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Step-by-step Guide⚓︎

Step-by-Step Guide

This guide provides a step-by-step tutorial for setting up mpd, ncmpcpp, and mpc on Arch Linux for beginners. It covers installation, configuration, and basic usage. This video demonstrates installing mpd and ncmpcpp on Arch Linux:



Installation of mpd and ncmpcpp

ncmpcpp + mpd + mpc step-by-step tutorial for someone who has never attempted setting this up in Arch Linux

Step-by-stepTtutorial⚓︎

Step-by-step Tutorial

Setting up ncmpcpp, mpd, and mpc on Arch Linux for the first time can seem a bit daunting, but it's a very rewarding experience for a minimalist, powerful music setup. mpd (Music Player Daemon) is the backend server that plays your music, ncmpcpp is a powerful terminal-based client for mpd, and mpc is a simple command-line client used for quick actions and scripting.

Here's a step-by-step tutorial:

Prerequisites:

  • Arch Linux installed: You should have a working Arch Linux installation.

  • Basic terminal familiarity: You'll be using the command line extensively.

  • A directory for your music: Make sure you have a place where your music files are stored (e.g., ~/Music).

Step 1: Install MPD, ncmpcpp, and mpc⚓︎

Install MPD, ncmpcpp, and mpc

First, let's install the necessary packages. These are available in the official Arch Linux repositories.

sudo pacman -S mpd ncmpcpp mpc

Video Resource:

For a general installation overview on Arch-based systems, you might find this helpful:

Step 2: Configure MPD (Music Player Daemon)⚓︎

Configure MPD (Music Player Daemon)

MPD needs to be configured to know where your music is, where to store its database, and how to output audio. It's generally recommended to run MPD as a user service.

1: Create MPD configuration directory and files:

  • It's good practice to keep MPD's configuration and related files in ~/.config/mpd/.
mkdir -p ~/.config/mpd/playlists
mkdir -p ~/.local/state/mpd  # Recommended for state_file
touch ~/.config/mpd/database
touch ~/.config/mpd/log
touch ~/.config/mpd/pid
touch ~/.config/mpd/state
touch ~/.config/mpd/sticker.sql

2: Copy the example configuration file:

MPD provides a good starting point for its configuration.

cp /usr/share/doc/mpd/mpdconf.example ~/.config/mpd/mpd.conf

3: Edit mpd.conf:

Open the copied configuration file with your favorite text editor (e.g., nano, vim):

nano ~/.config/mpd/mpd.conf

You'll need to modify or uncomment the following lines. Make sure to adjust paths to match your system.

  • music_directory: This is crucial. Point it to where your music files are.
music_directory "~/Music"

Self-Correction: If your music is on an external drive or in multiple locations, you can use symbolic links within your music_directory and ensure follow_outside_symlinks is set to yes.

  • playlist_directory: Where MPD will save your playlists.
playlist_directory "~/.config/mpd/playlists"
  • db_file: Path to the music database file.
db_file "~/.config/mpd/database"
  • log_file: Path to MPD's log file.
log_file "~/.config/mpd/log"
  • pid_file: Path to the process ID file.
pid_file "~/.config/mpd/pid"
  • state_file: Path to the file where MPD saves its state (e.g., current playlist, playback position).
state_file "~/.local/state/mpd/state"
  • sticker_file: Path to the sticker database.
sticker_file "~/.config/mpd/sticker.sql"
  • bind_to_address: Unless you want MPD to be accessible from other machines on your network, keep it local.
bind_to_address "localhost"

or

bind_to_address "127.0.0.1"
  • port: The default is 6600. You usually don't need to change this.
port "6600"
  • auto_update: This is very useful. MPD will automatically update its database when changes are detected in your music_directory.
auto_update "yes"

  • audio_output: This is where you configure how MPD outputs sound.

    • PulseAudio (recommended for desktop users):
audio_output {
  type "pulse"
  name "My Pulse Audio"
}

If you are using PulseAudio (which is common on modern Linux desktops), this is the simplest way.

  • ALSA (Alternative):
audio_output {
  type "alsa"
  name "My ALSA Output"
  # device "hw:0,0" # Uncomment and adjust if you have issues with default ALSA device
  # mixer_type "software" # Optional: Can help with volume control issues
}

If you prefer ALSA directly, use this block.

  • restore_paused: If you want MPD to resume playback where you left off.
restore_paused "yes"

Save and close the mpd.conf file.

Video Resource:

4: Start and Enable MPD as a user service:

This ensures MPD starts automatically when you log in.

systemctl --user enable mpd.service
systemctl --user start mpd.service

5: Update MPD's music database:

Now that MPD is running, tell it to scan your music directory.

mpc update

This command can take some time if you have a large music collection. You won't see much output until it's done.

Why I use music player daemon (mpd), + my config:

Why I use MPD



Step 3: Configure ncmpcpp⚓︎

Configure ncmpcpp

ncmpcpp is the client you'll interact with most often. It has a rich set of features and is highly customizable.

