Introduction

Wax is a program for cataloging and playing a collection of music recordings. Wax is able to rip CDs and import downloads so that you can create a sound archive complete with metadata.

Wax is fundamentally different from existing music managers in two important ways. First, the fundamental unit for recordings is a “work”, not a track. A work is usually a collection of tracks. It can encapsulate whatever tracks you choose. In pop music, a work can be an album. For symphonic music, a work can be a single symphony, even when the tracks come from a CD with more than one symphony. For operas, a work can be a single opera even when the tracks come from multiple CDs. Music collectors usually think in terms of works, so a music manager that supports the concept makes operation more natural.

The other distinguishing characteristic of Wax is that genres are fundamental to the organization of a collection rather than a mere attribute of a track. Wax recognizes that the ideal way to catalog works varies by genre. For example, symphonic works can be cataloged by composer, work, conductor whereas shows can be cataloged by show, composer, lyricist. By organizing collections around genres, Wax supports an operation sequence that is natural for music lovers: first select the genre, then the work, and finally the tracks.

With Wax, it is really easy to play music. There are only three steps:

1. Select the genre of the music you would like to play. At the top left you will see the name of the current genre. You are actually looking at a button. Click on it to produce a list of all genres and select the one that you want. Notice that the list of works below the genre button updates to display all the works in the genre. Scroll through the list of works to find the one that you want to play.

2. Select the work that you want to play. Once you locate the work that you want to play, click on it. Notice that a list of the tracks in the work appears below the list of works. By default, all the tracks are selected for play. If you don’t want to play all the tracks, select the ones that you want to play.

3. Create a play queue and activate play. Drag the work that you selected to the panel on the right. You just created a play queue with one work. Notice that the play button appeared. Click it to start play. Click it again to stop play. You can add more works to the play queue by dragging them to the right panel too. They will play after preceding works play.

Wax has three modes. You select the mode using the button at the left side of the control panel. You started in Select mode. Once you select a work, the Play option becomes sensitive. In Play mode, Wax displays all the metadata associated with a work, including the cover art and liner notes. You will also see progress bars that monitor progress through the work and metadata telling you about the track that is currently playing. You will use Edit mode to create new works by ripping CDs or importing files.

The next two chapters provide more details about selecting and playing works, but you already know the essentials. Creating new works is more complicated. Read about it in the chapter on Edit mode.

Every chapter begins with a list of essential reading. Wax has many features, but you do not have to learn all of them at once – or ever. The essential reading is brief yet sufficient for a command of the essential features. Try to be at least aware of the other capabilities of the software so that you will know to refer to the manual when you are trying to do something more advanced. Most Wax users find operation to be intuitive after a short period of familiarization, so you may never need to read most of the manual. However, if you ever need a little guidance, be assured that the information is almost certainly here.

Enjoy!