There is absolutely no dearth of good music players for Windows operating system. Free players such as Foobar2000, PotPlayer,
and MusicBee all offer good music experience. Although Winamp, once the
popular player, is no longer under development, it’s still available
for download.
Those of you who don’t mind installing a new media player should try out GOM Audio Player. The GOM Audio Player is from Gretech, the company behind well-known GOM Media Player.
Although
it may not be as powerful as PotPlayer or Foobar2000, it does come with
some awesome features that might not be available in other popular
players.
GOM Audio Player features
As
with the case of other players, GOM Audio Player also supports all
popular audio codecs, including WMA, WAV, FLAC, AAC, and PLS.
What
sets GOM Audio Player apart from other audio players is its elegant
interface, probably the most beautiful interface when compared to other
popular audio players.
When
it comes to features, it allows you listen to several popular internet
radio stations. More importantly, it is capable of playing streams of
live broadcasts that are hosted online.
Since a good player should include an equalizer, there is an equalizer, and then there are several audio effects to choose from.
Another
interesting and useful feature is Power Options. When enabled, GOM
Audio Player will automatically sleep, restart or shutdown your PC when
your playlist reaches the end or at a certain time, allowing you to fall
asleep listening to your favorite music.
Although
it can be controlled with the help of dedicated keyboard shortcuts, GOM
Audio Player automatically adds playback controls to the taskbar
(remember Windows Media Player taskbar toolbar?)
while running in Mini mode. To add playback controls to the taskbar,
right-click on the empty area of taskbar, click Toolbars, and then
select GOM Audio MiniPlayer. If the option is not appearing, open GOM
Audio Preferences, under General tab, check the option labelled Lock to
taskbar when minimized (MiniPlayer).
If you would like to see a popup notification on desktop when the
player starts playing an audio file, you can enable the same by
navigating to Preferences, Titles, and then checking Enable Desktop
Tiles. This feature is pretty much like the toast notification of
Winamp.
GOM
Audio Player is allows you edit ID3 tags, change playback speed, and
also offers A-B repeat. Unlike some other audio players, GOM Audio
Player supports plugins and users can utilize this feature to add new
capabilities to the player.
For
those who aren’t happy with its default look, the default skin has
three default modes and you can always use tens of cool skins available
on the official website of the player. You can also enable transparency
effect for the player and adjust the opacity level under Preferences.
Overall,
GOM Audio Player is a nice audio player for Windows with useful set of
features. The current version of the player is absolutely free and comes
with no strings attached.
Nero Kwik Media and Nero Kwik Burn free burning software
Once a very popular burning software, Nero saw users abandoning it after it became a bit of a bloatware. However Nero BurnLite free has now been released as Nero Kwik Burn Free, which promises to be faster and better. So those of you still use Nero 10 or Nero 9 may want to check it out.
Nero Kwik Burn Free
Nero Kwik Burn will give you the same features of Nero BurnLite 10 plus more from your burning, ripping and copying activities.
Nero Kwik Burn will let you:
Burn photos, music, videos and data onto CD, DVD and Blu-ray Discs
It will now even let you drag and drop files to copy iTunes playlists.
Nero Kwik Burn is a 174 MB download! After you start its installation, it will ask you to install few more programs.
During
installation it will also present with you pre-checked options to
install the Ask Toolbar, etc. Make sure you un-check them.
Nero Kwik Media
If you are looking for more, you can check out Nero Kwik Media. It is a free media
manager which lets you manage your photos, music, images and videos. It
lets you find, organize, edit, play, share, sync, burn and enjoy your
media with the built-in market that lets you buy and activate the apps
you want.
Nero Kwik Burn is included when you download Nero Kwik Media free, so you don’t have to download them both.
Any of you using Nero? Would you like to share your experience? Or perhaps some of you use some other burning software? Would you like to make recommendations on some good free burning software for Windows?
Nero has released their free version of Nero BurnLite 9
data burning software and is now available for download. This version
contains simply data burning and disc copying features for CDs and DVDs.
