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DESCRIPTION
X-Tunes is a free, fast and uninstrusive utility to control iTunes™ playback without bringing the iTunes™ window to the foreground. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

X-Tunes does not display a window permanently on screen, but only while you press a given key combination (Ctrl+Space by default). This window appears in front of all applications so you can click on its buttons while remaining in the current application.

As soon as you release the key combination, the window disappears smoothly.

WHAT'S NEW
Version 2.0: Rewritten as a universal binary for Mac OS X Tiger & Leopard
REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.4 or later.


SCREENSHOT

Developer:Pierre-Olivier Latour
Downloads:13,583
  - Version d/l:2,984
Home & Personal:Music
License:Free
Date:17 Jun 2008
Platform:PPC/Intel
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X-Tunes User Reviews (24 posts)Write A Review
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Jun 17 2008

MACUPDATE ADMIN  Wow, I thought this was dead dead dead for sure. Thanks to the dev for reviving it, it was my fave... time to check it out again.  
(Version 2.0)

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Jun 17 2008

EUSKIR  Yes, one of the best iTunes controllers from all times...  
(Version 2.0)

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Sep 20 2007

DSTAUDIGEL  This software is AWESOME. I love X-Tunes. Unfortunately, it doesn't work so hot with Intel macs. Some people have come up with some creative ways (that I have been using for the past few months). Having gotten tired of this, I devised my own solution involving Quicksilver:

http://mountainmandan.net/2007/09/20/x-tunes-with-quicksilver/  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Mar 2 2007

ANDREAS FISCHLIN  There is a possibility to get x-Tunes working on an Intel Mac, though the preference pane won't work anymore.

Simply control-double click the preference pane "X-Tunes.prefPane" (Show Package Content) and navigate to 'Contents/Resources/X-Tunes Daemon.app'. The application "X-Tunes Daemon.app" is the core application of X-Tunes and runs fine even on an Intel Mac. To have it opened automatically simply drag and drop it to your Login Items (Menu command: System Preferences... -> Accounts -> Login Items".

Anything else like the help etc. needs of course also to be accessed the same way (control-double click the preference pane "X-Tunes.prefPane" - Show Package Content, 'X-Tunes.prefPane/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Help.rtf').

To avoid inadvertent opening of the preference pane, simply don't keep "X-Tunes.prefPane" in the usual location, i.e. '~/Library/PreferencePanes'.

Customizing preferences is of course the most tricky part and requires to edit '~/Library/Preferences/X-Tunes Preferences.plist'. I don't have the time to go into that and alternatively suggest to stick to the default preferences and then to make sure that no other system preference is stealing away the main trigger for X-Tunes, i.e. Command-Space_Bar. Check it out that this is not the case by menu command "System Preferences... -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts". Uncheck any application such as Apple's "Input Menu", which steals away the default shortcut of X-Tunes.

This should do to bring back to live one of the niftiest little tools to control music listening.

Andreas Fischlin  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Mar 2 2007

MACUPDATE ADMIN  Sincere thanks for sharing that...  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Oct 2 2006

KLKTRK  Since x-tunes looks dead, I've taken to doing this, to try to emulate its functionality as much as possible.

1) Installed QuickSilver http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14831

2) Installed the iTunes plugin for QuickSilver.

3) Installed Growl (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15979)

4) Installed the Growl plugin for QuickSilver

5) Configured the action keys for the QuickSilver iTunes plugin so I can set the rating on a song, increase/decrease volume, move to the next song, stop playing using keystrokes available from any application. With growl installed, I have it set to post a little transparent notification window for each new song it plays. Alltogether it works great and almost replaces x-tunes.

My keystrokes, for example:

ctrl+opt+cmd+1 rating of one for currently playing song

ctrl+opt+cmd+2 rating of two for currently playing song

ctrl+opt+cmd+3 rating of three for currently playing song

ctrl+opt+cmd+4 rating of four for currently playing song

ctrl+opt+cmd+5 rating of five for currently playing song

ctrl+opt+cmd+0 no rating for currently playing song

ctrl+opt+cmd+. Stop playing

ctrl+opt+cmd+? Show me which song is playing

ctrl+opt+cmd+UPArrow Play the earlier song

ctrl+opt+cmd+DOWNArrow Play the next song

ctrl+opt+cmd+= Increase volume

ctrl+opt+cmd+- Decrease volume

plus, QuickSilver is an amazing application.  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Sep 19 2006

KLKTRK  Actually, it appears the x-tunes daemon DOES load and run on an Intel Mac. However, the preference pane cannot be loaded.

So if you want to install x-tunes on an Intel Mac, just drop the preference pane into your ~/Library/PreferencePanes folder, then if you don't already have a preference file set up that you can copy, copy the below to a text editor and save it to:

~/Library/Preferences/X-Tunes Preferences.plist

You'll have to live with my preferences, I suppose, but it's better than nothing.

Here's the text of the preference list:

enabled

fadeDelay

1.0499999523162842

keyCharacter

keyCode

49

keyModifiers

768

opacity

0.27112668752670288

version

256  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Sep 19 2006

KLKTRK  Ack! I forgot to HTML-proof the plist. Let's try this again.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

<plist version="1.0">

<dict>

<key>enabled</key>

<true/>

<key>fadeDelay</key>

<real>1.0499999523162842</real>

<key>keyCharacter</key>

<string> </string>

<key>keyCode</key>

<integer>49</integer>

<key>keyModifiers</key>

<integer>768</integer>

<key>opacity</key>

<real>0.27112668752670288</real>

<key>version</key>

<integer>256</integer>

</dict>

</plist>  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Oct 2 2006

KLKTRK  Well, now it no longer works. I don't know how it ever did, but I was in heaven for a few weeks, and now I can't get x-tunes to work on my Intel Mac anymore. What a pity.  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Oct 2 2006

KLKTRK  Well, now it no longer works. I don't know how it ever did, but I was in heaven for a few weeks, and now I can't get x-tunes to work on my Intel Mac anymore. What a pity.  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Jul 8 2006

XIEBOB  I always install this app on all of my computers. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work with my new Intel Mac.  
(Version 1.2.6)

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May 24 2005
*****

ANONYMOUS  The best iTunes remote i've ever found - lightweight, simple and works from the keyboard without disturbing your workflow. Perfect for those like me who listen to music when they work. Also, to my Joy, it DOES work with Tiger, at least on my machine in 10.4.1 . This is on the very short list of apps i install straight after putting a new system on a machine, in fact I'm so used to it that i try and use the key-combo to stop/play on other people's machines.  
(Version 1.2.6)

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May 14 2005

MU ADMIN  This is my favorite iTunes utility, I hope it is updated to work with 10.4  
(Version 1.2.6)

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May 14 2005
****½

PUN  love it, but doesn't seem to work with tiger, i couldn't install it.  
(Version 1.2.6)

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Mar 2 2005
*****

ANONYMOUS  All the apps I was trying for a long time, noone was so good like this one, free and great app. Works still and always will do, I love it.  
(Version 1.2.6)

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