Play sound without launching media player

  • Thread starter Thread starter Peter Davis
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Peter Davis

How do I play a WAV file I have got in a folder *without* launching a media
player?

Most of the warning sounds XP uses do not need a media player to be
launched. How can I test my WAVs using the same method of playback?
 
| "Peter Davis" <[email protected]>
| Message | How do I play a WAV file I have got in a folder *without*
| launching a media player?
|
| Most of the warning sounds XP uses do not need a media player
| to be launched. How can I test my WAVs using the same method
| of playback?

If, for example, the WAV is named:

e:\helpmeet.wav

Click Start, click Run, type the following command and click OK:

sndrec32.exe /embedding /play /close e:\helpmeet.wav

Thanks to the Scripting Expert "Torgeir Bakken (MVP)" for the
above command.

REFERENCE:

From: "Torgeir Bakken (MVP)" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win2000.general
Subject: Re: Play sound in command prompt
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 01:27:42 +0100
Message-ID: (e-mail address removed)
 
Peter said:
How do I play a WAV file I have got in a folder *without* launching a
media player?

Most of the warning sounds XP uses do not need a media player to be
launched. How can I test my WAVs using the same method of playback?
Click to expand...

You can also open Control Panel/Sounds and Audio Devices/Sounds Tab. Select
any system event and click the Browse Button. Browse to the folder and
select the .wav file. Click the small Srrow button next to the Browse button
to play the file. You can make this file an option in the drop down list of
sounds by placing it in the C:\Windows\Media folder.

--
Regards,

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
http://www.dts-l.org
http://www.mvps.org
 
Ronnie Vernon MVP said:
You can also open Control Panel/Sounds and Audio
Devices/Sounds Tab. Select any system event and click the
Browse Button. Browse to the folder and select the .wav file.
Click the small Srrow button next to the Browse button to play
the file. You can make this file an option in the drop down
list of sounds by placing it in the C:\Windows\Media folder.
Click to expand...


That is ingenious, thank you, but it's not quite what I want.

What I really want is to double click a WAV file and hear what it sounds
like.
 
Carrie Garth said:
| "Peter Davis" <[email protected]>
| Message | How do I play a WAV file I have got in a folder *without*
| launching a media player?
|
| Most of the warning sounds XP uses do not need a media player
| to be launched. How can I test my WAVs using the same method of
| playback?


If, for example, the WAV is named:
e:\helpmeet.wav

Click Start, click Run, type the following command and click OK:

sndrec32.exe /embedding /play /close e:\helpmeet.wav
Click to expand...


This seems quite promising.

What I would like to do is play the WAV file by double-clicking the file.

I used file associations and associated WAV with "sndrec32.exe". But when
I double click a WAV file then XP just launches sndrec32.exe. Then I need
to press 'Play' to actually hear the sound.

I don't really want the player to launch nor do I want to press anything.

How can I get the file association to include the parameters you gave me so
that I end up with:

sndrec32.exe /embedding /play /close e:\helpmeet.wav

Can anyone advise?
 
Peter said:
That is ingenious, thank you, but it's not quite what I want.

What I really want is to double click a WAV file and hear what it
sounds like.
Click to expand...

To do this, you must have a player initiated to play the file. You could
associate the .wav files with the Sound Recorder (sndrec32.exe) which has a
much smaller footprint than the Media Player and will consequently initiate
and play the file much faster.

About the closest you can get to what you are asking for would be to create
a shortcut to the C:\Windows\System32\sndrec32.exe file and place it on the
Desktop. Right click this shortcut and select Properties, Shortcut Tab.
Change the path in the Target Line to read:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\sndrec32.exe /play /close

Double lick the shortcut and click the Browse button, point it to the folder
where you normally keep your .wav files and double click one of the files to
play. You will only need to do this one time to make this the default folder
to open.

This will require you to double click the shortcut which will automatically
display your sounds folder, and then double click the .wav file to open
Sound Recorder / Play the file / Close.
--
Regards,

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
http://www.dts-l.org
http://www.mvps.org
 
That it really genius. Great
To do this, you must have a player initiated to play the file. You could
associate the .wav files with the Sound Recorder (sndrec32.exe) which has a
much smaller footprint than the Media Player and will consequently initiate
and play the file much faster.

About the closest you can get to what you are asking for would be to create
a shortcut to the C:\Windows\System32\sndrec32.exe file and place it on the
Desktop. Right click this shortcut and select Properties, Shortcut Tab.
Change the path in the Target Line to read:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\sndrec32.exe /play /close

Double lick the shortcut and click the Browse button, point it to the folder
where you normally keep your .wav files and double click one of the files to
play. You will only need to do this one time to make this the default folder
to open.

This will require you to double click the shortcut which will automatically
display your sounds folder, and then double click the .wav file to open
Sound Recorder / Play the file / Close.
--
Regards,

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
http://www.dts-l.org
http://www.mvps.org
Click to expand...
 
