iTunes 11 has been completely redesigned from the ground up. Development of iTunes has been stagnant the last few years so Apple needs to get this one right. Has Apple nailed it or is the new iTunes a mess? Read on to find out.

Features

iCloud integration has also been tightened. Every track you've bought in iTunes will now show up in your music library, whether or not it has been downloaded. Click on it to download the album. User can now also stream directly from the cloud instead of having to download the track first. This also applies to all your TV and movies that were purchased in iTunes. There's also a dedicated tab for iTunes Match, Apple's music matching service to make all of your tracks available across devices, if they're available in the iTunes store.

The iTunes store has also gone through a redesign with featured content up top. Top lists are still there and are easier to browse. iTunes 11 will also allow you to access the iTunes store content from your music library, suggesting similar artists and tracks, without having to take you to the iTunes store.

Usability

New in iTunes 11 is the "Up Next" feature, which is basically a fancy name for your queue. Add songs to your queue from wherever you are in the interface. You don't need to manage a playlist to arrange and rearrange the tracks to your liking.

Creating playlists is much improved. Instead of having to jump in and out a playlist to add and arrange tracks, playlists now have a dedicated pane on the right where you can manipulate tracks without having to jump around the program.

The mini player has also been completely redesigned and is actually useful now. The mini player has gotten smaller but utilizes that small space much better than previous versions. Player controls will show up with you hover your mouse over the mini player. There's access to search and your Up Next queue can be manipulated from the mini player.

Devices now show up as a button at the top right. Clicking on it will take you to a detailed page where you can manage everything. Choose what you want synced, manage your apps, and even play music directly from your iOS device. Everything is easier to read and comprehend in the device tab.

Quality

Conclusion

Download iTunes 11.0.4 in Softonic

Download Zune software 4.8.2345.0 in Softonic

Much like other ringtone creating programs, with iRinger you'll be able to create custom ringtones for the iPhone in a snap, without having to learn how to use a complicated audio editor. Simply launch iRinger and upload your favorite song or video on it.

iRinger can also create a ringtone out of a video file soundtrack, which is a feature a lot of users will likely appreciate. After the media has been imported, you'll need to edit the song in a different way though. Instead of selecting the audio in order to copy, paste or cut it, you have to drag the timeline inside the app's interface to adjust the starting point, and then set the length of the ringtone.

iRinger also includes a bunch of special effects to add to your ringtones: delay, reverse or boost are some of them. They're all available in a special collapsible window on the left side of the program's main interface. Once the ringtone has been properly edited, all you have to do is click 'Export' and it will be saved as an M4R file, ready to be imported into iTunes and synced with your iPhone.

iRinger is a very easy way to create your own customized iPhone ringtones for free.

Download iRinger 4.2.0.0 in Softonic

One of the new features and improvements included in the newest version of Windows Media Player Plus is a more powerful search tool that lets you find videos or songs just by starting to type their title anywhere on the screen – and not just the search field. There is also an improved Tag Editor Plus for your media files. The tag editor supports album art and batch editing, and features global hotkeys, Party Shuffle, to name a few.

Windows Media Player Plus also improves small details in the player’s interface, leaving more space for the media you’re currently playing. Other customization options include the ability to display the current playing song on the program’s title bar, as well as the ability to change the format of the message you show in Windows Live Messenger.

Unfortunately, Windows Media Player Plus is only compatible with the latest versions of Microsoft’s player, that is, Windows Media Player 11 and 12.

Windows Media Player Plus is an excellent plug-in for Windows Media Player, with interesting improvements and new features.

Download Windows Media Player Plus 2.6 in Softonic

To make the application work the inbuilt microphone of your computer needs to be working or you need to have a microphone installed. Just run your media player and let the computer listen to your tracks. You'll have to click on the interrogation mark in the application window for the program to search its database. It lists the title of the song and the artist's name as soon as it finds it.

Obviously Tunatic doesn't get it right all the time, and depends hugely on the database of songs that is being maintained by the developers. It is still quite a surprising tool and can find certain songs really quickly.

