What is lastseen.tools?

lastseen.tools is designed as a collection of tools, mainly centered around listening to music. It consists of a Windows version and an Android version.

Why lastseen.tools?

lastseen.tools was created to find a solution to problems that can arise when listening to music, mainly those related to streaming and large libraries.

Streaming

The growing use of streaming services has made it easier to access music files, at the expense of some of the aspects listed below.

  • Sound quality: although some platforms, depending on the subscription, offer lossless quality, it is not available for every track. In addition, it is often limited to CD quality, so it is usually not possible to enjoy "high-resolution" quality. This last claim can also be very misleading, since many files presented as "high-resolution" tracks are merely "upscales", meaning files that meet the definition of high resolution while remaining low resolution. In my experience, a significant number of files are affected.
  • The ability to enjoy this music freely: depending on agreements with music distributors, some tracks are regularly removed from the catalog, sometimes against the artist’s wishes. At any time, one of our favorite tracks may therefore become unavailable. This last point is not specific to streaming services, since it can also affect Bandcamp, for example, although the risk seems lower there.
  • The ability to listen to different versions: recordings available through streaming are mostly designed to "sound loud" in every situation (see loudness war). This goal has led to an increasing degradation of the files by sharply reducing track dynamics, meaning the difference between loud and quiet sounds. This directly affects listening enjoyment and contributes to listening fatigue. Depending on the track, its distribution medium, and its era, some recordings can be of much higher quality than others. The recent popularity of vinyl is partly related to the fact that this medium prevents recordings from being made with excessively high compression, meaning a reduction in dynamics. Many people record their vinyl records in digital format (ripping) to benefit from the convenience of digital audio and the quality of some analog recordings.

Large libraries

Libraries containing a large number of tracks can make it difficult to choose a track or an album. Shuffle mode, found on streaming platforms and music players, probably arose from this observation. However, it can lead to a sudden change of mood when tracks have very different styles. One way to avoid this is to build playlists, but the same problems can occur within a playlist. In addition, shuffle mode does not mean that every track is played evenly: many tracks may therefore never or very rarely be played, while others are repeated more frequently.

The role of lastseen.tools

The main value of lastseen.tools lies in its playlist generator. It can generate a playlist in a few seconds according to the desired genres and the listening context through the creation of profiles. It can also take genre compatibility into account so that tracks transition coherently from one to the next.

Features

lastseen.tools - Windows (EN/FR)

The version currently published consists of a music player, a library and the complete playlist generator.

The player uses the independent software foobar2000, a free and highly customizable player (with its Beefweb plugin to control it). No setup is needed: everything is controlled from lastseen.tools.

Sync with the Android app will work with the next version of the mobile app. It will allow playback continuity (resuming the track or the playlist where it stopped) between the two apps.

Large lastseen.tools Windows player

See Windows features, the installation method, and the user manual.

Playlist Generator - Android

The version currently published consists of a music player and the complete playlist generator.

The Poweramp music player is required. It is a player with advanced features. It is available free of charge for 15 days and then requires the purchase of a license, around €10 to €20 depending on the platform. Support for other players may be added in the future.

Feature continuity with the Windows app is coming soon.

Large Playlist Generator Android player

See Android features, the installation method, and the user manual.

About lastseen.tools

lastseen.tools is a strictly personal project made public on August 25, 2026. Many features are currently planned. However, their support or deployment is not guaranteed. For any question or request for information, see Contact.