes music, do so. It's a good player and service. But also keep a copy of your original library somewhere else, preferably on a different computer or disk drive. That way if something happens all you have to do is delete your iTunes library, and re-import. Or if that becomes unacceptable, there are other apps and services you can migrate to.