I've tested it on five different machines here and had several DC folks in IRC test it.  In all cases it worked as designed.

So humor me o' Master Skwire. How hard is it to include a different engine?

The engine has nothing to do with it.  Here, try this version:

Website | Download
v1.0.6 - 2011-12-16
    + Added new progress-based sliders.
    + Added mousewheel hotkeys adjust the new seekbar and volume controls when
      hovering over them.
    - Form is no longer resizable.

I am very sad!

I also just discovered that it doesn't seem to be playing Tracker files! I have an Impulse Tracker song (for example) that works fine in XMplay and doesn't load at all in Looper.

So maybe some weird setting in my machine is doing the volume thing, and some standard concept that Swire is pulling for Looper is hitting a corner case on my machine.

I'm becoming a pest!   I might be able to search the web and find more countercase programs, but isn't that Apples and Oranges? I just liked the idea of Looper because I just park an mp3 player on a song. But I don't want to drag Swire into a mystery hunt just for me!

Hey Skwire,

I use this program every day. It automatically starts playing a quiet ambient loop around 11pm to remind me that, "hey stupid, relax and go to bed."

Anyway, I recently updated it to the latest version, and I have a few requests:

- bring back the old tray icon, currently it is the default AHK "H" icon
- hotkey request: when the app is in focus, let me control volume with + and -
- publish "multiple instances" as a GUI option and make "0" also cause the app to restore when launched again with the "0" setting (current apparent behavior is to restart the program)
- hotkey request: "Ctrl-O" = open dialog
- hotkey request: "P" = play/pause
- retain the ability to tab around the GUI elements and activate them with SPACE (currently can no longer control volume in this way, but +/- will resolve this)

As usual, consider none of these to be demands, just requests from a regular user. Do what you can, if you can, and thanks for a small, useful program!

- bring back the old tray icon, currently it is the default AHK "H" icon

Doh, not sure what happened there.  Fixed in my dev build.

- hotkey request: when the app is in focus, let me control volume with + and -

Added in my dev build.  I added both regular +/- keys and the numpad +/- keys.

- publish "multiple instances" as a GUI option and make "0" also cause the app to restore when launched again with the "0" setting (current apparent behavior is to restart the program)

I'll consider this.  In the meantime, I've changed it so that multiple attempts to launch the app are just ignored instead of restarting it.

- hotkey request: "Ctrl-O" = open dialog

Added in my dev build.

- hotkey request: "P" = play/pause

Hmmm...Looper could never really pause, i.e., clicking the play button whilst playing just restarted the track.  I did add a "P" hotkey for the current play button's functionality, though.

- retain the ability to tab around the GUI elements and activate them with SPACE (currently can no longer control volume in this way, but +/- will resolve this)

I seem to be able to do with the exception of the seekbar and volume control.  Am I misunderstanding something?

just fyi...i still use trout nearly every week for playing drum samples in a gapless loop as a metronome to practice with.

Pretty substantial update for Looper.  Thanks to doctorfrog for the testing and feedback.   

Website | Download
v1.0.9 - 2012-09-03
    + Added proper single/multiple instance handling.  Enable under Edit > Options.
    + Added pause functionality.
    + Added Ctrl+O hotkey to open browse dialog.  (Thanks, doctorfrog)
    + Added +/- hotkeys to control the volume.  (Thanks, doctorfrog)
    + Added "P" hotkey to control the play/pause functionality.  (Thanks, doctorfrog)
    + Added "S" hotkey to control the stop functionality.
    * Changed icons to the Fugue set.
    - Regressed Unicode compatibility for now.
    ! Tray icon wasn't displaying correctly.  (Thanks, doctorfrog)

You can't even browse to Looper.exe in the Open With dialog?

Right-click audio file > Open With > Choose Program... > Browse... button > Choose Looper.exe

I've no idea what's going on with your computer.

I am very sad!

I also just discovered that it doesn't seem to be playing Tracker files! I have an Impulse Tracker song (for example) that works fine in XMplay and doesn't load at all in Looper.

So maybe some weird setting in my machine is doing the volume thing, and some standard concept that Swire is pulling for Looper is hitting a corner case on my machine.

I'm becoming a pest!  I might be able to search the web and find more countercase programs, but isn't that Apples and Oranges? I just liked the idea of Looper because I just park an mp3 player on a song. But I don't want to drag Swire into a mystery hunt just for me!

I think I found the answer to this too.

When a program says it "wants to associate files" sometimes it "fights hard not to give them up". So XMplay was my program for playing most music. But "behind that" were several other programs based on using this comp for 7+ years. Deliplayer, WinAmp, and more. So the article below (second half) shows that you need to "unhook" the other programs too, especially the icons. But the last wrinkle is that before the "Advanced" button shows up, it says "Restore" first. So you Restore the icons to the second-to-last program, THEN pick a new icon (say from Looper), THEN do OpenWith-Choose Program.

Whew!

http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/change-file-icon/