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.
The interface of iTunes has been completely re-imagined. Everything is simpler and space is better utilized. In the previous version of iTunes, there was a persistent bar on the left where you can access playlists, albums, devices, and more. While it provided quick access to those features, most users didn't use them most of the time. Apple has scrapped this and has made the default album view take up the entire window.

Browsing by album is a pleasure. Click on an album and the tracks will show up below. iTunes also analyzes the color of album artwork to create a colored background for each individual album. It works well for the most part but the effect blurs the album art around the edges.

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.

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.

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.

The only thing missing from iTunes 11 is a music streaming service. iCloud gives users the ability to download tracks locally but not stream them. There is no subscription service in iTunes to compete with the likes of Spotify, Rdio, and Xbox Music. It's only matter of time before Apple releases its own music subscription service but it's disappointing that Apple didn't release it with iTunes 11.

iTunes is still one of the best media players around. It has gotten easier to use, feels less bloated, but is still missing a music subscription service.

Download iTunes 11.0.3 (64 bits) in Softonic

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 11.0.3 in Softonic

Features

Version 2 ("Twoflower") brings a new interface, faster decoding, support for more formats and the ability to play HD and BluRay. It still remains however the most stable, flexible and lightweight audio and video player around today. While other media players will play unusual formats after downloading a codec, or simply refuse to play things,

VLC media player handles tons of formats, from MPEG to FLV and RMBV files. Version 2 has seen some important additions too such as support for 10 bit codes plus multi-threaded decoding for H.264, MPEG-4/Xvid and WebM.

Also useful is the fact that you can use VLC media player to preview files you are downloading since it plays incomplete parts of video files. VLC media player is not just for video playback however. It also offers superb integration with video channel streaming services such as Channels.com giving you access to channels such as ESPN, Reuters and National Geographic. Just right-click or CMD-click on the playlist, select Services Discovery and Channels.com.

Channels.com will then appear in your VLC media player playlist. Click on it to reveal the the different categories of channels available. Click on the category you want and a drop down list of all available channels appears in VLC media player. Just click on the channel you want to watch and streaming should begin almost immediately.

Usability

VLC media player also has great hotkey support and if you take the time to learn the shortcuts so it can be controlled without touching your mouse. If you're watching DVDs or video files through it, this is not an issue. For music, it plays more or less any file and features an equalizer and playlist creation. VLC media player isn't as intuitive as iTunes as a media manager, but it's a much more flexible player in terms of file formats. You can even use VLC to convert your files, and on top of all the formats and physical media it will play, many streaming protocols and TV capture cards are supported.

VLC media player makes it easy to add subtitles to your video files too - just add the SRT file to the folder where your video is kept, and it will automatically play with subtitles.

Finally, the interface in VLC media player has been somewhat improved in version 2 although it remains strictly functional. However, you can download skins to completely change VLC media player's appearance. The preferences menu is comprehensive without being overwhelming, and there is extensive documentation online.

Conclusion

VLC Media Player is quite simply the best multimedia application for Windows and Mac. It plays just about anything, hassle free - what more could you need?

What's new

Rework and fixes of the Mac OS X interface

Fix Pulseaudio initial synchronization

Fix MKV, SWF, AIFF and subtitles demuxer crashes

Translations updates and new Welsh translation

DVB-S delivery system detection

Fix audio and video track selection through libVLC

Fix system sleep issue on Mac OS X 10.5

Download VLC media player 2.0.6 in Softonic

On the surface, iMesh looks polished and easy to use. The program features a tab bar that gives you access to different areas: Library, with all the media stored on your computer; Home, which is the main screen on iMesh; Search, where you can find, download and buy music and video; Discover, a tool do find new artists and music genres; and finally DJ, which plays music you may like based on a song or band of your choice.

The iMesh community is a great place to make friends, exchange messages and also share media libraries. You can also upload photos to your profile, and send songs over to friends. On the downside, we missed a bit more integration with other social services such as Twitter or Facebook.

iMesh also includes a powerful built-in player for audio and video – featuring a 10-band equalizer – plus a built-in CD burner to create custom media CD and DVD on the spot.

iMesh is a complete P2P client with which you can discover new bands, buy the music you like and make new friends.

Download iMesh 12 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

Xthree Skin features: Professional dj mixer looking, animated, full-featured equalizer Presets in equalizer with ability to save and load them Equalizer fullscreen mode with controls for touchscreen user interface Transparency Comfortable control hotkeys Opportunity to play videos with 1 frame step Steady seek step calculated as a percentage of the duration Buttons for rewinding and fast forwarding Skip playing mode for fast media preview Skin is resizeable and has alernative fullscreen mode in maximized state Mouse cursor over video automatically hides after 2 seconds Album art view mode with DVD/Blu-ray covers support Tooltips with multi-language support

It is more than just a change of appearance, standard player logic was totally recoded. So it is easy to say that this is next version of Media Player.

