October 28, 2013

Free Music: Five Places to Find It Online

By Wendy Boswell, 10-16-2013

Who doesn't like free, right? There are plenty of sources online for free libraries, databases, and catalogs for music of all kinds, from Top 40 pop to classical to music made especially to use in production-type settings. The following sites are great for discovering new styles, new genres, and new artists; all are completely free or ask for something very minor in return, like a link or some kind of credit to the original artist. Note: always check the fine print on every website before downloading any music to make sure that there are no restrictions. 

  1. FreeStockMusic: Features everything from Acoustic to Urban, with everything you can possibly think of in between. Need production music for a video you're making? This is a great place to turn something up. A royalty-free music license here means that you can use the music in anything you want, without any fees, forever. Categories range from Cinematic Classical to Rock N Roll and everything in between. The site is easy to use, easy to search, and can be used as a go-to resource for video projects that need the help of a little background music.
  2. Jamendo: Amazing site full of high-quality music from all over the world. Over 400,000 tracks are available here for streaming, downloading, and sharing with friends. This is a great source for discovering the "next big thing" - and if you are an artist looking for an online venue on which to share your music with a large audience, this is a good place to check out. Definitely a good choice if you're looking for music that is off the beaten path.
  3. Audionautix: Pick a genre, pick a mood, pick a tempo, and hit "Find Music" - you're off and running at this site that features an incredible variety of music available for both personal and professional usage. All that is required if you use it somewhere online in a project is a simple link back to where you found it; not bad for the quality and selection of the music you can find here. 
  4. Newgrounds Audio: Known mostly for games, Newgrounds Audio gives artists from all over the world a chance to showcase and share their music, as well as a great resource for users to download and listen to great music - mostly techno and game-related - themselves. Plus, who doesn't love a little game time with their music, right? 
  5. Classical Music Online: From Chopin to Scarlatti to Bach to Mozart, you'll be able to find great works from classical composers here. Search by composer, genre, or concert; there's an alphabetical list of both composers and artists that can help you track down what you're looking for quickly. Click to play music in your browser; you'll see a pop-up window that gives you the option to download the piece of music you're listening to direct to your computer. Many songs also offer a video link of the actual song being performed, which is a nice touch. Search through Collections to see "hubs" of music by orchestra or artist all in one place. 
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October 15, 2013

Reduce MP3 file size with MP3 Quality Modifier

Those who love to hear music and have lots of  data in their system, generally face problems with respect to storage space. Many users try to compress the MP3 file to fit more songs on their portable hard disk or iPad, but unfortunately end up with the poor sound quality of that particular file. As a music lover, you never want to hear a bad sound quality audio track, but certainly want to know the way to reduce MP3 file space. MP3 Quality Modifier is the right application for those who have to deal with a large amount of music data present on the system.

Reduce MP3 file size

MP3 Quality Modifier is a simple, fast and an easy way to reduce MP3 file space. This software is meant to reduce the size of the file without damaging its sound quality. The application interface is user-friendly as the design,and command icon present on the application is quite simple to use and understand. Modification of MP3, MP1 and MP2 files can be done very quickly and efficiently with MP3 Quality Modifier.
MP3 Quality Modifier 1 Reduce MP3 file size with MP3 Quality Modifier
Key Features of MP3 Quality Modifier
  • MP3 Quality Modifier makes modification in bitrates mode, rate, stereo rate and frequency gain disk space. So, it does not affect the sound quality of the music at all.
  • It allows you to create your own profile.
  • It displays the saved space and does the comparison between input and output files at a same time.
  • MP3 Quality Modifier also allows you to cancel the modification if it is not up to the mark.
Check how MP3 Quality Modifier is an easy way to reduce MP3 file space with constant sound quality.
  • The files are added in the list using the ‘Add Files’ button that is present on the top of the window. A folder can also be added by clicking on ‘Add Folder’ button present on the top.
MP3 Quality Modifier 2 Reduce MP3 file size with MP3 Quality Modifier
  • Click on ‘Process’ button to start the processing procedure. As you click on ‘Process’ tab, a window appears showing the progress status. You can shut down your system after all processing is done. For this, you just need to check the ‘Shutdown after process’ checkbox.
MP3 Quality Modifier 3 Reduce MP3 file size with MP3 Quality Modifier
  • Once the processing is done, a new window will appear on the screen showing the summary in which following things are mentioned:
    • Files Handled
    • Total file size change
    • A ‘Created files’ section which displays % Size change, Original size and Created size of the files.
MP3 Quality Modifier 4 Reduce MP3 file size with MP3 Quality Modifier
  • If this modification suits you, then click on ‘OK’ button.
MP3 Quality Modifier 5 Reduce MP3 file size with MP3 Quality Modifier

