Mac software: Top 10 best iTunes plugins and add-ons
Whether you want to find, import and manage lyrics or use Apple’s iTunes Store to find music and then buy it on the cheap from Amazon, there are plug-ins out there just for you. Here’s a mix of 10 must-have free, shareware and commercial iTunes add-ons from the large and very, very active community of developers that has grown up around this iLife application’s various shortcomings.
So, long before the App Store, there have been apps for this, that and a whole lot more. Here are some of the best of the best of the best (sir!).
• Advantageous mp3, 771K
— Use iTunes’ well organized user interface to find the music you want and then click Advantageous MP3 to purchase, one hopes for less money, on AmazonMP3.
— Advantageous MP3 does not work with iTunes 9 and the company is working on an update
• TunesTEXT, 500KB, free
— A Dashboard Widget that gets and displays lyrics that works nicely with Apple’s iTunes Dashboard Widget
• iClip Lyrics, 600K, 7-day trial ($8.95)
— This is an actual application that you can float above iTunes for easy lyrics management
Learning to play guitar?
Amazing Slow Downer (1.7MB, demo**, $49.95) isn’t an iTunes plugin, but if you’re musician learning songs and riffs by ear, this tool is absolutely invaluable as it slows down the notes without changing the pitch making it vastly easier to pick out and learn new songs and techniques. Also, it’s a great teaching tool as it makes the sounds coming out the speakers immediately tangible to students that are sheet and tablature music challenged.** Demo will only play track 1 and 2 of a CD and the first quarter (max 3 minutes) of an audio file
• Fetch Art for iTunes , 385K, free
— An (AppleScript) application for adding cover art to your music in iTunes
• itunes alarm, 596K, donationware
— Turns your Mac into the most fully featured alarm clock you’ve ever owned!
• AutoRate, 1.5MB, donationware
— Automatically translates how many times a track has been played into its rating, brilliant.
• CoverSutra, 2.5MB, $19.95
— A handy and attractive way to control iTunes without having to leave your current application via universal keyboard shortcuts. Think of it as Spotlight for your iTunes music collection.
• SongGenie, 30.6MB, demo**, $29.95
— This is a more comprehensive song title, album and artwork location and management solution
** An essentially non-functional demo
• iPod.iTunes, 1.8MB, demo**, $39.90
— A highly rated utility that allows the user to sync music to and from his iPod
— iTunes 9, iPhone OS 3.1 compatible
** In demo mode, only 50 percent of the songs on an iPod will visible, actionable
• iPodRip, 2MB, demo**, $19.95
— A less expensive way to get music off an iPod (i.e. one way only)
— iTunes 9, iPhone OS 3.1 compatible
** Demo allows up to 100 tracks to be rescued from an iPod before the app quits working
So, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve skipped iTunes library management applications and entirely ignored visualizer plugins. Have faith because those categories are so important that they’re getting their own writes, but don’t be shy about sharing you thoughts on the above list as well as what should be included in the upcoming iTunes library management and visualizer plugin stories…
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Guitar learning software is tailor-made for beginners. Its comprehensive approach to learning optimizes the learning potential of every user. The teaching methods that people get from the software are very much similar to those used in traditional classes. The only difference is that the supplemental videos replace the presence of an actual instructor. In effect, people get a one-to-one instruction ratio. In this light, learning from the software is very much like enjoying the teachings of a real instructor.