Nero BurnLite 10 supports the following for burning:
CD-R
CD-RW
DVD±R
DVD±RW
DVD-RAM
DVD±R DL
Nero BurnLite 10 supports these disc formats:
Data CD (ISO, UDF, ISO/UDF)
Data DVD (ISO, UDF, ISO/UDF)
Download Page : Nero BurnLite 9 . (Link changed) It s 31 MB download!
UPDATE 1 : It
appears that this version 10 installs Ask toolbar without the users
consent, And that is something we disapprove of! We therefore suggest
you download v 9 instead, or try other freeware burning software.
Download page link changed. Thanks acr!
Everyone is aware of Nero, the most
wanted burning software. Even I have used Nero for almost two years
before jumping to the free alternatives that do the same job for free of
cost. The reason behind the jump was not the cost of Nero but its size.
As you might have observed, every time Nero releases new version with
added features that are useless for most us.
How
many of use all the features of Nero 7 or 8 or 9? That is, do you use
the multimedia and backup feature of Nero 9? If your answer is a big
“NO” you can use any of the below freeware as an alternative to Nero.
1. Infra Recorder:
Probably one of the most used free burning software after CD Burner XP.
You can create data, audio CDs easily just like Nero. Infra Recorder
also supports dual-layer DVDs. Users can erase discs, burn images, copy
discs, burn multisession discs, save audio and data tracks to files
using Infra Recorder. Moreover, the installer size is just 3.2MB!!
2. CDBurnerXP:
CDBurnerXP is a good freeware alternative to paid CD and DVD burners.
This is the software which made me to jump from Paid Nero. Apart from
basic disc burning features this freeware also supports Blu-Ray and
HD-DVDs. Below is a small list of CDBurnerXP key features:
* burn all kinds of discs
* audio-CDs with or without gaps between tracks
* burn and create ISO files
* data verification after burning process
* create bootable discs
* multi-language interface
* bin/nrg ? ISO converter, simple cover printing and much more!
* Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista
3. DeepBurner:
There are two versions of DeepBurner program available: Pro and free. I
have been using this free burner for the last six months without any
hassles. This program has many features that you can’t see in a free
burner. To start with, it supports data CDs/DVDs, Audio CDs, build and
burn images, overburn function, bootable discs, multisession discs.
DeepBurner also supports CD-R / CD-RW / DVD-R / DVD+R / DVD-RW / DVD+RW /
DVD-RAM. You can also find a big feature list here.
4. FinalBurner : Final burner is also one of the free alternatives to bloated Nero. The user interface is simple and is easy-to-use as well.
Main features:
Burn Data CD/DVD (CD R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD DL, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.)
- Autorun menu designer
- Burn Audio CD (Import *.wav; *.mp3; *.ogg; *.mid; *.wma; *.aac;
*.mp4; *.m4a; *.xm; *.mod; *.s3m; *.it; *.mtm; *.mo3 audio files.)
- Burn Video DVD (Import AVI, DIVX, XVID, MP4, MPG, WMV, ASF, MOV, FLV, etc. Capture from Web cam, TV tuner, DV, etc.)
- AudioCd Ripper
5. ImgBurn:
Don’t think this tool is just for image burring. ImgBurn is lightweight
CD/DVD/HD-DVD/Blu-Ray burning software that creates Audio CDs, DVD
Videos discs, HD DVD videos discs. The biggest strength of this program
is that it supports a wide range is images file formats including BIN,
CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, ISO, MDS, NRG and PDI. It also supports Unicode
folder/file names, so you shouldn’t run in to any problems if you’re
using an international character set.
6. CDrtfe:
CDrtfe is another free burning program for Windows. CDrtfe can burn
data discs (CD and DVD), Audio CDs, XCDs, (S) VCDs and DVD-Video discs.
For Windows 9x, ME, 2k, XP.
I
have listed the software which I have found a good alternative to Nero.
