cmus

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cmus is a small, fast, and powerful console music player for Unix-like operating systems.

Installation

USE flags

USE flags for media-sound/cmus Ncurses based music player with plugin support for many formats

+flac Add support for FLAC: Free Lossless Audio Codec
+mad Add support for mad (high-quality mp3 decoder library and cli frontend)
+unicode Add support for Unicode
+vorbis Add support for the OggVorbis audio codec
aac Enable support for MPEG-4 AAC Audio
alsa Add support for media-libs/alsa-lib (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture)
ao Use libao audio output library for sound playback
cddb Access cddb servers to retrieve and submit information about compact disks
cdio Use libcdio for CD support
debug Enable extra debug codepaths, like asserts and extra output. If you want to get meaningful backtraces see https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Quality_Assurance/Backtraces
discid Enable reading the ID of the inserted CD
elogind Enable MPRIS support via sys-auth/elogind
examples Install examples, usually source code
ffmpeg Enable ffmpeg/libav-based audio/video codec support
jack Add support for the JACK Audio Connection Kit
libsamplerate Build with support for converting sample rates using libsamplerate
mikmod Add libmikmod support to allow playing of SoundTracker-style music files
modplug Add libmodplug support for playing SoundTracker-style music files
mp4 Support for MP4 container format
musepack Enable support for the musepack audio codec
opus Enable Opus audio codec support
oss Add support for OSS (Open Sound System)
pidgin Install support script for net-im/pidgin
pulseaudio Add sound server support via media-libs/libpulse (may be PulseAudio or PipeWire)
sndio Add support for media-sound/sndio
systemd Enable MPRIS support via sys-apps/systemd
tremor Use libivorbis from media-libs/tremor instead of media-libs/libvorbis
wavpack Add support for wavpack audio compression tools
Data provided by the Gentoo Package Database · Last update: 2024-10-30 11:54 More information about USE flags

Emerge

root #emerge --ask media-sound/cmus

Usage

Starting Cmus

When launching cmus (just type cmus in a terminal and press Enter) it will open to the album/artist view, which looks something like this: 

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Artist / Album             Track                            Library |
|                          |                                          |
|                          |                                          |
|                          |                                          |
|                          |                                          |
|                          |                                          |
|                          |                                          |
|                          |                                          |
|                                                                     |
| . 00:00 - 00:00 vol: 100                     all from library | C   |
|                                                                     |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
Note
This is the default view where artists and albums will be displayed.

Adding Music

To add music to the cmus library, press 5 to switch to the file-browser view.

Note
In the file-browser view, browse through files and directories, and add music files or entire folders to the library.

Playing Tracks From The Library

To start playing tracks from the library, press 2 to go to the simple library view. 

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Artist / Album            Track                              Library|
| The Beatles              | Come Together                     04:18  |
|                          | Something                         03:02  |
|                          | Maxwell's Silver Hammer           03:27  |
|                          | Oh! Darling                       03:26  |
|                          | Octopus's Garden                  02:51  |
|                          | Here Comes The Sun                03:05  |
|                          | Because                           02:45  |
|                          | You Never Give Me Your Money      04:02  |
|                          | Sun King                          02:26  |
| . 00:00 - 47:49 vol: 100                     all from library | C   |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+

To control the playback, the following keys can be used:

  • Press C to pause/unpause.
  • Press →/← to seek by 10 seconds.

Settings

Cmus offers a variety of customizable settings. Press 7 to go to the settings menu where settings can be changed, new keys bound, and colors changed. 

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Settings                                                            |
| aaa_mode                                 all                        |
| altformat_current                        %F                         |
| altformat_playlist                       %f%= %d                    |
| altformat_title                          %f                         |
| ltformat_trackwin                        %f%= %d                    |
| auto_expand_albums_follow                true                       |
|                                                                     |
| . 00:00 - 2:16:25 vol: 100                                          |
|                                                                     |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
Note
The continue, repeat, and shuffle options allow playback to be controlled in various ways, such as continuing to the next track, repeating the current track or playlist, or playing tracks in a random order.