MP3 Quality Modifier download

MP3 Quality Modifier works by making changes in the file’s Bitrate Mode and Rate(kbps). The Frequency can be changed together with Modus to reduce the size of the file without affecting its quality.
The best thing about MP3 Quality Modifier is that it is a freeware, which means you don’t need to pay anything to download the application.
Source: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/reduce-mp3-file-size-mp3-quality-modifier?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheWindowsClub+%28The+Windows+Club%29
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October 13, 2013

Beat the Bloat! Try These Lightweight BitTorrent Clients

Guns don’t share illegal files. People share illegal files. Or, wait, how does it go again? What I mean to say is, BitTorrent has a bad reputation for its piracy potential, but it shouldn’t. BitTorrent is a tool that allows people to share and receive files with other people and there are legal uses for BitTorrent unrelated to downloading illegal files.
Torrenting is so popular that there are dozens of great clients out there, but many of them are packed with bloat and extra features that the average user will never use. What if you want a clean, simple, and easy client instead?
Sometimes you want to pop open your torrenting client and download a range of items as soon as possible. Maybe you want to do this on an old computer that rattles and whines with every spin of the hard drive. Maybe you just don’t care for all the bells and whistles. A lightweight BitTorrent client is exactly what you’re looking for, and thankfully there are several good ones from which you can choose. Here are the ones I’d recommend.
Note: If you’re a complete newbie to the concept of torrenting, fear not. We have a fantastic beginner’s guide to BitTorrent written by our very own Saikat and it’ll get you started off on the right foot.


Tixati [Windows, Linux]

 

 

lightweight-bittorrent-tixati


As of right now, Tixati is my BitTorrent client of choice. I’ll admit that it’s not the most beautiful client around – frankly speaking, it’s actually quite ugly – but it certainly gets the job done without hogging too many resources. Just look at the screenshot above and you’ll get a sense of what Tixati is all about: sharing files! You’ll find no built-in media managers, social networking, or web browsing here.

With regard to performance, I’m impressed. I don’t know if it’s all in my head or what, but my own experience is that Tixati’s speeds are faster than other competitive torrenting clients. When prioritizing files, they do indeed download much faster than files with low priority. Perhaps it has something to do with Tixati’s special algorithms for efficient peer selection. And best of all? No spyware, no malware, and built-in encryption for improved security.


Hadouken [Windows]

 

 

lightweight-bittorrent-hadouken


Hadouken is one of the more recent creations in the realm of BitTorrent clients. The thing that separates Hadouken from pretty much every other client is that it runs as a headless Windows service, meaning that it doesn’t have an actual program interface that shows up in the taskbar or the system tray. In fact, the only way to use Hadouken is to install it, then interact using its Web-based interface.
The cool thing is that the Web-based interface is actually based on uTorrent’s Web UI, which means Hadouken’s interface will be familiar to a lot of you. On top of that, Hadouken has a powerful plugin system that can be used to implement a whole slew of features – sending emails, unpacking files, mounting images, etc. – at your whim.
Once Hadouken is installed, you need to go to your browser and type in the following to access the Web-based interface:
URL: http://localhost:8080
Username: hdkn
Password: hdkn


MiniGet [Windows]

 

 

lightweight-bittorrent-miniget


At first glance, MiniGet doesn’t look like anything spectacular. There’s no real eye candy and it looks about as barebones as it gets when it comes to torrenting clients. Well, that’s what we’re looking for, right? Like its name implies, MiniGet is all about being as small as possible while still providing power and efficiency in file sharing, and it accomplishes this by throwing out ALL features that aren’t absolutely essential.
MiniGet can handle the HTTP, FTP, and BitTorrent protocols. It can handle Magnet links, DHT, web seeds, as well as NAT traversals (also known as NAT punchthrough). And, of course, it can pause and resume downloads. Those are the core features deemed necessary by MiniGet. You won’t find much more, but at least it results in a tiny CPU and RAM footprint.

