Because the files on the Phish Sounds Page are culled from many different sources, they are presented in many different formats. This can be a problem, if your computer is not equipped with the software to handle them (browser configuration is another big issue, but I'll get into that at a later date). Due to many questions about where people can find players for all of these different sounds, I created this page. I'm starting off by listing only players for Mac and Windows; if demand indicates it, I will compile a Unix section as well (but I think the hard core people who use Unix wouldn't need help). We'll start with Mike Gordon's platform of choice...
By far, the best sound player/converter for the Macintosh is Norman Franke's SoundApp. It can play nearly ANY sound you can find on the web, including sounds produced by programs that never made it out of the 80s. Here's the complete rundown from the SoundApp homepage:
The following sound file formats are supported: SoundApp can convert all of these formats to System 7 sound and
sound suitcase (linear, µ-law, MACE-3, MACE-6 and IMA encodings),
AIFF (linear, µ-law, MACE-3, MACE-6 and IMA encodings), WAVE
(linear, µ-law, a-law and IMA encodings), Sun Audio and NeXT
(linear, µ-law and a-law encodings), Sound Designer II, QuickTime
(linear, µ-law, MACE-3, MACE-6 and IMA encodings) and PSION
formats. SoundApp also supports generic QuickTime conversion, which
allows any QuickTime-recognized format to be converted to a QuickTime
movie file. This feature is provided as a convenience, as it is
entirely handled via QuickTime.
The amazing thing about SoundApp, however, is that it is completely free. No shareware fees, no demo mode that plays 5 seconds of a sound and stops. Download it today!
The one file type that SoundApp is unable to play is RealAudio. This is no fault of Norman Franke, just an example of RealAudio trying to make a buck. You can find their player here.
Also, SoundApp isn't called MovieApp for a reason. It can't play Quicktime movies. If you use a Mac, however, this should be no problem. A program called MoviePlayer should already be on your computer. If it isn't, head over to Apple's Quicktime Site and download yourself a copy.
Hart Shafer, an employee of Syntrillium Software and a Phish fan, e-mailed me to let me know that his company makes a good sharware Windows sounds player. It's called Cool Edit, and can be downloaded from the Cool Edit homepage.
If anyone would like to make a suggestion for another Windows sound player, drop me a line.
Download WinAmp for all of your MPEG Audio needs. You can't go wrong with this one.
Download and install RealPlayer.
Go to Apple's Quicktime Site and download the Windows version of the quicktime software. You may already have this software on your computer; it is installed with many CD-ROM programs.