Keys

Changing views

  • Press 1 for the library view.
  • Press 3 for the playlist view.
  • Press 4 for the play queue view.
  • Press 6 for the live filter view.
  • Press 8 for the browser view.

Navigation and track selection

  • Press J or ↓ to move down.
  • Press K or ↑ to move up.
  • Press L or → to enter directory or play selected track.
  • Press H or ← to navigate to the parent directory.
  • Press ENTER to add selected track or all tracks in selected directory to play queue.

Volume control

  • Press - to lower the volume.
  • Press + to raise the volume.

Searching

  • Press / followed by the search term and ENTER to search.
  • Press n to move to the next match.
  • Press N to move to the previous match.

Playback control

  • Press B to play the next track in the playlist.
  • Press Z to play the previous track in the playlist.
  • Press X to stop playing.
  • Press V to show/hide the status window.
  • Press SPACE to toggle play/pause.

Managing playlists and queues

  • Press U to update the database.
  • Press E to clear the play queue.
  • Press SHIFT+Y to add all tracks in the library view to the play queue.
  • Press Y to add all tracks in the current view to the play queue.

Configuration

Documented default settings for cmus with detailed descriptions.

For alternative values, please refer to the cmus manual. Additionally, provided a comprehensive table showcasing all available settings.

Config Option Value Description
aaa_mode all Sets the behavior for the 'a' key. 'all' plays the current track and adds the whole album to the playlist.
altformat_current %F Specifies the alternative format for the current track.
altformat_playlist %f%= %d Sets the alternative format for the playlist view.
altformat_title %f Specifies the alternative format for the title line.
altformat_trackwin %f%= %d Sets the alternative format for the track window.
auto_expand_albums_follow true Automatically expands albums when using the 'follow' command.
auto_expand_albums_search true Automatically expands albums when searching.
auto_expand_albums_selcur true Automatically expands albums when selecting the current track.
auto_reshuffle true Automatically reshuffles the playlist after reaching the end.
buffer_seconds 10 Specifies the number of seconds to buffer for gapless playback.
fset 90s date>=1990&date<2000 Defines a filter set named '90s' to match tracks with a date between 1990 and 1999.
fset classical genre="Classical" Defines a filter set named 'classical' to match tracks with the genre "Classical".
fset missing-tag album=""|title=""|tracknumber=-1|date=-1) Defines a filter set named 'missing-tag' to match tracks with missing tags.
fset mp3 filename="*.mp3" Defines a filter set named 'mp3' to match tracks with the .mp3 file extension.
fset ogg filename="*.ogg" Defines a filter set named 'ogg' to match tracks with the .ogg file extension.
fset ogg-or-mp3 mp3 Defines a filter set named 'ogg-or-mp3' to match tracks with either the .ogg or .mp3 file extension.
fset unheard play_count=0 Defines a filter set named 'unheard' to match tracks with a play count of 0.
factivate Activates the last defined filter set.
input.aac.priority 50 Sets the priority for AAC audio files.
input.cue.priority 50 Sets the priority for CUE sheet files.
input.flac.priority 50 Sets the priority for FLAC audio files.
input.mad.priority 55 Sets the priority for MP3 audio files using the MAD plugin.
input.mp4.priority 50 Sets the priority for MP4 audio files.
input.vorbis.priority 50 Sets the priority for Ogg Vorbis audio files.
input.wav.priority 50 Sets the priority for WAV audio files.
lib_add_filter Specifies additional filtering rules for the library.
lib_sort Sets the sorting rules for the library view.
mixer.alsa.channel Specifies the ALSA mixer channel to use for volume control.
mixer.alsa.device Specifies the ALSA mixer device to use for volume control.
mixer.pulse.restore_volume 1 Specifies whether to restore the volume level when restarting cmus with the PulseAudio output plugin.