qBittorrent [Windows, Mac, Linux]

 

 

lightweight-bittorrent-qbittorrent


Ever since µTorrent sold out and went down the drain, qBittorrent was considered to be its replacement. There are a lot of similarities between the two, namely that they’re both simple, straightforward, and lightweight (this is before  µTorrent began to bloat up). This is no surprise since the creator of qBittorrent originally intended qBittorrent to be the µTorrent for Linux as there were no good alternatives at the time.
qBittorrent handles all of the core features you’d expect in a torrenting client – encryption, priorities, IPv6, etc. – as well as some neat advanced options, such as sequential downloading and remote control of the client through a Web-based interface. All this comes wrapped up in a package that’s lightweight and easy on the resources, which is why qBittorrent remains as one of the best torrenting clients ever.


Conclusion

Sometimes you need a big all-in-one torrenting solution, and there are plenty of options out there if that’s the case, but when you need little more than the core functionality of a client, the ones listed here will serve you well if you ask me. And if none of these fulfill your torrenting needs, you could always check out these lesser-known but still effective BitTorrent clients.
Which BitTorrent clients do you use when you want something lightweight and easy on the resources? Are there any that I missed? Please share them with us in the comments!

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/beat-the-bloat-try-these-lightweight-bittorrent-clients/


uTorrrent




Although the latest version of the best BitTorrent has advertising built-in, you can get an older version. Try version 3.0 here:

http://www.oldversion.com/windows/utorrent-3-0-2
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October 6, 2013

MP3jam Review: Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Downloads


MP3jam is a music search and download app for Windows that uses music videos as the source for digital audio. Once installed on your computer you can use the program as a streaming music player or download the audio as MP3 files. The publishers of this useful tool, MP3jam Ltd, say that their application doesn't use any illegal sources on the Internet, such as BitTorrent sites or built-in P2P algorithms, and so is legal to use.




Additionally, MP3jam gives you the ability to easily download whole albums as well as single tracks to enhance the speed that your offline music library is built up. This free music app also has other features too, like: multi-threaded download support, a downloads history tab, and social media sharing via Facebook and Twitter.
To find out more about MP3jam and if it's worth installing for your particular needs, read on for the lowdown.


Pros:
  • Streaming audio is free from advertisements.
  • The audio from music videos can be downloaded as MP3 files.
  • No need to use a particular online music service to listen to the latest songs.
  • Built-in player for previewing / streaming.
Cons:
  • Annoying software extras bundled with the installation package -- you'll need to un-tick each one if you don't want them installed on your system.
  • Can't create playlists for streaming content from the cloud or playing your downloads.
  • Limited genre list -- can't search for genres which degrades the app's usefulness as a music discovery tool.
  • Program points to a free unlock code (for album downloads), but is confusingly hidden via a 'Buy' button.

 

 

Getting Started With MP3jam

 

Before You Download: The application can be downloaded free from the MP3jam website and is a freeware program. It runs on Microsoft Windows and is compatible with OS versions: 8, 7, Vista, and XP. In order to run the program, you'll also need the .Net Framework 4.0 Client Profile installed -- this component is usually installed automatically if not already on your system.


Installation: When installing MP3jam, we observed that the installation package also came with some extra software bundled with it. Although developers often slipstream these additional programs in order to keep their software free, you may still find it annoying. The Amazon browser bar and Tuneup Utilities (trial) will need to be carefully de-selected if you don't want them installed on your machine.

 

Using MP3jam

MP3jam Search Screen
MP3jam main search screen
Image © Mark Harris - Licensed to About.com, Inc.


Interface: The application has a well designed user interface that is not only visually smart, but also intuitive to use. It's a very simple interface enabling you to dive straight in without having to learn your away around. There are two menu tabs near the top of the screen. The first one is used for searching and downloading music, while the second tab gives you a view of your past activity -- ideal for easily locating your downloads. Below these two menu tabs is a large search box to type in your search terms and below this is a small selection of genres to click on.


