The reproduction of music in MP3 format was absolutely revolutionary at the beginning, but it also introduced new demands at the hardware level. Many computers with 486 processors lacked the necessary firepower to decode files in real time; however, that did not prevent the development of MP3 audio players compatible with MS-DOS. One of the most interesting is Mpxplay, which includes native support for several sound chips and offers relatively updated builds.
Although it may seem hard to believe, there was a time when computers (both desktop and laptop) had trouble playing MP3 music. The passage of time and dedicated silicon solved all performance issues, but the CPU Galaxy channel published an excellent video at the beginning of 2021 exploring MP3 playback with 486 processors using different bitrates:
In short, nothing below a 486 DX4-100 can decode a stereo MP3 at 128 kilobits and not end up choking in the process. However, a key piece in CPU Galaxy's test is the software. Their chosen player is called Mpxplay, and it is a development by Hungarian programmer Attila Padar. Mpxplay has been among us for several years, but its MS-DOS build has nothing to envy other classic players available on Windows.
Mpxplay, one of the best options for listening to MP3 on MS-DOS
The most recent Mpxplay build for MS-DOS is version 1.66, dated October 24, 2021. The official page offers two variants based on two different extenders: DOS32A and DOS/4G (I recommend starting with the DOS32A variant). The Mpxplay interface may seem a little intimidating, but it is very easy to master once we know the basic commands.
For example, if we use the cursor arrows to position ourselves over a folder full of MP3 files, once we enter it, it suffices to press the spacebar to start playing all its content. The volume is controlled with the period and comma; + and - help us skip whole songs; the left and right cursor arrows serve to fast-forward or rewind within the same song; the spacebar is Play/Pause; M mutes the audio; and the letter S is full stop. In the readme file you will find more advanced commands, among which Alt+F9 stands out to switch from 50 lines to 25.
That file also mentions Mpxplay's compatibility with certain audio chips (sndcards.txt expands that information). Some of them don't even need drivers because of their native access (like CMI 8338/8738, Intel HDA, and several VIA chips), but in other models, the presence of a driver is mandatory. Personally, I would love to see the Covox Speech Thing and the Disney Sound Source become part of that list in the future.
"What if I want it on Windows?"
In that case, Mpxplay has editions specially prepared for Windows. The first one extends its compatibility to video, while the second is an equivalent to the MS-DOS version that runs on the system console. Another possibility is to use Mpxplay with emulators, but it's likely those environments will need additional adjustments.
One way or another, Mpxplay is one of the best players we've seen for listening to MP3 on MS-DOS… but I know it's not the only one, and I hope to explore other options in the future. Do you have any recommendations? Leave a comment!
Official site and downloads: Click here