mouse true Enables mouse support.
mpris true Enables support for the MPRIS D-Bus interface.
output_plugin pulse Sets the output plugin for audio playback.
passwd Sets the password for connecting to password-protected streams.
pause_on_output_change false Specifies whether to pause playback when changing the output plugin.
pl_sort Specifies the sorting rules for the playlist view.
play_library true Enables playback from the library.
play_sorted false Enables playback from the sorted view.
repeat false Enables repeat mode.
repeat_current false Enables repeat current track mode.
replaygain disabled Sets the replay gain mode.
replaygain_limit true Specifies whether to apply the replay gain limit.
replaygain_preamp 0.000000 Sets the replay gain pre-amplification level.
resume false Enables resume playback from the last position.
rewind_offset 5 Sets the rewind offset in seconds.
scroll_offset 2 Sets the scroll offset for lists and windows.
set_term_title true Sets the terminal window title.
show_all_tracks true Specifies whether to show all tracks in the library view.
show_current_bitrate false Specifies whether to display the current bitrate in the status line.
show_hidden false Specifies whether to show hidden files and directories.
show_playback_position true Specifies whether to display the playback position in the status line.
show_remaining_time false Specifies whether to display the remaining time in the status line.
shuffle off Sets the shuffle mode.
skip_track_info false Specifies whether to skip track information when available.
smart_artist_sort true Enables smart sorting for artist names.
softvol false Enables software volume control.
softvol_state 0 0 Sets the initial software volume control state.
start_view tree Sets the initial view when starting cmus.
status_display_program Specifies a custom program to display the status line.
stop_after_queue false Specifies whether to stop playback after the queue has been played.
time_show_leading_zero true Specifies whether to show leading zeros in time displays.
tree_width_max 0 Sets the maximum width of the tree view.
tree_width_percent 33 Sets the width percentage for the tree view.
wrap_search true Specifies whether to wrap around when searching.
device /dev/cdrom Sets the device to use for CD playback.
display_artist_sort_name false Specifies whether to display the artist's sort name instead of the artist name.
dsp.alsa.device Specifies the ALSA device to use for audio output.
follow false Sets the behavior for the 'f' key. 'false' disables auto-following.
icecast_default_charset ISO-8859-1 Sets the default character set for Icecast streams.
id3_default_charset ISO-8859-1 Sets the default character set for ID3 tags.
confirm_run true Enables confirmation prompt before executing shell commands.
continue true Enables continuous playback when reaching the end of the playlist.
continue_album true Enables continuous playback when reaching the end of an album.

Colors

In Cmus, a custom theme can be specified by 'theme_name' or by editing the colors directly in the ~/.config/cmus/autosave file. Alternatively, the 7 key can be pressed in the player to open the settings, and if the mouse is enabled, right-click to generate the setting in the command line. Alternatively, navigate to the option in the list and press Enter. For certain settings, press the tab key after selecting the option and delete the current value to display alternatives.

Below are all the possible options with explanations. Colors can be selected by their names, such as 'red', or by the corresponding ANSI color codes from 0 to 256.

  • 0: Black
  • 1: Red
  • 2: Green
  • 3: Yellow
  • 4: Blue
  • 5: Magenta
  • 6: Cyan
  • 7: White

When using ANSI color codes ranging from 1 to 256 to specify colors, it can be helpful to display a list of possible colors. To display a list, copy and paste the following code into the terminal:

