Changing the Default CD Player

Question

Level 1

49 points

Changing the Default CD Player

Hi -

Can anyone tell me how to change the default CD player in Tiger - i.e. the application which launches when I double-click a CD track name in the Finder?

I can't seem to change it via the info window - perhaps because the file is on a read-only medium?

Do hope someone can assist, as this is doing my nut in...

Regards -

Gordon k

G5 Dual 2.3, Mac OS X (10.4)

Posted on Dec 4, 2006 7:16 AM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,023 points

Dec 4, 2006 7:43 AM in response to gordon k

Select a similar type of file on your hard drive and press COMMAND-I to open the Get Info window. In the Open With section select the preferred default application from the drop down menu then click on the Change All button. This will change the default player for all such files including those on the CD. If you don't want to change the default player for all such files, then you need to open the desired player and then open the track from the application itself.

And, yes, you cannot change the default for anything that is on a read-only medium such as a CD.

You can also try selecting the desired track then open the contextual menu (CTRL-click or right-click) and select the desired application from the Open With menu.

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Answer 2

gordon k Author

Level 1

49 points

Dec 4, 2006 8:27 AM in response to Kappy

Thanks, the contextual menu thing is a good workaround.

But I still can't help feeling there must be a way for the user to select the default CD player.

When I try it, it tells me I don't have permissions to change the default for the specific file, would I like to change it for all files of that type. I select Yes, but it has no subsequent effect on any files, including the one in question. The only difference is that my player of choice now has "(default)" marked against it in the list!

Heh, the irony of it...

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Answer 3

gordon k Author

Level 1

49 points

Dec 4, 2006 8:37 AM in response to gordon k

An update on this.

Taking things to extremes, I stuck iTunes in the trash, and then double-clicked on a track name. The system didn't ask me to nominate a replacement player, but simply opened the file with QuickTime. I trashed QuickTime, and it opened the file with RealPlayer. Trashed RealPlayer and it opened it with VLC. Trashed VLC and FINALLY (but still without asking me) it opened it with the app I wanted, Audion. All CD tracks when double-clicked now opened with Audion.

Great I thought. Took everything out of the trash. Double-clicked a track.

Back to bleeding iTunes again. I am beginning to feel like John Cleese here 😉

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Answer 4

Duane

Level 10

124,293 points

Dec 4, 2006 9:03 AM in response to gordon k

Checkout RCDefaultApp.

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Answer 5

Dec 4, 2006 9:06 AM in response to gordon k

Try this:

Go to the CD's & DVD's System Preference
In the portion that says "When you open a Music CD", it'll probably say iTunes. Click the drop down menu and choose "Open other Application", from there you should be able to navigate to Audion.

Hope this helps.

Ben

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Answer 6

gordon k Author

Level 1

49 points

Dec 4, 2006 9:42 AM in response to Benjamin Simpson1

Already done that, Ben.

Audion is set to open automatically when I insert a CD - and this works fine.

But if I then double-click on a CD track in the Finder, the system launches iTunes and plays the track with that...

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Answer 7

gordon k Author

Level 1

49 points

Dec 4, 2006 9:45 AM in response to Duane

Ah - nice one. That looks like it could be just what I need.

I'll download it when I get back this evening and see if it does the trick...

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Answer 8

gordon k Author

Level 1

49 points

Dec 4, 2006 11:00 PM in response to gordon k

Coming increasingly to the conclusion that I'm looking at a bug in the operating system here.

I've installed the RCDefault preference pane (thanks Duane - great little app) and set aif, aiff, AIFF and cdda all to default to Audion. But still when I click on a CD track in the Finder, it opens in iTunes.

When I click COMMAND-I to get the Info pane up, the file type shows up as AIFF. The "Open with" menu is set to iTunes, but when I click on this, the list of possible options has "Audion" with "(default)" next to it. So the system recognises that Audion is set as the default for the file type in question, but still opens it with iTunes regardless.

Does anyone know how or why the system overrides the default here?

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Answer 9

Dec 4, 2006 11:24 PM in response to gordon k

You might take a look at this discussion:

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=3624273#3624273

The part that could be relevant is biovizier's solution of doing some radical surgery to launchservices.
Francine

Francine
Schwieder

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Answer 10

gordon k Author

Level 1

49 points

Dec 4, 2006 11:59 PM in response to Francine Schwieder

Thanks Francine.

I'm not really knowledgeable enough about the OS to mess at that level - so it's looking like I'll have to simply open my CD tracks in the playlists section of Audion itself.

Not a great hardship - I just found it impossible to believe the OS doesn't let me change the default CD player. But it's good to believe impossible things. : )

Thanks everyone for your help.

G5 Dual 2.3 Mac OS X (10.4)

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