Once Tunatic finds a song, it will also let you search iTunes for it, let you look for the ring tone, or search Google to find the lyrics.

Tunatic may not work all the time, but it is a really clever way of finding title's of all those unnamed songs in your library. Worth a try.

Download Tunatic 1.0.1 b in Softonic

You can also have iTunes Agent recognize the file type for each device. This is particularly useful as each MP3 player usually favors a different file format.

Download iTunes Agent 1.3.3 in Softonic

And if you're learning the piano and can't afford your own instrument, then this is a brilliant solution. Well, it's better than nothing anyway. Virtual HS Piano is a simple MIDI piano which simulates everything from traditional piano to honky-tonk, marimba or an accordion. It also backing from a drums and other percussion so that you can really feel like you're making sweet music. You're certainly not limited by choice - there are 128 instruments to choose from although the sound effects selection is pretty poor - 12 to be exact - and there are only 3 melodies for which you can play to. However, the keyboard features all 36 notes you expect to find on a keyboard so it's very realistic in that respect although the MIDI sound effects can never be a substitute for a real piano. The interface and design are pretty flimsy and basic looking but it's very simple to use and does the job it's built for.

A simple and flexible tool for anyone that loves that MIDI sound or needs to familiarise themselves with the piano..

Download HS Virtual Piano 1.0 in Softonic

Music Download Center searches mp3skull, vmp3, wuzam, dilandau, vpleer, soundcloud, mp3skip, emp3world, mp3fusion, wrzuta, prostopleer goear and downloads tracks to your desktop. Music Download Center is easy to use and includes labels and even the album cover of the song.

Music Download Center includes other features such as online radio stations, download history and playlist although all of these extra options don't work particularly well. It should be noted that you should only use Music Download Center to download music that is free of copyright.

Music Download Center is a useful tool to download free music on your PC.

Download Music Download Center 0.6 in Softonic

MediaMonkey automatically scans your PC for all types of music formats. If you have playlists from other programs, it’s good to know that MediaMonkey also adds m3u files, sparing you the pain of having to recreate them. The file explorer view on the left lets you easily navigate your music collection by categories like artist, genre or rating. You can convert tracks in MediaMonkey into any format you wish, depending on what size or quality of sound you’re looking for. MediaMonkey also lets you analyze and adjust the volume of tracks to increase your listening experience.

MediaMonkey has made its reputation on its advanced tagging management feature. Every time a track is added, the program will verify its tags. You can automatically fill in missing details with info from Amazon or Filename. The program can clean up your tags, move information into the correct categories and synchronize tags for selected tracks. You can also rename and move multiple files thanks to the auto-organize function. MediaMonkey also supports Winamp plugins and visualizations plus skins can be applied to spice up the interface.

If you want to make your own mix CDs, you’ll be happy to know that MediaMonkey rips and burns CDs and DVDs. Create a virtual CD of your favorite tracks and let MediaMonkey do its job. Budding DJs will enjoy the auto-DJ mode, which mixes tracks for you and the Party Mode, which blocks your configuration but lets anybody play their favorite tune. MediaMonkey’s versatility doesn’t stop there. The music manager also lets you synchronize with your portable music devices like your iPod or iRiver.

If you feel like completing your library with a couple of fresh albums you can browse sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble or AllPosters and purchase tracks. However, unlike Songbird, where you can type in a URL, browse and save your favorite music blogs and sites, MediaMonkey only allows you to browse their selection of online stores.

We were disappointed with the web radio selection, which only features Shoutcast and Icecast, and were surprised to see no sign of podcasts anywhere in the application. However version 3.0 is planning on incorporating this to the application.

Despite these drawbacks, we recommend MediaMonkey to anybody looking for a solid alternative to iTunes or Winamp. This original music manager is more than capable of organizing a very large music library and offers advanced tagging management rarely seen in other music applications. While the browser and web radio are fairly limited, MediaMonkey allows you to rip your custom CDs and connects to most portable music devices. If you really take a liking to MediaMonkey, cough up a few bucks and upgrade to the Gold version, which will open up all of the program’s functionalities like finding missing tracks or creating auto (smart) playlists.