If you have come across any good freeware burner let me know by leaving
a comment so that I can include them in the next list.
By Paul Ferson. Music, of all the media you can play on a computer, has arguably gone
through the biggest transformation. From MP3s stored on a physical hard
drive, to cloud storage
of your own music and streaming of music from massive digital libraries,
it has evolved a great deal in the space of a decade, but all stages
continue to progress.
While iTunes might be the most well-known music player available for Windows and Mac, it’s by no means the only one. Given the appeal of customizing iTunes, it should come as no surprise that other players exist and use this type of flexibility as a major selling point. Winyl
is one of these players, and the name relates perfectly to the
evolution of music’s availability, going right back to the older vinyl
records.
Winyl’s
default interface is dark but inviting; many music players rely on
lighter colors and the radical contrast sets Winyl apart very quickly.
The skin can be changed, and in a relatively naughty act, there’s a skin
labelled “iTunes” that strongly resembles Apple’s player circa iTunes 9, right down to the Mountain Lion-era buttons.
The
left-hand sidebar contains numerous options which should prove
familiar; “Artists”, “Genres” and “Radio” are all entries that should
prove familiar, though there is also a file explorer for guiding Winyl
to files you’d like to make it play. The functionality isn’t vital but
exists for those who may desire it.
In
all probability, the majority of use will be through the “Artists”
tree, which expands to display all of the artists in the library. These
artists can be expanded on an individual basis to see a list of all
their albums, or the individual albums can be clicked to filter out any
other entries. As a result, it’s easy to find one album in a prolific
artist’s discography.
Should
you wish to ignore the individual album lists found under the artists,
it is also possible to simply scroll through all of the albums from the
artist in question. Doing so will allow you to view all of their songs
at once, while the search box quickly cuts through the library in order
to find exactly what you’re looking for.
If Winyl makes one iTunes
feature look sluggish, it’s the search. Rather than giving a long list
of options, Winyl cuts down the visible options in the UI to match
searches. Winyl’s developers have also seen fit to include support for
the enhanced taskbar introduced with Windows 7. The preview features media playback buttons and album artwork as opposed to the more conventional program preview.
Winyl’s
other panel of note can be toggled at will on the right-hand side,
displaying lyrics. Lyrics are pulled from sources online, though it is
done extremely quickly. The lyrics pane is also adapted to fit with the
rest of the skins, should you change them.
Functionality
While
it should come as no surprise to find that Winyl is up to the task of
playing MP3 files, it does have a number of tricks up its sleeve beyond
an equaliser. For one, it has an ID3 tag editor built in: users of
dedicated software like MP3Tag will likely not be blown away by its
features, though it is more than enough for the average user.
Winyl
also supports storing and reading lyrics directly from the MP3, rather
than via online sources; selective users could ultimately find
themselves with more accurate lyrics than the majority of Google
searchers online.
Also
incorporated into the skin design is a pop-up to inform users of the
track when it changes; a neat feature, albeit not an entirely necessary
one. This can be disabled in the settings, and should you choose to
disable it, you will also discover the ace up Winyl’s sleeve: Last.fm
integration.
Winyl supports Last.fm’s official client, which the
company refers to as the “Scrobbler.” While most major music players
support Last.fm as well, the support means that the barrier
to change is removed. For those unaware of what Last.fm does, it records
your listening history and recommends artists based upon your tastes.
Thus, for passionate fans of music, it can be an excellent tool with
which to further broaden their tastes.
Overall
There
is little to dislike about Winyl: it provides a considerable amount of
user customizability without the expense of overall usability. Those
accustomed to extremely flexible programs like Foobar2000 will likely
find Winyl a downgrade, but for those who have not used such extensible
and modifiable music players – or who want an easier route to a more
personalised piece of software, Winyl is a worthwhile prospect.
Development
for it is ongoing, and its future appears promising; for anyone who may
have lamented Songbird’s functional decline, this should be an
encouraging sign of the future.
