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

Unlike other music players, MixiDJ allows your to create your own preferred list and share with friends. Likewise you can search for friend's playlists and get ideas for new songs, albums and artists.

MixiDJ Social Player is downloaded to your desktop so you don't need to create YouTube playlists on the internet. You can share these playlists with friends. MixiDJ recognizes your favorite music and even gives you suggestions to similar artists or songs. There are no ads and it is completely free.

Everyone can use MixiDJ Social Player and enjoy. Anyone who has a love for music and artists will benefit from this one-of-a-kind player. With all the up-to date tracks, MixiDJ is perfect for teenagers, adults etc.

Download Free Music Player - Mixi.DJ 1 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

Looking like a classic DJ set-up, with a mixer and two decks, Virtual DJ will be instantly accessible to DJs and newcomers alike.

Features

You can sample and loop tracks live, add effects, and there's a very natural-feeling scratch mode. For the adventurous, there's a lot you can add to your mixes with Virtual DJ.

Usability

Quality

Virtual DJ is accessible to beginners and packed with extra features. The downside of the software is that it sticks too much to what a physical DJ setup is - other programs offer four decks and more user-friendly interfaces - small knobs may be great for your fingers, but they're less use on a screen.

Conclusion

Download Virtual DJ Free Home Edition 7.4 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

- Timecode output to control external Devices like Light or Pyro - Volume control by midi velocity - Editfunction on each Button - Save complete project incl. audio for fast transfer to other computers - Android network remote

For TV, musical, and show playbacks and jingles and for light or pyro audio synchronisation.

Download KMSPlayer KMSPlayer V2 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

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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

BPM Studio is a popular choice among Softonic users which might be down to the wealth of possibilities available in this music mixer. This application will allow you to read, edit, mix, encode and write your tracks with precision.

DJs and music fans alike will appreciate the hardware look of the interface and the inclusion of all the essential buttons and functions expected in a professional mixer. It’s very easy to switch between the 3 different views: lists, mixer and ripper, streamlining your music creation process without disruptions.

Thankfully BPM Studio Pro integrates an explorer view of your music library, for quick dragging and dropping of the tracks you need. Although the application only comes with 30 original sounds and tracks you can effortlessly add all the sound you need. The program keeps a record of the tracks you searched for and the play lists you created for quick access. You can use the search function to quickly find tracks in library.

Over to the editing functions, BPM Studio lets you set up to 6 different cue points in an individual track. The sample player is nestled between the two track modules and features a sample editor to modify saved sounds. Use the wave editing view to edit more precisely.

BPM Studio also diversifies your cross fading possibilities. You can manually switch from one track to the other, let the program do it automatically or set the track lines yourself. While this last option is the most enjoyable, it’s also the least precise of the three.

On the downside, while BPM Studio is studded with options for editing, mixing and writing, the interface often feels stuffy and overloaded and it can become difficult to read functions or drag counter switches. The equalizer for example is very complete and even offers a graphic view, yet there is no numerical indication of the changes you are making.

The audio presets are limited to 5 (lounge, DJ, party, office, radio) vague choices. We also believe that with only 30 sounds and tracks pre-included in the program, BPM Studio doesn’t have a rich enough library of sounds. However this is very subjective and it’s quite possible that you will be happy with this collection of tracks and sounds.

While there are some drawbacks to this application, we consider BPM Studio a solid application for anyone serious about mixing tracks. The interface is well structured and all your tracks, edits and functions are accessible. The extensive editing possibilities will open you up to hours of track tweaking and polishing.

Download BPM Studio Pro 4.9.94 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

Features: New Dj Automix System, 5 Differents types of Mix, 18 Dj Direct Access Effects, Plug In Support, Multi-Language Support, Music Maker, Song Advice, Encoder / Decoder MP3, Cd Ripper, Dj Sample Mix, Skin support, and mucho more.

Download MGC Dj Millennium 4.0 in Softonic

This is a piece of audio editing software that has many features, but it's not hard to use, especially as you can add and test effects in real time. AV Music Morpher Gold has lots of effects to explore, from the ridiculous like 'Merry Doggy' to the more useful like 'Reverb'. It's very easy to turn effects on and off, although timing can be tricky.

