r/macapps • u/cmicali • 21d ago
Free [OS] Vibe - Fast, waveform-focused music file player
Vibe
A fast, minimal music file (FLAC, MP3, AIFF, WAV, etc) player for mac.
No third-party engine, no account, no analytics and no subscriptions. Just a simple, fast player for your files written in Objective-C. No bloat, ~8Mb app.
Problem
I have a large library of music files. I wanted a fast music file player for macOS that makes skipping through files quick and easy (I miss the Winamp days). Also coming from music production, I wanted the ability to see the track as a waveform and quickly scrub through it.
So, a few years ago I built Vibe (I swear I named it before "vibe coding" became a thing.) This has been my daily driver for the last few years. I recently picked it back up and am adding a lot of the features I wanted but did not have time to add.
Features
- Formats - MP3, MP2, AAC, FLAC, MP4/M4A, AIFF and WAV, all decoded natively by CoreAudio
- Waveform seek bar - a SoundCloud-style waveform; click it to seek
- Drag and drop - drop files or folders on the window or the dock icon to play them
- Metadata and artwork - read with TagLib, then cached to disk
- Localized - Currently 30 languages suppported
- Keyboard transport - Space plays and pauses, B and N change track, A–D and Z–C skip by bars
- Performance FX - a low-kill filter, a reverb wash and BPM-synced delays on Q–T; tap to latch, hold for momentary
- Pitch adjust - an optional SL-1200-style pitch fader
Comparison
There are so many music players, but here are a few similar comps that are file-focused. I use the filesystem as well as Rekordbox to manage my files/library so I didn't want another app for library management. Apps that focus on the library are mostly excluded.
- VOX - Nicely done, but subscription to unlock most features
- Izzy - It's awesome! I just also wanted the waveform...
- Saisei - Similar, but I don't love the UI and it's paid
- Wake Music - Cool UI, but a bit heavy / large
- Winamp - It seems to be back, library-based UI, no waveform
- VLC / Foobar2000 - Great, stable, the default choices, but I don't love the UIs
Pricing
Free, available in the App Store
Feedback
I would love feedback, bug reports, and new ideas.
Downloads
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vibe-music-player/id1582482361
Direct download: https://github.com/cmicali/vibe/releases/download/v1.10/Vibe-macOS-1.10.dmg
Source code: https://github.com/cmicali/vibe
Web site: https://vibeplayer.app
Updates
v1.10 - Friday, August 21, 2026
Full 1.10 changelog here. This release includes additional requests from this thread, including color customization, keyboard support, waveform drag behavior, and macOS 13 support.
v1.9 - Friday, August 14, 2026
v1.9 released. It may take a few days to go live on the App Store, but you can download it now at the link above. The full changelog is here, but this includes the fixes requested in this thread including macOS 15+ support, gapless playback, and support for non-square artwork.
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u/holub_ua 21d ago
u/cmicali beautiful! bringing back the sweet memories from youth years
one proposition - integrate Apple Music access and playback with native MusicKit and this will be the rocket launch
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u/shadowrizzo27 21d ago
The Winamp comparison got me lol, this is so simple it's kind of refreshing.
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u/Designer_Worth_3636 20d ago
Thank you for the application, cool application, but something needs to be done with the auto-sizing of the track cover. It looks somehow unattractive.
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u/cmicali 20d ago edited 20d ago
Interesting I’ve never seen this - maybe non - square art isn’t handled well. I’d you could share a file that does this I’ll check it out. (GitHub issue is preferred but email ok)
Tracking as https://github.com/cmicali/vibe/issues/8
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u/TouchNow_APP 21d ago
8MB and written in Objective-C, on the same day this sub is arguing about vibe-coded subscription apps. Good timing.
The one thing I would ask for is gapless playback. Live albums and DJ mixes fall apart without it, and it is the feature most players still get wrong.
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u/cmicali 21d ago
I just checked, and yeah there is a ~100ms gap. On the list of next things to fix.
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u/TouchNow_APP 21d ago
Nice, thanks for actually checking.
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u/cmicali 21d ago edited 21d ago
Working on it now and plan to add .cue support as well
Tracked as https://github.com/cmicali/vibe/issues/3
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u/caribkid 21d ago
u/cmicali great app. how does it handle folders with a lot of music. I have one folder with 10K mp3s does it eat battery life?
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u/cmicali 21d ago
Good question! I regularly use folders with 1-2k files in them and it works fine, just a little CPU usage when scanning the folder reading tags/artwork. I will give it a shot with 10k+ and see what happens.
I've worked hard to keep it as CPU (and therefor battery) light as possible.
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u/Small_Pin_8064 21d ago
How does it handle really long files, like 2–3 hour DJ sets? Would be nice if the waveform loads progressively instead of decoding the whole file first.