Name the first online auction site that comes to your mind. Can you
even think of any besides eBay? For most of us it’s the only online
auction site that matters, but if you’re browsing through eBay to find
great deals on computers, you may be better off using an alternative
auction platform.
Why look somewhere other than eBay?
If
you need a very specific item and price isn’t a top concern, by all
means keep using eBay. The site is so massively international that you
won’t find a better selection of items anywhere else. However, if you’re
curious to see what’s out there besides eBay, you won’t regret checking
out these sites.
Dell is a popular brand if you don’t care about building your own computers.
Purchasing their computers at retail price can drain your wallet pretty
fast, especially if you customize your order, but you can save a lot of
money by going through Dell Auction instead.
With Dell Auction,
you can bid on refurbished Dell laptops and desktops that have been
restored to fit Dell’s quality specifications. It doesn’t cost anything
to place bids and each purchase comes with a 30-day satisfaction return
policy.
As you might expect, the selection here is somewhat small
since they only serve up Dell products. However, I’ve seen a number of
great laptops and desktop systems priced under $200 so there’s a lot of
money to be saved here. Listed prices do not include shipping. Regional Availability: United States.
Though
uBid has expanded to include many different auction item categories,
they’ve always had a strong root in computers and computer-related
products. Here you’ll find plenty of affordable equipment from top-name
brands like Dell, Lenovo, HP, and even Apple.
Like eBay, uBid has
two types of product listings: Auction and Buy Now. At the time of
writing, I see dozens of awesome computer auctions that are about to end
between $100 and $200. The Buy Now products are just as affordable but
typically limited to 1 stock.
If you’re looking to buy a computer
at auction, you really can’t pass up uBid. The combination of price and
variety is unmatched by any other site. Regional Availability: United States.
Public
Surplus is a place where public agencies can put up surplus merchandise
(otherwise known as overstock) for sale at super cheap prices. All
sellers on Public Surplus are required to register and pay regular fees,
meaning this site isn’t an open auction where anyone can sell anything
they want.
You’ll find a lot of variety in items but each item
won’t have too many stocked, so if you lose an auction you likely won’t
have another chance. The good thing is that not many people know about
Public Surplus, making it easier to grab that particular item that
caught your eye. Regional Availability: United States and Canada.
Like
Public Surplus, Liquidation is a place where overstock is auctioned off
at incredibly cheap prices, except Liquidation’s range stretches all
over the globe. There are dozens of computer systems on sale at any
given time, sourced mostly from the United States but able to be shipped
to most countries.
Liquidation has a clean website layout that
makes it easy to find what you want at a price within your budget. Items
are graded on conditions like New, Used, Refurbished, Returned, or even
Salvaged. The selection is somewhat small but it’s the perfect place to
find those once-in-a-blue-moon deals. Regional Availability: International.
Conclusion
The
next time you need to buy a cheap computer, consider buying from an
online auction site that isn’t eBay. You’ll run into fewer auction
snipers, the products tend to be more reliable, and you’ll be distancing
yourself from those common eBay scams.
If you really don’t like eBay and want to know what else is out there, check out these awesome eBay alternatives.
Know of any other computer auction sites? It’d be great to hear about them. Please share with us in the comments!
When you want to sell your excess junk online, where do you go? For
most people, the one and only answer is eBay. With millions of daily
users, it only seems logical to use the number one popular online
auction site when you have online selling needs. But what about all of
the alternatives that are arguably better? “Why fix something that isn’t broken, Joel?” you might ask. Or more poignantly, “Why use a different site when eBay suits me just fine?”
Well, if you enjoy using eBay, then I suppose there’s no reason to
switch. However, over the years, many users have grown fed up with
eBay’s services. If you’re one of those users, then have no fear. The
eBay alternative are pretty good.
If you have stuff you need to sell and you need it done online, check out the following sites. Some of them may surprise you.
Here’s
an alternative that may seem like common sense: Craigslist. Founded in
1995, Craigslist acts as an online community where users can post
classified ads. In the last 17 years, Craigslist has become so popular
that it now serves over 700 localized versions of its site in over 70
countries. If you need a broad audience, here you go.
