A familiar player with music at its centre
MPC-DAP is a separate audio-focused application with its own preferences, history, playlists and file associations. Its straightforward window puts the current track, artwork and optional lyrics first, without the controls and display options intended mainly for video playback.
It comes with Media Player Codec Pack Plus for 64-bit Windows. You can use it directly or select it as the default player for supported audio file types during setup.
What audio formats can MPC-DAP play?
MPC-DAP supports all audio formats handled by the bundled LAV filters, together with the additional capabilities of CW-Lossless, CW-Lossy and CW-MOD. It is designed for more than just MP3 and FLAC: everyday listening, archival collections, high-resolution audio and tracker music can all be handled through the installed filter chain.
| Audio family | Examples |
|---|---|
| Compressed music | MP3, AAC, Opus, Vorbis, WMA, AC-3, E-AC-3 and DTS |
| Lossless and uncompressed | FLAC, ALAC, WAV/PCM, AIFF, Monkey's Audio, WavPack and other supported lossless formats |
| High-resolution and SACD | DSF, DFF, DSD and compatible SACD .iso / .sacd images through CW-Lossless |
| Tracker module music | MOD, XM, IT, S3M and other supported tracker formats through CW-MOD |
| Albums and playlists | M3U, M3U8, PLS, MPCPL, CUE and other associated audio playlists |
Examples are not exhaustive. Compatibility varies with encoding settings, file structure, enabled filters and the audio output device.
Album covers matched to your music collection
MPC-DAP looks for the artwork that belongs to your album or playlist, rather than relying only on an image called cover.jpg. For M3U and M3U8 playlists, a JPEG or PNG with the same filename as the playlist takes priority. For example, Greatest Hits.m3u can use Greatest Hits.jpg, even when individual tracks are in subfolders.
When there is no playlist-matched image, the player checks embedded album artwork and then conventional nearby images such as cover.jpg, folder.jpg and front.jpg. A nested playlist can use its own matching artwork. Album covers keep their original proportions within a consistent, user-sized player window.
For compatible SACD sources, matching images alongside .iso or .sacd files can supply cover art and remain consistent as you move between album tracks. The player and Windows media controls use the same artwork selection logic.
Follow along with a built-in lyrics reader
MPC-DAP includes a lyrics panel for songs with accompanying lyric files. It can automatically load local LRC and SRT files, follow timed lyrics during playback and support seeking to a lyric timestamp. You can also show plain-text lyrics or supported embedded lyrics when available.
Lyrics can be shown or hidden, loaded manually and reloaded without leaving the player. The lyric display updates when the track changes, making it useful for music collections with existing lyric files.
Playlists, album tracks and CUE sheets
Open an individual music file or a playlist. The Plus installer can associate M3U, M3U8, PLS, MPCPL, CUE, RAM and WAX audio playlists with MPC-DAP. Other Windows media playlist types—ASX, WVX and WMX—remain with MPC-HC in the documented installer configuration.
The Album Tracks view opens for recognised album-track structures, highlights the current track and supports double-click or Enter to jump between tracks without losing the queue. Single-file and multi-file CUE sheets are handled, while SACD image chapters depend on what the installed reader exposes.
Choose how your audio reaches the sound device
MPC-DAP offers WASAPI Shared and WASAPI Exclusive device selections, plus DirectSound. Shared mode fits everyday Windows listening; exclusive output is useful when you want an application to address a compatible endpoint without the normal shared mixer.
ASIO is handled through the relevant CW audio filter configuration rather than as a separate universal Windows output mode. High-resolution DSD, DoP and other specialist output methods depend on the filter chain and the capabilities of the selected DAC or receiver.
Easy access from Windows
MPC-DAP is available from the installed player shortcuts, the pack's tray menu and a Windows Explorer Open with / context-menu entry. During Plus installation, supported audio and audio-playlist file associations can be assigned to MPC-DAP when you select it. If it is not selected, those associations remain with MPC-HC.
Its own identity, history and preferences are separate from MPC-HC, so choosing an audio-first player doesn't mean changing your main video-player setup.
Built around the CW audio filters
MPC-DAP draws on the full audio-decoding coverage of the bundled LAV filters, complemented by CW-Lossless, CW-Lossy and CW-MOD. CW-Lossless handles supported lossless, DSD and SACD sources; CW-Lossy handles popular compressed music formats; and CW-MOD adds tracker music playback where installed.
The application is intended to prefer its packaged filters where appropriate instead of depending unnecessarily on whatever alternative filter happens to be registered system-wide. Output settings are still governed by the selected CW filter and device capabilities.
Does it also play video?
Basic software-decoded video playback is retained, but MPC-DAP deliberately simplifies the video interface. If you primarily watch movies, use MPC-HC. For damaged or unusual video, MPC-FFmpeg provides the alternative playback engine.
Which Media Player Classic player should I use?
| Player | Best suited to |
|---|---|
| MPC-DAP | Music collections, album artwork, audio playlists and audio-device selection |
| MPC-HC | Everyday video, DVD/Blu-ray ISO playback and cinema-oriented features |
| MPC-FFmpeg | Unusual, damaged or incomplete video files and alternative software-oriented playback |
Common questions
What is MPC-DAP?
MPC-DAP stands for Media Player Classic - Digital Audio Player. It is a music-focused Windows player included with Media Player Codec Pack Plus for 64-bit Windows.
How does MPC-DAP find album artwork?
MPC-DAP first checks for artwork named after the M3U or M3U8 playlist, including for tracks in subfolders. If no matching playlist cover is found, it checks embedded artwork and conventional nearby cover, folder or front images. Compatible SACD disc images can also use matching image files.
Can MPC-DAP display synchronized lyrics?
Yes. MPC-DAP has a lyrics panel that can load companion LRC and SRT files, show timed lines during playback and let you seek using lyric timestamps. Plain-text and supported embedded lyrics can also be shown, with manual load and reload controls.
Which playlists does MPC-DAP open?
The documented audio playlist associations include M3U, M3U8, PLS, MPCPL, CUE, RAM and WAX. ASX, WVX and WMX remain assigned to MPC-HC in the pack configuration.
Can I use WASAPI or ASIO audio output?
MPC-DAP includes WASAPI shared and exclusive output options and DirectSound. ASIO remains available through the appropriate CW audio filter and device configuration.
What audio formats does MPC-DAP support?
MPC-DAP supports the audio formats handled by the bundled LAV filters, together with CW-Lossless, CW-Lossy and CW-MOD. This covers mainstream compressed and lossless music, DSD and compatible SACD images, and tracker modules. Actual playback depends on the format, file and enabled filter chain.
Does MPC-DAP play SACD and DSD audio?
MPC-DAP integrates with CW-Lossless, which supports DSD and compatible SACD image sources such as .iso and .sacd. Actual playback and output depend on installed filters and audio-device capabilities.
Can MPC-DAP play video?
MPC-DAP is designed primarily for audio. Its simplified player retains basic software-decoded video playback, but MPC-HC is the recommended primary video player.
Which Codec Pack edition contains MPC-DAP?
MPC-DAP is included with Media Player Codec Pack Plus for 64-bit Windows. When installed and selected for file associations, audio files and supported audio playlists open with MPC-DAP; otherwise they use MPC-HC.