I really didn’t expect Doppler to be able to handle thousands of files over the network, even over a fast connection, but it handled the task like a champ, copying tracks across the network onto the iMac’s SSD. I picked Import from the File menu and found my way over my network to the mini, and chose my Music folder full of thousands of previously purchased tracks. I launched the app on the M1 iMac I’ve been testing and then navigated to the 2015 Mac mini, where my old purchased music collection is sitting in a different part of my house but connected over an Ethernet connection. I thought I’d try something a little different to see if Doppler could handle it. However, there’s also an Import option in the File menu for adding albums by navigating the file system. The easiest route is to drag files from your Mac’s drive into Doppler to start populating the app with your collection. The first thing you need to do when you launch Doppler for the first time is to add some music to it. That’s not likely to ever happen, but fortunately, Doppler has you covered if you own your music.ĭoppler gives you complete control of what goes into its library. Doppler for Mac is a lot like what I’d imagine Apple’s Music app would be like if Music were split into separate apps for streaming and owned music. Wellbrook has brought the same sensibility to a native Mac version of the app, which was released today. The interface puts albums and artists front and center, focusing on album art and simple, intuitive controls to make listening to music on-the-go a pleasure. The minute you try Doppler, you can tell it’s made by someone who cares deeply about music and the experience of listening to it. That’s left apps like Doppler to fill the void offering features like the ability to add new music to your library from an iPhone, something that isn’t possible with Apple Music. Apple’s Music app continues to maintain backward compatibility for users who own their music libraries, but Apple’s focus these days is squarely on streaming, not purchasing. So, when Ed Wellbrook told me he was bringing Doppler, his excellent iPhone music player to the Mac, I figured it was time to dust of my old music collection and give it a try.ĭoppler, which we’ve covered before here and in MacStories Weekly, including, most recently, Issues 252, 261, and 275, is a music player for people who buy their music. I still have those files frozen in time on the 2015 Mac mini I use as a Plex server. That changed with the advent of streaming services like Spotify, Rdio, Beats Music, and later Apple Music. I still have a huge collection of albums ripped from CDs I bought and later purchased online from the iTunes Store. I haven’t purchased much music in the past six years or so, but there was a time when it was a big part of my entertainment spending.

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