I’m currently switching between two OS X mp3 players because I can’t decide which to stick with. iTunes 3 has several features I’m really fond of, but there’s also Audion, which I’ve used for years.

iTunes 3 is usable with Applescript, which is a huge plus. That’s what powers Kung Tunes, the script I’m using to display the last track played on iTunes in my sidebar. There are heaps and piles of other iTunes scripts, too, for just about everything else you could think of. It’s also got smart playlists, which let you dictate the contents of any given list based on factors like the filename, tags, or rating you’ve given the song. I’ve currently set up my Rasputina playlist, for example, such that it contains all songs whose filenames begin with “rasputina” or who have Rasputina as their artist tag. I like smart playlists a lot.

However, iTunes is also a pain in the ass to use. Like the other iApplications, you have to import files into a Library rather than just browsing from directories. If you don’t turn off the Preference to “keep iTunes music folder organized,” it will apply its own naming convention to the contents of your mp3 directory. This was a particular peeve with me; I’m somewhat fanatical about preserving my own naming conventions. Not to mention the fact that it uses the file’s tags to create the new filenames - so if something was ripped badly, it gets renamed “Untitled” or “Unknown Artist” or something equally descriptive. It’s also ugly as sin and only very slightly skinnable.

I switched to Audion a couple of years ago primarily because it’s very skinnable, as their collection of faces shows off. It’s easy to make it as gorgeous or unnoticeable as you want, or both. It’s also a very competent player, prettiness aside. The new version allows for greater flexibility with encoding, crossfades between songs, display, whatever. I’ve used it as my alarm clock for at least a couple years, too. If you like the iTunes library, it’s easy to create something similar with Audion’s linked playlists - you can link a playlist to your top level mp3 directory without even importing everything, and it will never ever touch your filenames.

However, Audion is not scriptable. This never used to bother me until I got used to things like Kung Tunes; now it seems very strange and slightly irritating. It also lacks smart playlists - linked playlists are almost as good in many cases, but I wouldn’t be able to replicate things like my Rasputina list.

So which one should claim its spot as my primary player? Right now, I’m leaning towards Audion. I’d really like to see scriptability and smart playlists in a future version, though. Then I’d run away with it and have ten thousand of its little Audion babies.