If you are the type of person who always changes your mobile ring-tone, this application is a must-have for you. EZ Ringtone allows you to convert music, either from CD tracks or mp3 file, to different ring-tone formats compatible with all modern devices.

The interface is really clear and simple: you just have to open an audio file to have an image of the right and left channel. Then select the part of your music you would like to convert to a ring-tone and press the format button compatible with your mobile. That’s it.

It’s annoying though that the trial version limits the duration of ring-tones to 5 seconds and it is a shame that there is not even a simple editing tool. It would have been good, for example, to have the possibility of mixing different parts of a song or maybe different titles as well. A fading or echo effect to end the recording would have made the final ring-tone a bit more ’professional’.

The tool that compresses MP3 files size from 30% up to 70% is also useful, saving valuable space on your mobile phone in case it’s not yet as capacious as a proper MP3 player.

Don’t be bored with your ring-tone ever again and drive all your co-workers mad with your favourite songs!

Download EZ Ringtone 1.7.0 in Softonic

FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, see supported devices) just like you would an MP3 file.

FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, "unix" (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are also build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.

The next generation of audio compressors is here.

Download FLAC 1.2.1 b in Softonic

Monkey’s Audio is a lossless audio compressor which aims to reduce the size of audio files as much as possible without losing any sound quality. The program uses its own file format, .ape, which is known to have a better compression rate than the lossless FLAC format, but files tend to be larger than lossy compression formats like MP3 or AAC.

We recommend using Monkey’s Audio to compress audio CDs to your PC. Your songs will not lose their quality but will take up less space than if they were uncompressed. What’s more, Monkey’s Audio handles tag support, keeping all your file information, like artist name, track numbers and playing time.

Monkey’s Audio can decompress files back to their original type without losing any quality and the program features an option to verify the MD5 checksum of compressed files. Compressed .ape files can play in any of the major media players and the program can also install a plug-in to compress audio files directly from Winamp.

Monkey’s Audio is a great solution if you’re worried about losing any quality when compressing audio files. However, because it only compresses to .ape, you’re pretty much stuck with playing your converted files on your PC. To enjoy them on your mobile music player you’ll have to use another program, like dbpowerAMP Music Converter or Switch Free, to convert your audio files to MP3 or AAC, which remain the most widely supported audio formats.

Download Monkey's Audio 4.01 beta 2 in Softonic

As far as DJing programs go, they don’t come much more user friendly than HipHop eJay. The problem with most of these programs is that they seem to offer you all realm of mixing possibilities but you need to be Fatboy Slim to have any clue how to operate them. Whilst lacking advanced controls, HipHop eJay 6 makes it so easy that even the slowest learners will feel like Grandmaster Flash.

The improvements over its predecessor are mainly an increased number of samples and a few instrument variations, including new snare drum beats and piano loop combinations. HipHop eJay 6 also sports a sleeker interface that’s less cluttered, although requires more rifling through menus as a result. Samples have increased from 3000 to 4000 and there’s a few new wizards to guide you through your first scratches. There’s also a new 'Mophonix Supabass' amplifier to make your bass lines sound 'phatter' than ever.

The layout is conventional enough - a pair of decks separated by a mixing console jammed with samples. However, the key element is the layered timeline that runs along the bottom – in much the same way as in a video editing package – where you can drag and drop the various blocks. This simple timeline makes constructing tunes a breeze. For instance, you can drag a drum beat into the first audio track and then complement it with a guitar in the second, a scratch on the third etc. You simply hit play and in an instant, you’ve got something that sounds like T-Rex meets Run DMC.

The turntables can be used to scratch and mix your masterpiece as it plays. It takes a bit of time learning how to scratch with a mouse although if you’ve got a laptop touch-pad mouse, it’s a bit easier. The new 'Scratch Wizard' shows you step-by-step how to make your scratching sound like scratching, and not like someone is smashing up the turntables. Alternatively, they can be used to play a separate backing track from your CD player or audio files saved on your PC over your beats. In the middle, you’ve got a crossfader to switch from one turntable to the other although trying to mix two records at once whilst cross fading with a mouse is pretty difficult.

There are also a few other nice little extras with HipHop eJay. One is a Grafitti Tagging function which enables you to spray paint your own album cover. Another is the ability to connect a mic and record your own vocal track in real-time to give your recordings a truly personal feel.

To those who are more serious about their music, HipHop eJay could come across as something of a kid’s tool however. It offers little control over the minutiae of the music although it does offer a few advanced features. There is a 48-track arranger which gives you control over where you want to emphasize certain sounds; and there are basic controls over tone and pitch but not much more. The program is clearly aimed at beginners since it also features thousands of unlicensed samples that won’t be of much interest to serious Hip Hop musicians either. However, you can simply disregard these and upload your own in MP3 or WAV format.

For anyone looking for a simple hip-hop DJing program that makes you sound like you know what you’re doing in minutes, this should be your first choice. Those seeking something a bit more professional will be disappointed but might find it useful to experiment with a few ideas on. Whatever your level, HipHop eJay will have you getting ‘deep and dirty’ (in the program's developers' words) in no time.

Download HipHop eJay 6 in Softonic