Finding Music: Most of the time you'll probably find that using the search box is the most convenient way to look for music. MP3jam gives you the option to type in the title of a song, a band / artist's name, or album title. To help you find what you're looking for, the app displays suggestions as you type. This is a nice added feature that saves time on typing and gives you ideas on other artists, songs, etc. that you might not have thought about.
For a quick look at a particular music style, you can also click on one of the genres displayed on-screen. This selection is quite limited and we'd have liked to see a lot more options. Unfortunately, there's no way to search by genre using the search box -- this addition would make MP3jam an even more useful tool for discovering new music. That said, MP3jam still manages to serve up plenty of results using the genres available.


Downloading: one of the most standout features of MP3jam is its download facility. You can choose to either download single songs or whole albums. The app does this by extracting the audio stream from a YouTube video in real-time and creating an MP3 file on your computer. MP3jam does a good job of finding the highest bitrate available for songs. Most downloads are good quality, however this will always depend on what is available on YouTube at the time.
You can also download complete albums using MP3jam. This is a one-click process that is a great time-saver as opposed to manually compiling an album. This function works well and the correct album art is also downloaded too. However, after using the app for a while you may see this feature with a mystifying padlock symbol. Clicking on this brings up a 'Buy' button making you think that this might suddenly be crippleware, and not completely free after all. However, the 'Buy' button actually points to a free unlock code (on MP3jam's website) rather than you having to pay a fee. We would have liked this button to read 'Free Unlock Code' for example rather than 'Buy' as it could deter users from continuing to use MP3jam.

 

 

Conclusion

If you're looking for a free desktop application that will transform videos into audio, then MP3jam does an excellent job. You can use the app to either stream free and legal music, or use it as a YouTube to MP3 downloader. The program sports some great features such as a flexible search system, but falls a little short on making it easy for the user to search by genre. Playlists would have also been a nice addition to enable the organization of found music and MP3 downloads.


The sound quality of streams and downloads via MP3jam are generally very good, with MP3s being generated from the highest bitrate available on YouTube. One of the most standout features is being able to download whole albums. This facility works well, but you may see a 'Buy' button appear on future album downloads. This simply points to a free unlock code on MP3jam's website, but could deter some users in using this app.
Overall, MP3jam is a good desktop software program for Windows that gives you a way to listen to songs on YouTube and download them without the visuals.

Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Digital Music Guide

Source: http://mp3.about.com/od/audiotools/fr/Mp3jam-Review-Convert-Youtube-Videos-To-Mp3-Downloads.htm


Another Review from a1-downloads.phpnuke.org:

MP3jam is a P2P utility which allows you to download unlimited MP3 tracks as well as music albums in a moment.
With this utility you will be able to search and get MP3 files in an easy way, without the need of introducing weird codes or waiting for hours till the programs connect to an available server.
As an exclusively specialized in music software, MP3Jam guarantees good quality audios , and it only includes files that suite this requirement. Nevertheless, if your experience with other tools has made you a little bit suspicious, this program allows you to hear a version of the song while downloading it so you know you are getting exactly what you are looking for.

Some useful functions

Although it is free software, as soon as you download it you will see that it is not only complete and effective, but also does not fail at providing a good and trustful service. MP3Jam downloads music files or albums in just seconds.
However, this program not only transfers songs into your computer, MP3Jam also allows you to listen to them by streaming. Thanks to its multi-thread technology, you will be able to download multiple songs at a time, or even whole music albums.
Another feature this program includes is the possibility of sharing your own downloads or the music you are listening to on social networks such as Twitter or Facebook.

Similar programs

Nowadays, peer to peer utilities to download all sorts of files are booming, so you will find many alternatives to MP3Jam. For instance, the most common program for listening music in streaming is Spotify; however it does not include the option of downloading the songs you are listening to.
Another possibility is Ares, a P2P software which presents itself as one of the faster downloading tools. Nevertheless, Ares does not include the option of listening to music in streaming but lets the user download movies, programs or other files.

Features

Here you can check the main features of this application:
  • Streaming music service
  • You can get the online files in your computer
  • Pretty updated
  • No need of external plugins or players
  • No advertisements
  • It integrates some functions for your social networks
  • Detailed and easy interface
  • Export the audio from the videos
If you want to check more features about this program visit its official website .

Conclusion

If you are searching to listen and download good quality songs in just seconds and do not want to be fooled, then MP3Jam is the software you have been looking for. Get in the touch with the music you like on a dime.

Source: https://a1-downloads.phpnuke.org/en/c386176/mp3jam-free-download-full-review
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