Craigslist
is completely free. You do not pay any service fees or charges for
posting your listings. Payment and transactions are dealt with
face-to-face between parties, so there is no mediator escrow-type
service; be careful that you aren’t scammed. The interface is somewhat
outdated and as far as I know there isn’t a way to judge a user’s
trustworthiness (like with eBay’s rating system).
But everything
considered, you keep 100% of the revenue when you finalize a transaction
using Craigslist and its popularity guarantees that you won’t run out
of buyers anytime soon.
Ealtbay.
Just take a look at this service’s name and you’ll see that its primary
purpose is to be an alternative to eBay. But is it better than eBay?
Check out their five reasons for existence and decide for yourself.
Ealtbay does not place bans on items that are perfectly legal to be sold.
Ealtbay lets you list items for free. Final fees on sold items are much lower than eBay.
Ealtbay
does not force electronic payment methods (e.g., Paypal) on users.
Whatever method the seller is comfortable with can be used.
Ealtbay allows feedback for both buyers and sellers, not just sellers.
Ealtbay does not force top-rated sellers to appear at the top of search results, allowing smaller-volume sellers more exposure.
The
downside to Ealtbay is that their audience is nowhere near the size of
eBay (which is understandable) and they have a primitive-looking
interface that isn’t exactly beautiful (which is a definite negative).
However, those five features above more than make up for any of
Ealtbay’s shortcomings.
eBid
is a promising alternative to eBay, boasting over 6 million item
listings in nearly 13,000 categories. There are no listing fees here and
the final fees are much lower than the fees over at eBay. Payment
methods include Paypal, PPPay, Google Checkout, and Skrill. If you’re
worried about eBid’s reliability as a service, be placated in knowing
that eBid is a Google Shopping Marketplace Partner.
eBid’s selling
features are that they provide a number of merchant programs (auctions,
fixed-price transactions, and storefronts) as well as the ability to
“ninja list” items, where you can bulk upload for low fees.
Unlike
eBay and clones of eBay, there are other online marketplaces that cater
to a more niche audience. Marketplaces like Etsy, where the focus rests
on hand-made or vintage items. It was established in 2005, which means
it only had 7 years to become as big as it is now. Impressive, if you
ask me.
Etsy boasts over 39 million unique visitors every month
who browse the 800,000 available shops. As niche as Etsy might be, the
audience size is nothing to sneeze at. In order to list on Etsy, each
item will cost you $0.20 per stock and you’ll pay 3.5% of the final
selling price in fees. Payment options include Paypal, Etsy’s direct
checkout, or cheque.
For one-time junk selling, eBay is still the
better option. But if you have hand-made crafts that you’d like to sell
for profit, Etsy may be the place for you.
If
you have items that you just want to get rid of (i.e., you don’t care
about making a profit), you ought to check out Freecycle. It’s a
worldwide community that aims to reduce global waste by connecting
people who want to throw away goods to people who need those goods. In
essence, people with excess give stuff to people in need for free. Free
recycling. Get it? (Admittedly, it took me a while.)
Listings are
completely free and there are no payment options because everything is
free. Though Freecycle is a worldwide site, item exchanges are conducted
locally so buyers can come pick up the items from the sellers without
postage fees. If you need more room in your attic or garage, Freecycle
can help you. If you want to make a profit, look elsewhere.
Ruby
Lane is a niche online marketplace where people can buy and sell
high-end antiques, art, and vintage collectibles. Here you’ll find
thousands of independent shops, each run by individual sellers, from all
over the world. Ever since their establishment in 1998, Ruby Lane has
guaranteed quality, security, and excellence to their members.
Their
shop format only allows selling items either at a certain price point
or through the make-and-offer feature; there are no auctions. For
sellers, Ruby Lane uses a unique pricing structure that includes a $0.30
listing fee per item, a once-per-month Advertising Fee of $20, and a
once-per-month Maintenance Fee that depends on how many items you sell
that month. Check out their massive list of reasons why you should sell on Ruby Lane.