CODE Color printing example (ANSI)
awk 'BEGIN {
    for (n = 1; n <= 256; n++)
        printf "\033[38;5;%dm%3d\033[0m%s", n, n, (n % 16 ? " " : "\n")
}'
Configuration options
Config option Value Description
color_cmdline_attr default Sets the attribute color for the command line.
color_cmdline_bg default Sets the background color for the command line.
color_cmdline_fg default Sets the foreground color for the command line.
color_cur_sel_attr default Sets the attribute color for the currently selected item.
color_error lightred Sets the color for error messages.
color_info lightyellow Sets the color for informational messages.
color_separator blue Sets the color for separators.
color_statusline_attr default Sets the attribute color for the status line.
color_statusline_bg gray Sets the background color for the status line.
color_statusline_fg black Sets the foreground color for the status line.
color_titleline_attr default Sets the attribute color for the title line.
color_titleline_bg blue Sets the background color for the title line.
color_titleline_fg white Sets the foreground color for the title line.
color_trackwin_album_attr bold Sets the attribute color for the album name in the track window.
color_trackwin_album_bg default Sets the background color for the album name in the track window.
color_trackwin_album_fg default Sets the foreground color for the album name in the track window.
color_win_attr default Sets the attribute color for the windows.
color_win_bg default Sets the background color for the windows.
color_win_cur lightyellow Sets the color for the currently selected item in the windows.
color_win_cur_attr default Sets the attribute color for the currently selected item in the windows.
color_win_cur_sel_attr default Sets the attribute color for the currently selected and playing item in the windows.
color_win_cur_sel_bg blue Sets the background color for the currently selected and playing item in the windows.
color_win_cur_sel_fg lightyellow Sets the foreground color for the currently selected and playing item in the windows.
color_win_dir lightblue Sets the color for directories in the windows.
color_win_fg default Sets the foreground color for the windows.
color_win_inactive_cur_sel_attr default Sets the attribute color for the inactive currently selected and playing item in the windows.
color_win_inactive_cur_sel_bg gray Sets the background color for the inactive currently selected and playing item in the windows.
color_win_inactive_cur_sel_fg lightyellow Sets the foreground color for the inactive currently selected and playing item in the windows.
color_win_inactive_sel_attr default Sets the attribute color for the inactive selected item in the windows.
color_win_inactive_sel_bg gray Sets the background color for the inactive selected item in the windows.
color_win_inactive_sel_fg black Sets the foreground color for the inactive selected item in the windows.
color_win_sel_attr default Sets the attribute color for the selected item in the windows.
color_win_sel_bg blue Sets the background color for the selected item in the windows.
color_win_sel_fg white Sets the foreground color for the selected item in the windows.
color_win_title_attr default Sets the attribute color for the window titles.
color_win_title_bg blue Sets the background color for the window titles.
color_win_title_fg white Sets the foreground color for the window titles.

The playlist

The playlist works like another library (like view 2) except that (like the queue) you manually set the order of the tracks. This can be quite useful when creating a mix of specific tracks or to listen to an audio book without having the chapters when playing "all from library".

The playlist is on view 3. But before we go there, let's add some tracks. Press 2 to go to the simple library view, go to a desired track and press Y to add it to the playlist. The visual feedback will present the highlighting of the track and the cursor will move down one row. Select a few more tracks for a working list.

Now press 3 to go to the playlist.

Just like the queue, use the P, SHIFT+P, and SHIFT+D keys to move and delete tracks from the playlist.

Note
Changing the view (e.g., by pressing 3) does not affect what cmus will play next. To put cmus into "play from the playlist" mode, press ENTER on one of the tracks in the playlist. To switch modes without interrupting the currently-playing song, you can press SHIFT+M.

Search

Press 2 to be sure the simple library view is shown, then press / to start a search. Type a word or two from the track to be queried. cmus will search for all tracks that have all those words in their titles. Press ENTER to get the keyboard out of the search command, and N to find the next match.

Tree view

Press 1 to select the tree view. Scroll to the artist, press SPACE to show their albums, scroll to the desired album, then press TAB so the keyboard controls the right column. Press TAB again to get back to the left column.

Quit

When done, type :q and press Enter to quit. This will save the settings, library, playlist, and queue.

See also

  • VLC — a wildly popular, cross platform video player and streamer.
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