This skin can be used by users who use Windows Media Player on the daily basis and those who have never used Windows Media Player, because default interface is very difficult in use.

Download Xthree: Windows Media Player Skin 1.1 in Softonic

Have you found that you've never really fallen in love with iTunes or any of the other major media players? If so then you might find Jajuk a breath of fresh air.

Firstly, Jajuk is based on Java which I don't usually like but because the program does such a good organising job, it's worth tolerating the occasionally lags and sluggishness.

Jajuk is very flexible in that it can handle music in all sorts of formats including MP3, OGG Vorbis, AU, AIFF, WAV and SPEEX audio formats. The problem is that this is no simple organiser of music - it's very specialized and quite technical meaning that you'll spend a good few hours just getting to grips with its main features.

On the plus side, Jajuk is remarkably fast intuitive in the way it organises your music into different genres, bands and titles. I particularly liked the ambiance manager which allows you to make playlists based on genres of music to suit your moods. There's also a basic but functional DJ tool in Jajuk which includes a configurable crossfader for some super slick mixing and editing of your favorite tracks.

Jajuk is a very exciting alternative to iTunes although it's maybe a little too bloated with features for it's own good.

Download Jajuk 1.10.3 in Softonic

G-Force includes a host of impressive features such as anti-aliased effects, millions of effect combinations, savable and scriptable effects and video file export capabilities. You can also customize and extend G-Force in various ways.

G-Force is basically a mathematical application which takes sounds and turns them into images. It makes an impressive piece of eye-candy but with one drawback. You have to pay an annual subscription to keep using it which will no doubt put off many users. It's therefore probably more appealing to professional DJs and other performance artists that need a visual display to accompany music.

G-Force is an impressive application but will probably appeal more to professionals than general users.

Download G-Force 4.2 in Softonic

CDG Ripper is suitable for both home and professional Karaoke users, DJ`s, or KJ Hosts. Features: Rip to BIN Rip to MP3+G& Rip to secure KMF; Rip to sharable KMF; Control Ripping speed Quickly rename tracks using a common Base nameLookup track titles from the internetLookup track titles from a local database Select Lame or Blade encoder at various settingsSystem Requirements:Windows 98/SE/ME/XP XP and 2000 Requires ASPI Pentium MMX 233MHz+ Minimum 16MB RAM Accelerated Video Card (w/ Fast 2D) 16-bit Sound Card; Windows Media Player 6.

Download TriceraSoft CDG Ripper(tm) 1.0 1.00 in Softonic

With more and more multimedia content filling your hard drive, it’s increasingly important to have some way of managing it all. Jaangle (formerly known as Teen Spirit) is an all-in-one media player and organizer that aims to do exactly this with a focus on usability. A highly user-friendly interface and one click access to album information make this a great application, particularly for music lovers.

If you use Windows Media Player to manage your audiovisual collection then you’ll certainly find Teen Spirit a breath of fresh air. Although the look is not quite so slick and polished, the system for obtaining extra information about a track, album or artist is far better. Jaangle works by assigning tags to your music files which are then used to search for the appropriate lyrics and other associated information from several databases including All Music, Net Covers and of course, Google. By casting the net so wide, Jaangle tends to return much more extensive results than Windows Media Player. However, be careful with the tags. If they are not specific enough, Jaangle tends to retrieve completely the wrong information. Another useful feature is that it stores all this information locally so that you don’t need an internet connection to view album info once you’ve retrieved it for the first time.

You can create multiple music collections by simply adding the folder paths that contain your MP3 files, search through your collections and sort the file list in several ways. Jaangle also keeps track of the files you play, lets you review statistics and generates a personal hitlist based on which songs you listen to most. You can also do all the other usual things such as rename files, create playlists and edit ID3 tags. However, you can’t customise the interface in any significant way – there are no new skins for example – and you can’t drag and drop music from one playlist to another very easily. Jaangle also lacks an equaliser of any kind although the developers say they are working on a DJ function which will hopefully incorporate one.

However, Jaangle performs far less impressively with video files. There’s no info retrieval feature for these and the playing controls are limited. In fact, we found that although it clearly separates your videos from your music, you’re probably better using an external application with more features for video playback.

Jaangle is a great application for those who have huge music collections and feel their current music player doesn’t give them enough album info or doesn’t organise files very well. Seeing the right album covers and reading the artist bios really brings your music alive so even if you’re happy with your current music player, you might find you get more out of your collection with Jaangle.