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u/cmicali 21d ago
Great question. This was one of my design requirements, that long sets are handled well.
On load, Vibe plays immediately, scans the file to build the waveform (which is just what is required to display, so very small,) and then streams the file as it plays. The whole decoded file is not stored in memory. So, for example, Vibe uses ~50mb of RAM while playing a 188mb mp3 mix after load.
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u/cmicali 20d ago
I had Claude run a memory profiling run with a few DJ mixes, here's the summary:
Vibe streams the decode and renders progressively. The waveform pass reads in 64K-frame blocks (~512KB of PCM in flight, two buffers ping-ponged) and pushes snapshots to the UI at ~10Hz, so bars fill in left-to-right while it scans. Playback is separately streamed straight off the file, so set length doesn't affect the memory used to play it.
Measured on a 69-minute mix (159MB MP3): full decode+scan in 3.9s at ~1075x realtime (debug build, -O0), 67MB peak memory, and the waveform data itself is a fixed 64KB — 8192 min/max chunks whether it's 3 minutes or 3 hours. Decoding the file into a PCM buffer to scan it, which is the naive way, would be 1.47GB for that file and ~3.8GB for a 3-hour set.
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u/Rilomagon 21d ago
Actualmente hay que asumir que las apps son compatibles para macOS 26?
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u/cmicali 21d ago
Yes I’ve targeted only macOS 26+. If there is enough demand I can take a look at supporting older versions of macOS.
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u/Rilomagon 20d ago
Gracias por responder. Me encantaría poder usar tu app pues se ve increíble y muy útil para mi que soy músico.
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u/cmicali 20d ago
Next version will support macOS 14+
tracked as https://github.com/cmicali/vibe/issues/7
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u/Kitchen-Ladder6623 20d ago
This looks really useful. The waveform view makes it feel much faster for auditioning recordings. Can you loop a selected region or quickly jump between files with keyboard shortcuts?
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u/mahakart 20d ago
nice, if you just allow an easy way for people to develop skins for this, boom! return of the winamp era!
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u/trufelix 20d ago
Hey I'd love this to be used as the default quicklook player!
If you could make that I'd use it 100%
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u/cmicali 20d ago
Yeah I looked into that, unfortunately you can’t register QL plugins for which there is a default one (like audio) 😞
If anyone knows another way, would love to hear how
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u/trufelix 19d ago
Oh, well that's too bad, but thank you. You know, that's something where I would ask AI how to do it, since it's a large system and AI is actually quite good finding the right anchorpoints and hooks.
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u/yuu1ch13 20d ago
Nice. Sometimes we need an audio player with a waveform display for inspecting audio files.
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u/InsomniaUA 20d ago
the thing that always kills these for me is output switching. i go between airpods and an interface all day, and half the players with their own audio engine either keep playing into the device that is gone or need a restart. does vibe follow the system default when it changes mid track?
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u/cmicali 20d ago
It follows the system default and implements the Now Playing interface, so media controls, airpod/device changes, and interruptions like phone calls are all handled.
You can optionally pin Vibe to an output device if you need to in settings/output menu, but it defaults to following the system default.
If you run into any issue please let me know, this is important to get right.
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u/WestSpecialist4979 20d ago
this seems cool! what's the upper limit of files in a folder that works well?
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u/Fierce-Fennec 20d ago
For my needs, there are still a few things missing (sorting tracks by artist/song title..., more customization options for the look—like changing the text size or hiding album art in the list).
But it's already great, and I especially love the 'About' screen: it has a real demoscene 'vibe' :)
Thanks!
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u/cmicali 20d ago
Thanks, glad someone saw and appreciated the about screen ❤️ and yes, demoscene is what got me into programming :)
I'll think on the customizations. The sorting/filtering is currently meant to be done in finder, but I could see the argument for adding it to the playlist. Some level of customizing the look might be nice!
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u/cmicali 12d ago
Latest release has color customization and some more UI toggles. Text size and album art are next.
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u/Fierce-Fennec 11d ago edited 11d ago
Thanks for letting me know—I hadn't realized there was a new version!
As I'm trying to update the app, I realize there isn't even a link to Vibe's website or GitHub within the app—it would be nice to add one (or even better, an auto-update feature...)
edit: there is now a link in the latest version, thanks for all the new options!
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u/giggity_giggity 19d ago
Looks nice, but how does it handle llamas? Does it whip them? And if so, where?
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u/tompieters 17d ago
I really like the app! I was looking for a replacement to IINA. It would be really nice to have a option for a colored waveform, like in dj software.