| Peter Davis wrote:
| >
| >> Peter Davis wrote:
| >>> How do I play a WAV file I have got in a folder *without*
| >>> launching a media player?
| >>>
| >>> Most of the warning sounds XP uses do not need a media player
| >>> to be launched. How can I test my WAVs using the same method
| >>> of playback?
| >
| >> You can also open Control Panel/Sounds and Audio
| >> Devices/Sounds Tab. Select any system event and click the
| >> Browse Button. Browse to the folder and select the .wav file.
| >> Click the small Srrow button next to the Browse button to play
| >> the file. You can make this file an option in the drop down
| >> list of sounds by placing it in the C:\Windows\Media folder.
| >
| > That is ingenious, thank you, but it's not quite what I want.
| >
| > What I really want is to double click a WAV file and hear what it
| > sounds like.
|
| To do this, you must have a player initiated to play the file. You could
| associate the .wav files with the Sound Recorder (sndrec32.exe) which has a
| much smaller footprint than the Media Player and will consequently initiate
| and play the file much faster.
|
| About the closest you can get to what you are asking for would be to create
| a shortcut to the C:\Windows\System32\sndrec32.exe file and place it on the
| Desktop. Right click this shortcut and select Properties, Shortcut Tab.
| Change the path in the Target Line to read:
| C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\sndrec32.exe /play /close
|
| Double lick the shortcut and click the Browse button, point it to the folder
| where you normally keep your .wav files and double click one of the files to
| play. You will only need to do this one time to make this the default folder
| to open.
|
| This will require you to double click the shortcut which will automatically
| display your sounds folder, and then double click the .wav file to open
| Sound Recorder / Play the file / Close.
| --
| Regards,
|
| Ronnie Vernon
| Microsoft MVP
| Windows Shell/User
|
| Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
| http://www.dts-l.org
| http://www.mvps.org

Much easier to do it via Folder options
 
A much easier way... (no player "visible")

Windows Explorer
Tools
Folder Options
File Types
WAV
Advanced
New

- - -New File Type- - -
Action: Hear
Application: sndrec32.exe /embedding /Play "%L" /Close
[y] Use DDE
DDE Message:
Application: sndrec32
DDE Application Not Running:
Topic: System

OK
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Set Default
OK
Close



| That it really genius. Great
|
| > > .............What I really want is to double click a WAV file and hear
| what it sounds like.
|
| > To do this, you must have a player initiated to play the file. You could
| > associate the .wav files with the Sound Recorder (sndrec32.exe) which has
| a> much smaller footprint than the Media Player and will consequently
| initiate and play the file much faster.
| >
| > About the closest you can get to what you are asking for would be to
| create a shortcut to the C:\Windows\System32\sndrec32.exe file and place it on
| the Desktop. Right click this shortcut and select Properties, Shortcut Tab.
| > Change the path in the Target Line to read:
| > C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\sndrec32.exe /play /close
| >
| > Double lick the shortcut and click the Browse button, point it to the
| folder where you normally keep your .wav files and double click one of the files
| to play. You will only need to do this one time to make this the default
| folder to open.
| >
| > This will require you to double click the shortcut which will
| automatically display your sounds folder, and then double click the .wav file to open
| > Sound Recorder / Play the file / Close.
| > --
| > Regards,
| >
| > Ronnie Vernon
| > Microsoft MVP
 
Windows Explorer
Tools
Folder Options
File Types
WAV
Advanced
New

- - -New File Type- - -
Action: Hear
Application: sndrec32.exe /embedding /Play "%L" /Close
[y] Use DDE
DDE Message:
Application: sndrec32
DDE Application Not Running:
Topic: System

OK
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Set Default
OK
Close


|
| >| "Peter Davis" <[email protected]>
| >| Message | >| How do I play a WAV file I have got in a folder *without*
| >| launching a media player?
| >|
| >| Most of the warning sounds XP uses do not need a media player
| >| to be launched. How can I test my WAVs using the same method of
| >| playback?
|
|
|
| > If, for example, the WAV is named:
| > e:\helpmeet.wav
| >
| > Click Start, click Run, type the following command and click OK:
| >
| > sndrec32.exe /embedding /play /close e:\helpmeet.wav
|
|
| This seems quite promising.
|
| What I would like to do is play the WAV file by double-clicking the file.
|
| I used file associations and associated WAV with "sndrec32.exe". But when
| I double click a WAV file then XP just launches sndrec32.exe. Then I need
| to press 'Play' to actually hear the sound.
|
| I don't really want the player to launch nor do I want to press anything.
|
| How can I get the file association to include the parameters you gave me so
| that I end up with:
|
| sndrec32.exe /embedding /play /close e:\helpmeet.wav
|
| Can anyone advise?
 
anonymouse said:
Windows Explorer
Tools
Folder Options
File Types
WAV
Advanced
New

- - -New File Type- - -
Action: Hear
Application: sndrec32.exe /embedding /Play "%L" /Close
[y] Use DDE
DDE Message:
Application: sndrec32
DDE Application Not Running:
Topic: System

OK
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Set Default
OK
Close
Click to expand...


I have been trying your method. Thwe firsth to get over is the lack of an
ADVANCED button on the window for the WAV file type. Hewever, when i press
restore default then my WMP8 takes over and the edit button is there.

I can overwrite the WMP8 info with the path to sndrec32.dll and now I can
add the parameters of /embedding and /play into the box which appears whe I
press ADVANCED. i edit the entry for PLAY. So far so good and wear
saynght same thing.

Now we differ. I keep action as "&Play" (no quotes). I enable DDE. My
application box entry is as follows:

C:\WINDOWS\Sndrec32.exe /embedding /play /close %1

anmd there is nothing in DDE Message, DDE application not running and in
the Topic box is the word "system".

All works very nicely.

BTW I installed player called "1by1" (or One By One if you orfere) which is
totally free and very small at 54KB. From http://www.mpesch3.de/. It
advantage is that it will play individual WAV files but through its odd
interface it will paly whole series of WAV files one after the other so you
can hear what they are like.

You will need to get some DLLs from WINAMP but that is easy enough even
though it's an unconventional step to take.

Hope this helps someone.


Peter



[groups widened to include freeware group whose website steered me to 1by1]
 
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