VB MP3 Decoder - Anyone Interested

Well I'm going to start work on an activeX dll that will have all the functions of winamp. Im basically going to make my own MP3 wave mapper :)

It's going to take a while but would anyone be interested in using it once its complete? I know I'm going to use it myself for my VBAmp project. I've already made one but that was using MCI calls, no REAL RAW code if you know what i mean?

With my current VBAmp I can play, stop, pause, skip, get the KBPS, KHZ, length etc etc, all the things winamp can do, but I'm completly buggered for an eqalizer as there is no way of retrieving the pitch/bass etc as the MCI handles it all and theres no commands or string that will return an MPEG layer 3 pitch rate etc.

Basically what I'm going to do is use a lot of my old code to extract the KHZ, KBPS etc which the dll will return, so thats nothing to worry about, its already done. Anyway on to the nasty stuff. I'm going to use the 'WaveOut' series of API's to map the MP3 to a wave header and play it etc. I already know how to retirve the binary/byte information from the MP3 file and convert it to a wave format that can be mapped, its just going to take a lot of work but I sooooo want to prove that VB can make an MP3 player just as well as C++ and use NO external OCX's or bloody crap like that from MS :)

I sick and tired of using OCX's for stuff that I cant be bothered to do, I'd rather code it myself, that way you get MUCH more control over it, as all your budding programmers out there would know (hence me not being able to create an equalizer due to the crap MCI).

So if anyones interested in using this or even mabey helping me a little bit then get in contact with me, I'm sure you'll find a way :)

Come on lads this is a BIG project I'll need some reasurance :)

Well I do know a fair ammount of C++, so I might just try the latter

Did you already find how to decode an MPEG frame or are you using MCI calls to play the MP3 files?

Well actually you might've seen the "Real MPEG Layer III Spec" made by me, in short I'm trying this too. If I find anything helpful, I'll be sure to give it to you. Could you do the same for me?

Right now, this is the only site I've found...

http://www.mp3-tech.org/

my old vbamp uses crap mci calls, but im talking about decoding and mp3 frame (including the header) with pure VB code

I'm trying to do that too! So far this is what I've found:

Header [algorithm] http://www.dv.co.yu/mpgscript/mpeghdr.htm
Decompression [C++ Source] http://www.mp3-tech.org/programmer/docs/bsp.zip

Good luck to you.

Already got that info, but thanx a bunch anyway :)

Hello Bazza81, I'm really intersted in your project because I need to add an equalizer in my mp3 player and the only way to do this is with wave buffers in DirectSound8. So I'll do use your Dll when it'll be ready.

I see we've dug up this old thread.

If you're still around Bazza, I wouldn't mind knowing where you got the info on how to decode. I'm stumped on where to find any resources, free or no!

mp3 forever! yes yes codec is good!

During this threads start, I have learnt a great deal of C++. I can make fully working applications now in C++ and I am confident that I can make an MP3 player. I have downloaded freeamp from http://www.freeamp.org and I am currently working on a C++ DLL that will decode MP3 files. Once decoded, another DLL will be used (also coded in C++) to map the mp3 information to a wave header and then play it. Once I have accomplished this, I will then create a NICE frontend in VB which I know quite a few of you lot will help me with. Once the project is completed I will then translate the C++ code in the DLL's into VB and see if VB makes a suitable MP3 decoder/player. Wish me luck!

Is there some problem with just using the activemove control?
It does MP3s and WAVs .... easy and simple....

Activemovie controls - or any controlls for that matter, takes way too much systemresources. You want the player to be as small and resource friendly as possible and then there's only one good way to go - dll's...

But it is also about the principal of the whole thing. Wouldn't it be great to sit there and make a fully functional RAW DATA MP3 decoder / player, then sit back and say, "Hey, I did that". You'd have access to the MP3 decoding algorithm, you could make equalizers, visual plugins and anything else you wanted.

anybody still interested in this?

i'm working on the same thing.