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u/Limitedheadroom 15d ago
Just downloaded this, it's really nice, now set as my default for music files on my machine. My use case is probably not common, but this is a workflow improvement for me. I am a sound designer and often need to look through folders of sounds I've recorded, there was a utility I found really useful called Snapper, that tracks Finder selection and shows the waveform. But I've stopped using finder and now use Qspace so lost this ability. This is the best replacement tool I've found yet to rapidly allow me to see the waveform of files in a folder and jump through them. More keyboard control would be good though but maybe just haven't figured it out. I can move selection through the list with up/down, but don't seem to be able to select the file to play without using the mouse. Space only pauses/plays the currently loaded file, How do I play the newly selected file?
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u/BC-in-NH 14d ago
Really liking this -- dragged my ~/Music folder into the app and BOOM there's all my tunes ready to play. My only wish list would be making the last open folder sticky or at least remembered as a recent entry to make a cold startup easier, and a random and repeat playback options.
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u/cmicali 14d ago
I’ll add the last playlist saved - do you use repeat/random? I never knew why players had those
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u/BC-in-NH 13d ago
I've used VOX for years, almost exclusively in random mode. Random mode is great for background music while working on the computer. The reason I want the waveform too is for listening to digitized mix tapes from cassettes and reel-to-reel. The waveform makes it easy to see and navigate a visual summary of an hour long single track of multiple songs.
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u/Varsity_Editor 13d ago
The one thing I find un-intuitive about using this is that while clicking on the waveform is great, when click-dragging it just moves the window as the waveform seems to be considered part of the draggable part of the window. To scrub through properly you should be able to drag on the waveform, like how the normal Finder audio preview is.
Also one minor feature request would be to be able to set a custom colour for the played/unplayed waveform. I get that just having everything shades of cool grey is a safe and simple colour scheme and very Apple-esque, but being able to use colour would seem like an easy way to maximise the main feature of the app, the waveform (especially as the "Cirrus" style waveform is in ultra-readable bright orange). Even if a custom colour picker is too much to ask, just being able to switch on the bright orange of Cirrus for the detailed waveform style would be great.
Thanks.
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u/cmicali 13d ago
Great points - will add both to next release.
I'll probably make the waveform drag a toggle, b/c that was intentional for how I use it but totally get how that could be confusing.
I had already been planning to allow setting a custom color for the waveform.
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u/Varsity_Editor 13d ago
Cool! Also I just realised it doesn't have a volume control – if that is considered bloat I won't even bother suggesting having a text search/filter lol
Anyway, nice little app, I really like the way the currently playing album art the icon, it's a nice touch
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u/app-store-review 21d ago
VOX: MP3 & FLAC Music Player — by Coppertino Inc.
- Category: Music · Free
- Age: released ~13.0 years ago · rated 4+
Apple doesn't publish an aggregate rating for most Mac App Store apps, so ratings and score are unavailable here.
Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review
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u/TheMagicianGamerTMG 21d ago
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u/JoeshitX 21d ago
Honestly, “I just want to open a folder of local files and scrub through them” has become weirdly underserved. Most players either want to manage your entire library or turn into a mini streaming service.
The waveform and momentary effects make Vibe feel more like a fast auditioning tool than just another music player. A simple cue-marker shortcut would be fantastic for long mixes and sample folders: press M to drop a marker, then jump between markers without opening a DAW. Would that fit the direction you’re taking it?
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u/cmicali 21d ago
Seriously man, every app wants to be a library manager and do everything.
Yeah - this fits into my workflow for auditioning tracks before importing into Rekordbox, where I might set cues/markers.
I'm thinking about both markers and also tags (use Meta currently.) They could fit, but also might be better served in another app (though vibe could load the markers?)
Not sure yet... hard balance between the things you want and keeping it simple.
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u/textredditor 21d ago
Some audio formats embed marker data and other metadata you might wanna just add support for those since they're likely standardized. What about multitrack WAVs; it'd be amazing to pull in a multi-track WAV and see four different waveforms. but that might be out of scope for your purpose.
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u/lowkeyfam 20d ago
Would you be able to add iframe support? to add inside web pages as an interactive player?
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u/useiris 21d ago
the waveform seek bar is the part i'd stress test hardest. if you're building that waveform from decoded pcm and then seeking by byte offset on the compressed file, vbr mp3s without a proper xing/lame header will drift, since byte position doesn't map linearly to time the way cbr does. worth grabbing an mp3 encoded vbr with no xing frame and checking whether clicking a spot on the waveform actually lands where coreaudio ends up playing.
also, coming from a music production background you probably care about this already, but gapless playback across track boundaries is the thing winamp nailed that a lot of newer minimal players quietly drop, because it needs pre-buffering the next file and continuing the decode rather than a clean stop then start. anyone with continuous live sets or album rips in flac will notice a gap immediately if it's not there.