There's also a wave editor, so you can cut and join tracks. It's pretty basic, and not up to the standard of Audacity. The AV Music Morpher Gold interface is pretty simple, but has a very old fashioned skin. AV Music Morpher Gold really does look ten years old, and the lack of drag-and-drop support makes this feel even clunkier than it looks.

AV Music Morpher Gold does many things, but none of them well enough. There is much better DJ software available, much better music managers, and audio editors too. This jack of all trades applications needs more focus and an interface overhaul to bring it up to date.

If you're looking for a simple way to add strange effects to your music, AV Music Morpher Gold does just that. Unfortunately it's a bit too basic, and pretty ugly to boot!

Download AV Music Morpher Gold 5.0.57 in Softonic

E-mix basic is a desktop MP3 DJ application. It can be controlled with keyboard and mouse, or with an external MIDI control.

This basic edition is still quite a complex piece of software with most of the features you'd expect on a DJ's mixer. There are two players, into which songs can be loaded and played. Tempo can be changed, and cue positions set. It's easy to import playlists, folders and libraries from your music collection, and you can build a playlist in the player too.

There are low, mid, high and gain controls, and a cross-fader, and also a tap BPM button for getting the BPM just right. Slightly odder is the jingles box, so you can play little sound effects during your DJ sets. It comes with nine ready effects, like a dog bark and car brake, which are accessible at the touch of a button.

For the careless DJ, there's an 'Autoplay' button, which means e-mix will just play through your playlist.

Without an external controller e-mix is a little awkward to use, as you really need to mix using both hands, so one mouse controlling the mixing desk is not really enough (unless you're lightning quick). The autoplay function is not very flexible - you can't set an automatic cross fade, for example.

Overall, e-mix basic is really only suitable for actual DJing, not just playing about with at home. There are more user friendly basic DJ applications, better suited to mouse control for that. For the more serious DJ, the ability to sync with a physical mixing console makes this a good way to utilize your MP3 collection for DJing purposes.

A solid basic DJ tool, but not really suitable for use with only a mouse.

Download E-mix basic edition 5.6.4 in Softonic

DJDeck's interface might be a bit overwhelming at first, with two players opened by default, and lots of buttons and sliders. Luckily, it supports dragging and dropping, so getting started is just a case of opening your music folder in the application, and dragging a track into a player. There is everything a DJ might expect like equalizers, a cross-fader and scratch pads.

The first time a track is played, it's analyzed and automatically given a BPM. This seems accurate. There are lots of effects to play around with, although it's not well explained, so if you don't know what to do, you'll have to learn by trial and error. Of course, there is a manual included, but not in program.

DJDecks is always full screen, which is annoying, and it's not very attractive. In terms of functioning, it works well once you get the hang of it, but it is not at all intuitive. Most functions are mapped to keyboard controls, but the layout is quite complex.

DJDecks is a competent DJ application for experts, but isn't accessible for beginners and lacks a windowed mode.

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You can also be the DJ and at any time click a mp3 on music list playing it. features are: Easy to use. Music non stop, computer plays new songs randomly.

At any time you can play a song you like by clicking it on mp3 list, be the DJ of you party. You can pause or repeat a song using buttons. Track and volume control.

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Audio Workstation supports a wide range of audio formats for input and output files. Some of the included formats are MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WAV, M4A and MP4.

The program also serves as an audio CD ripper and can save files into your desired output format. The program also automatically transfers all information such as track title, album title, artist, track number, genre and other information upon converting.

Other special features included in the product are Album Cover Image Editor, add album artwork, create audio CD from playlist, and an ID3 tag editor.

Audio Workstation also has editing functions and effects like normalize, fade in/ fade out, amplify, crop, split, copy, paste, insert silence, reverse, stretch and other functions.

The DJ-style player is fun to use with auto fade and beat matching functions. Music lovers will surely find this software useful and convenient.

Download Audio Workstation 6.3.6 in Softonic