Download Jaangle 0.98.961 in Softonic

One of the problems of a big music library on your computer is getting stuck in a rut. Weeks can go by listening to the same tracks.

iTunes party shuffle (now iTunes DJ) is a bit too random, which is why we've seen things like iTunes Genius and Mufin that try to create intelligent playlists. Random MixTape Maker is another attempt at helping you to utilize the forgotten depths of your music library.

It has no integration with any media player - you can create playlist files (.MPU) that most will recognize, or simply select and drag across the created playlists into your media player of choice. It synchronizes with whatever folders you tell it to (unfortunately it doesn't search for your music folders). Unlike Genius, Random MixTape Maker works by setting parameters - keywords, song lengths, genres etc. You can also put folders or files into a blacklist, if you don't want certain files to be selected by the program (for example news podcasts!).

Random MixTape Maker works very quickly. If you don't like its creations, clicking Create Playlist will instantly make a new one, or you can shuffle the current one. It fully supports dragging and dropping files, so it's easy to use. The downside of Random MixTape Maker is that you have to export the playlists to use them, although it's easy to drag playlists to your player. Also, some of the settings seemed only to be activated if the app was closed down and then opened. An "apply settings" button would be a great improvement.

Despite its basic appearance, Random MixTape Maker is a flexible, customizable way to freshen up your tired listening habits

Download Random MixTape Maker 1.8.28.77 in Softonic

DJ Jukebox is a powerful playlist generator and media file manager. Each song can be assigned a rating so that favorites are played more often, or that an unwanted song is never played. If you're connected to a network, DJ Jukebox can control the media player remotely on a different computer.

Playlists can be created automatically or manually, and saved for later retrieval. Powerful file management tools can rename or move song files and entire directories. A global search and replace operation can be performed on all song filenames. A click of the mouse can send keystrokes, playing instructions, and volume changes to the server's media player. DJ Jukebox supports all media players, all media file types, commercials, repetition prevention, and more.

Download DJ Jukebox 8.3 in Softonic

A few years ago, if you wanted to broadcast your own radio show you would have needed all manner of antennas and radio equipment, along with a licence (or the guts to transmit without one). Nowadays anyone can become a radio star thanks to the rise of podcasting technology. With the major media players now joining cutting-edge tech sites in the podcasting revolution, there’s plenty of competition around, so producing a broadcast that sounds slick and professional is essential.

As its name suggests, ePodCast Creator has been specifically designed for users who want to make their own online audiocasts. The application allows you to create, edit and manage podcasts on the fly, with a set of tools that let you record and mix audio from a variety of sources.

We like the way the program embraces the spirit of podcasting by keeping things pretty straightforward. Unlike many audio-editing applications, the interface is clean of clutter and consists of clearly -labelled playback and record panels, along with two timelines displaying the waveforms for the cast’s voice and music. Thanks to the ‘Music Segments’ menu, you get instant access to the music clips you’ve imported, which can either be dragged and dropped onto the timeline, or accessed via hotkeys.

Mixing audio tracks often proves tricky for novice users, but ePodCast Creator keeps things as simple as possible, with just one slider allowing you to blend music with voice recordings, or even two music tracks. Unfortunately this doesn’t give you quite the same precision and control as some of the more advanced sound editing apps, but should suffice for the average podcast. For the more adventurous podcaster, the bundled ePodCast Editor provides a series of tools for chopping up tracks, adding effects and adjusting EQ levels. Again, these features aren’t as powerful as those you’ll find in the likes of Acid or Reason, but we found them a lot easier to master.

EPodCast Creator makes for a great one-stop-shop for your podcasting needs, and the developer has pulled off something of a masterstroke by allowing you to record, edit, create RSS feeds and eventually upload your creation to the web. The package is perfect for those starting out their career as an Internet DJ, though it’s possible that you’ll outgrow the program as you become more ambitious in your productions.

Download ePodcast Creator 2.0.49 in Softonic

Designed for professional DJs and casual collectors alike, VisiTrax provides quick and easy access to your audio CDs, records, tapes, and MP3 files. Browse, sort, and find songs instantly! Create, manage, and save timed playlists. Print professional looking listings, using the print preview panel's handy layout controls.

Save time entering new data with field auto-completion, smart index numbering, and a built-in CD player that can automatically retrieve CD titles from a free on-line database. Use any category and media format naming you like. Use VisiTrax with Winamp!

VisiTrax readily exchanges data with popular spreadsheet software, directly supports SureThing CD Labeler, and quickly generates ready-to-upload files for DJ Intelligence and WeDJ. Includes full on-screen documentation, plus an example database.

Download VisiTrax Lite 2.10.2 in Softonic