So
if you’re sick of eBay, then you owe it to yourself to check out one of
these eBay alternative. Many are free. Some are great for one-time
throwaways while others offer you the chance to build up a lucrative
business. If you’ve used any of these services in the past, let us know
what you thought of them in the comments!
foobar2000 is
the world’s most favorite audio player for Windows. Apart from
playlists and other standard player functionality, it also packs-in a
whole range of audio features and functions. Majority of Windows users
who once used the native Windows Media Player and the popular WinAmp
music player are now migrating to foobar2000.
The
current version of foobar2000 supports all popular audio formats,
including MP3, MP4, AAC, WMA, WAV, FLAC and more. Customizable keyboard
shortcuts, gapless playback support, highly customizable user interface,
and full unicode support are the main attractions of this free audio
player.
The default UI of the player is very
simple. Users who don’t like the default look of the player and would
like to skin the best MP3 player in the World, can try out some pretty
skins designed for foobar2000. As there are thousands of free skins
available for foobar2000, it’s really a difficult job to find out the
best available skins. To help you skin your foobar2000, we have compiled
a list of better skins for foobar2000. Visit the download page to know
about the installation instructions.
MP3tag makes light work of tagging all your music files
If you just want to play a few MP3s, create a playlist or two, then Windows Media Player will help you get started.
Otherwise,
though, the program is probably the worst of all worlds - not
particularly powerful, or easy to use - and most people will be better
off with something else.
What,
exactly? That all depends on your needs. There are programs to help
automatically tag your music, download album art and more.
Others
will clean up even the messiest MP3 collection, quickly organising
files into sensibly-named folders. And of course you'll need a great
player, to ensure your music sounds its best.
This doesn't have to
be complicated, though, because there are plenty of free tools around
which can do all of this (and a whole lot more). Just keep reading for
our pick of the best free MP3 software to download.
1. iTunes
ITunes
is a player; a media browser and organiser, and a tool to help set up
your iPod, iPhone and iPad. The iTunes Store helps you to discover new
content, and of course you're able to buy some of it, too.
The
latest version is more stripped down, too, with a simpler, cleaner
interface. Most of the key playback options can be controlled from the
Mini Player, creating and managing playlists is easier, and the store
works more like it does with iPhones and iPads. ITunes
is all about Apple devices, of course, and it does its best to get you
into the store (you can't get album art until you're logged in, for
instance). But if you don't mind that, this is an excellent player and
organiser, and now easier to use than ever.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. MusicZen
If
your Music folder is a real mess, with MP3s scattered everywhere, then
getting them properly organised can seem like a real challenge - until
you run MusicZen.
Point
the program at your folder and it can scan all your MP3s, reading their
tags, then copying (or moving) them to new folders based on the artist,
album, song title and more. The
files will be consistently renamed, too, so those odd mixes of upper
and lower cases, the dash and underscore separators will disappear.
And the program is incredibly simple, with no complex settings to master - you'll have your MP3s reordered in seconds.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. MP3jam
There are plenty of YouTube search tools around, but MP3jam is a little different: instead of accessing videos, it's all about music.
Just
enter a search term - an artist, a song or album title - and it'll
quickly return any results (complete with album art, in some cases). Each
song title has a "play" button, allowing you to stream it from the web.
You can alternatively download individual songs or entire albums, and
the program automatically organises these into folders for you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Winamp
After 16 years of development, it's no surprise that Winamp is one of the most capable music players and managers around.
The
program supports 60+ audio and video formats. It can quickly scan your
PC for audio files (or import your iTunes library), then organise your
music in many different ways, you can create playlists, update and edit
your MP3 tags, read more about your favourite artists and access
thousands of free audio and video channels. If you need more, there are thousands of plug-ins to explore, and even an Android app.
