Audials One - an excellent performer in recording, converting, and organizing a wide range of media types
3/18/11

MP3.About.com reviewed the new Audials One 8 and ennobles the Windows software as leading tool for downloading and organizing audio and video. Update: further blog reviews about Audials One.

Review from Mark Harris:

"Audials One Review: A Toolbox For Downloading and Organizing Audio and Video

Recording Media From The Internet

Recording Internet Radio Stations: The radio recording feature (previously called Radiotracker) gives you instant access to thousands of radio stations that use streaming audio. You can pick a music genre to record, or alternatively click the +Stations icon to choose particular stations. If you know the name of a station you'd like to search for, then you can type this into the search box -- although this can be awkward when Audials One starts suggesting names as you type. In our tests, Radio worked well and coped with recording multiple streams in parallel. If you want to listen to Internet radio and record it, then you'll find this feature a great tool to use.

Downloading Podcasts: Audials One has the facility to find and download audio and video podcasts. The interface works in a similar way to the radio tab by displaying a list of resources. You can subscribe to and download podcasts easily using its database list, or if you prefer, add your own podcast addresses using the Add URL button.

Capturing Video: There may be times when you want to record video as you surf the internet. Audials One has a capturing tool that can record music and videos from popular sites such as YouTube, Last.fm, MySpace, etc. You can also capture video directly from the screen -- we tried it with Audials TV (which sadly isn't integrated) with decent results. There's also a nifty audio-only option that capture's any audio that dares to come out of your soundcard and also tags it too for good measure. Overall, the capture mode is a powerful option for capturing media from just about any source.

Wishes: This tool helps you to compile a wishlist of artists and tracks. It searches thousands of radio stations and music websites for your wishes. It also functions as a kind of meta-search engine with built-in social networking -- you can use the Audials community website to share wishlists with other users.

Converting Audio and Video

Removing DRM Protection: Audials One can remove DRM copy protection from music, videos, and audiobooks by recording the output from your computer. This method produces a 'legal' version but without the restrictions of DRM. Files can easily be converted by either dragging and dropping onto the main screen area, or by using the +Files button. There's also a DVD disc recording feature that can create video files by recording the screen as you watch your movie etc.

Converting Audiobooks: The recommended way to convert audiobooks is to use the virtual CD burner that can be installed to enable Audials One to record from software such as iTunes. You'll need to restart your computer to use the virtual device correctly, but once running the virtual hardware will be available just like a real CD-R drive. You can then use this device in iTunes to burn a playlist containing your protected files.

Organizing Your Media Files

The media manager in Audials One is now easier to use with all the tools for organizing, syncing, and backing up your library being more tightly integrated using a source and target layout. The tools that you can use include:

• Autotag: Automatically adds cover art, ID3 tags, and lyrics to your media collection using Internet CD databases (CDDB).
• Ringtone Maker: Create your own ringtones for your cell phone by working with existing MP3 files or audio CDs that you can extract tracks from. Created ringtones are in either MP3, AMR, or MMF formats.
• CD Burner: You can use the integrated burning program to create CDs (audio or data), or DVDs (data).
• Cloud Storage: There are currently three cloud storage services you can choose to backup your media. These are Esnips.com, MP3Tunes, and TunesBag.
• Sync With USB Devices: Synchronizes your media with MP3 players, PMPs, cell phones, etc.

Conclusion

In reviewing Audials One Version 8, we found it to be an excellent performer in recording, converting, and organizing a wide range of media types... That said, if you're looking for a 'do-it-all' software package for music and video, then Audials One is certainly a slick contender that provides a great deal of scope for building up and maintaining your media library.", About.com

Further reviews and quotes about Audials One 8:

• "Find, Record, Download and Convert Music, Videos, Podcasts and Radio from Streaming Media", Techmynd.com
• "As a new feature, the Audials software enables the user to rerecord music and video collections on an online storage area provided by cloud storage services. Music, videos & films can thus be accessed anywhere using mobile devices that can connect to the internet, e.g. via a UMTS flatrate.", Tips-reviews-how-to.blogspot.com

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