1: Create ncmpcpp configuration directory and copy example config:

mkdir -p ~/.config/ncmpcpp
cp /usr/share/doc/ncmpcpp/config ~/.config/ncmpcpp/config

2: Edit ncmpcpp/config:

Open the configuration file:

nano ~/.config/ncmpcpp/config

At a minimum, ensure these lines match your MPD setup:

  • mpd_host: Should match your mpd.conf.
mpd_host = "localhost"
  • mpd_port: Should match your mpd.conf.
mpd_port = "6600"
  • mpd_music_dir: This path is important for ncmpcpp to correctly display file paths and enable features like the tag editor. It must match the music_directory you set in mpd.conf.
mpd_music_dir = "~/Music"

Optional (but highly recommended) ncmpcpp customizations:

  • Visualizer: To enable the audio visualizer (like a spectrum analyzer), you need to configure MPD to output audio data to a FIFO (named pipe) and then tell ncmpcpp to read from it.

    • Edit ~/.config/mpd/mpd.conf again: Add this audio_output block in addition to your regular audio output PulseAudio/ALSA:
audio_output {
  type "fifo"
  name "my_fifo"
  path "/tmp/mpd.fifo"
  format "44100:16:2"
}
Save and restart MPD:⚓︎

Save and restart MPD

systemctl --user restart mpd.service

Then, edit ~/.config/ncmpcpp/config:

visualizer_data_source = "/tmp/mpd.fifo"
visualizer_output_name = "my_fifo"
visualizer_in_stereo = "yes"
visualizer_type = "spectrum" # Or "wave", "ellipse", "wave_filled"
visualizer_look = "+|" # Customize how the visualizer bars look
  • Layout and Colors: ncmpcpp is extremely customizable.

Explore the ncmpcpp/config file for options like:

  • song_list_format: How songs are displayed in lists.

  • now_playing_screen_artwork: For displaying album art (requires additional setup likecoverart-mpd or mpd-cover and chafa).

  • colors_enabled: Set to yes for colored interface.

  • progressbar_look: Customize the progress bar.

  • lines_separator: Visual separators.

Save and close the ncmpcpp/config file.

Video Resource:

  • For visual examples of ncmpcpp customization and specific features like the visualizer: How to configure mpd and ncmpcpp on Linux This link is to an article that also contains a video walkthrough that covers customization including the visualizer.
Easy MPD (Arch Linux)⚓︎

Easy MPD



Step 4: Using ncmpcpp and mpc⚓︎

Using ncmpcpp and mpc

  1. Start ncmpcpp:

    Simply type ncmpcpp in your terminal:

    ncmpcpp

    • Initial Database Scan: If you just updated the MPD database, ncmpcpp might show a progress bar at the bottom indicating the database update. Once it's done, you should see your music library.

    • Navigation:

      • Press F1 for a help screen with keybindings.
      • 1 to 8 (or F1 to F8) switch between different views (playlist, browser, search, tag editor, etc.).
      • u: Update database.
      • j/k or arrow keys: Move up/down.
      • spacebar: Play/pause.
      • s: Stop.
      • [/]: Volume down/up.
      • add (or a in browser view): Add selected item to playlist.
      • p: Previous song.
      • n: Next song.
      • q: Quit ncmpcpp.

  2. Using mpc (MPD client):

    mpc is a command-line tool for quick control over MPD.

    • Play/Pause:

      mpc toggle

    • Next song:

      mpc next

    • Previous song:

      mpc prev

    • Set volume:

      mpc volume 70 # Sets volume to 70%

    • Show current song:

      mpc current

    • Update database:

      mpc update

    • List all commands:

      mpc help

Video Resource

Video Resource:

Troubleshooting Tips.⚓︎

Troubleshooting Tips

  • "Connection refused" error in ncmpcpp:

    • Make sure mpd.service is running: systemctl --user status mpd.service.
    • Check your mpd_host and mpd_port in ~/.config/ncmpcpp/config and mpd.conf. They must match.
    • Ensure no other process is using port 6600 (or whatever port you configured). You can check with ss -tunelp | grep 6600.

  • No music appearing in ncmpcpp:

    • Double-check your music_directory in ~/.config/mpd/mpd.conf.
    • Make sure mpd.service has write permissions to the db_file, log_file, etc., and read permissions for your music_directory. Since you're running it as a user service, this is usually not an issue, but worth checking.
    • Run mpc update again.

  • No sound:

    • Verify your audio_output configuration in mpd.conf.
    • Ensure your sound system, PulseAudio/ALSA is working correctly outside of MPD.
    • Check mpd logs: journalctl --user -u mpd.service.

  • Visualizer not working:

    • Did you add the fifo audio output block to mpd.conf and restart mpd.service?
    • Are the visualizer_data_source and visualizer_output_name correct in ncmpcpp/config?

Another Step-by-step Guide

This step-by-step guide, now with integrated video resources, should get you up and running with mpd, ncmpcpp, and mpc on your Arch Linux system. Enjoy your music.

Ncmpcpp: The Best MPD Client With The Worst Name⚓︎

Ncmpcpp



Control mpd and ncmpcpp like a pro!⚓︎

mpd and ncmpcpp