All
these features do make for an occasionally complex interface, and it'll
take a while to figure out how everything works. But if you need a
powerful player then Winamp remains a good choice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. MediaMonkey
ITunes
is great, if you want to work with iOS devices. If you also have an
Android phone or tablet, though - or you're just looking for a better
organiser - then it could be time to give MediaMonkey a try.
The program quickly imports even the largest music libraries, and can
then automatically rename your MP3s, moving them into a logical folder
structure, automatically fixing tags and alerting you to any duplicates.
There
are lots of playlist options, while the core player offers lots of
features and can be extended with a huge range of effects.
If you
want to share your music, it's easy to sync with Apple or Android (and
other) devices, or UPnP/ DNLA devices (TVs, Blu-ray players and more).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Advanced Renamer
Advanced Renamer
is an amazingly powerful tool for renaming, copying or moving files. If
your MP3 library is a mess, then it can give your files new names from
their audio tags, change the case of a file name, add or remove text,
change a file's attributes or timestamps, maybe copy or move MP3's to
new locations based on their tags (specific folders for that artist or
album, say). All
this power comes at a price, though - Advanced Renamer has a steep
learning curve. Experts will love its configurability, and the program
isn't only for MP3s. It works just as well with images, videos and other
file types.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Foorbar2000
If other MP3 organisers and players seem too bulky and complicated, you might prefer Foorbar2000.
Just
like the competition, the program helps you build and organise your
music library, create playlists, sort out your tags, and more. The
interface is very configurable, while a strong core player supports
lots of formats, gapless playback, and Replaygain to level out volume
across tracks, and more.
Yet despite all this, foorbar2000
requires only 7MB of hard drive space (Winamp needs about 10x more), and
can even be installed in "portable" mode, so it won't touch your
Registry or install any other components at all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Freemake Audio Converter
Just as its name suggests, Freemake Audio Converter is an excellent tool for converting audio files into a more useful format.
There's
support for writing MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, AAC, M4A and OGG files.
Various audio settings (bitrate, sample rate, channels) help you get the
best compromise between image quality and file size. The
program can join audio files together, or export its conversions
directly to iTunes, and it's even possible to extract and convert the
soundtrack of most video files.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. MP3tag
Changing
the tags of one MP3 file is easy (right-click, Properties >
Details). When it's hundreds, maybe thousands of tracks, though, you'll
need a tool like MP3tag.
The
program can automatically import data from various web resources
(Amazon, discogs, freedb, MusicBrainz, more), replacing tags in multiple
files without you typing anything. Or
you can apply your own rules to tweak tags however you like. Tags can
then be used to rename files; there's support for downloading cover art,
too, and all this works with a range of tag formats (ID3v1.1, ID3v2.3,
ID3v2.4, MP4, WMA, APEv2 Tags and Vorbis Comments).
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10. Audacity
Audacity is a capable and feature-packed audio editor, yet is still relatively straightforward to use.
Import
an MP3 and you'll see the usual waveform-type display; it's easy to
zoom in and select the area you need, and then you can cut or delete it,
perhaps copy or paste it elsewhere.
If you need more power,
clicking the Effects menu reveals 40 options (Change Pitch, Compressor,
Equalization, Normalize and more). There are useful tools to strip off (some) vocals, or clean up recorded audio by removing clicks and other noises.
If
this isn't enough then support for LADSPA, Nyquist, VST and Audio Unit
plug-ins allows you to extend the program even further.
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11. VLC Media Player
If you're looking for a player which is simple, easy to use, but also has some power when you need it, then grab a copy of VLC Media Player.
You
can use the program as a very simple, on-demand player. Select one MP3
or an entire album and it'll begin playing, and the interface can be
reduced to a single toolbar, maybe some album art. The
program works with just about every media type, though (music, video,
CDs, discs, devices, streams). There's simple media library management,
playlist creation and tag editing.
A graphic equalizer,
compressor and spatializer help deliver great sound, the interface is
extremely configurable, and plug-ins add more power when you need it.