Download MediaMonkey Free 4.0.7.1511 in Softonic

With iTunes streets ahead of the rest of its rivals, Yahoo! is revving up its engine in a bid to catch up with the uber-popular music player and download service.
Make no mistake about it, Yahoo! Music Jukebox is the search company’s attempt to wrestle the lucrative music download business from Apple’s clutches – and it’s not a bad effort either.

Billed as a complete music management system, the application allows you to organize your music collection, create playlists and access music downloads and streams from the well stocked Y!
Unlimited portal. It pulls this off through an attractive, easy-to-use interface that looks and feels like the lovechild of iTunes and MusicMatch Jukebox.

Out of Beta and now with iPod support (apart from the Nano and Shuffle versions), Yahoo! Music Engine surprisingly does some things even better than its Apple-built rival.
Adding music to playlists is much simpler for instance, because you can drag and drop tracks directly from your library into the playlist without having to open a new window.

However, the biggest differences between the two apps arise in the integration of their respective download services. The Yahoo! Music Jukebox brings the online service and the client app together much tighter than iTunes does.
Some of the cooler features include the ability to create personalized LAUNCHcast radio stations, build playlists based on these personal preferences, and the ability to share songs and playlists via Messenger or email.

As with iTunes, streaming music is limited to 30 seconds per song, although registered Yahoo! members qualify for a free 7-day membership trial of Y!Unlimited. This entitles users to play every song in its entirety during this week – a tantalising prospect when you realize there are more than a million different tracks to choose from.

However, the deal becomes less appetizing when you realize you need to enter your credit card details to qualify for the trial, and unless you cancel, the company will start plucking five dollars a month from your account.
What’s more, becoming a registered user only entitles you to a meagre saving on paid downloads – 79 cents per song (it’s 99 cents for non-members).
As you’d probably expect from a big-brand internet firm, the service is riddled with adverts for itself and other Yahoo! services, sometimes subtly and sometimes annoyingly in-your-face.
Even if you’re just using the player to spin tracks and organize your MP3 collection, you’re still forced to install Yahoo! Messenger and Yahoo!
Toolbar as part of the bloated software installation.
Given the swollen nature of the software and the fact that the player is so similar to iTunes it’s hard to see why anyone would want to switch over from the Apple software to Yahoo!
Music Jukebox. Having said this while we’ve now uninstalled the app and removed its far-reaching tentacles from our machine, there are enough novel features to make this program worth checking out.

Download Yahoo! Music Jukebox 2.0.2.049 in Softonic

It's a darned-sight cheaper than buying your own and is just as easy to use. Metronome makes a ticking sound, giving bar markers for 3/4 time, 4/4 time and 6/8 time. To select the tempo you want to use just click on one of the numbers and metronome will start immediately. Click 'Stop' to stop it at any time. There´s'nothing more to it than that. The metronome has been designed specifically for a guitar course offered by the developer, but it should be useful for general musical needs.

Metronome is a handy tool for any musician that needs bar markers in 3/4, 4/4 or 6/8 time.

Download Metronome 1.0 in Softonic

What it does is allow you to send any audio from your computer via wireless to any other computer (PC or Mac), Apple TV or Airport Express. It works with any application that plays music in your computer.

Syncing is both easy and fast. The clear GUI will list up all the devices that you can sync to, and all you have to do is activate them and set the volume and equalizer. That means you can pretty much listen to your music anywhere. Rogue Amoeba have really succeeded in making a program which is efficient, useful and very easy to use.

The download also includes Airfoil Speakers, which basically turns any PC or Mac into an Airport Express unit which can then receive audio from the Airfoil of another computer.

On the help side, the Rogue Amoeba team is known to offer great support and respond quickly to user queries.

Naturally though, if your wireless connection is poor, then Airfoil will perform poorly, so make sure your WiFi is well set.

Airfoil is a smart and intuitive program, to sync music wirelessly to any computer, Airport Express or Apple TV.

Download Airfoil 4.7.3 in Softonic