Real-life Winamp, modder builds player with retro vibe

All the vibe of the legendary music player Winampan absolute success between the mid-90s and 2000, was revived by a modder who created a music player that uses an interface reminiscent of the classic skin of the software launched in 1997 by Nullsoft.

The rescue of good old Winamp

Baptized Linamp, the device has a 7.9-inch touch-sensitive IPS screen, connected via HDMI and USB, so that the user can interact with the interface buttons. Everything in the style of the renowned Winamp interface.

“Winamp was one of my first exposures to music on computers. (The first was probably Mac OS 7 CD Audio Player, which had a similar appearance).

Since then, I’ve always liked the default skin that comes with Winamp and I loved the bar spectrum analyzer.”says Rodrigo Méndez, author of the project.

Initially, Rodrigo wanted to use physical buttons, printed in 3D, but he couldn’t find screens that left enough space to fit the buttons into the structure.

Linamp supports all the most common audio formats, such as MP3, FLAC, M4. Inside the case, we find the base of the project, a Raspberry Pi 4, complemented by a 32 GB SD card. The operating system is a Linux distro called DietPi, which is used precisely in embedded solutions.

Thanks to Méndez’s programming efforts, the system received a playlist, spectrum analyzer, and file information. All the functions that the original Winamp had. The app is custom Qt 6 written in C++ with Qt Widgets.

The Linamp also has Ethernet, 3.5 mm, USB-C and USB -A connections.

In this linkthe author of the project details the entire design process of this player.

The new Winamp

In 2019, after a period of decline, the platform was relaunched and continued to receive updates. Currently, traditional Winamp has 83 million userswith Brazil representing the largest share, with 10.3%.

The aim of the new online version of Winamp is to achieve 250 million users globally. The platform has been completely redesigned and, unlike the classic player, does not have the famous customizable skins and equalizer. The proposal is to offer a space for artists and content creators to connect with their fans and monetize their productions.

Classic Winamp, the software that won over crowds, will become open-source from September 24, 2024. A new mobile version will also be released. Scheduled for July.