Handpicked Software » Audio

iStar Composer – Create synchronized lyrics for export to iTunes and iPod

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

iStar Composer creates synchronized lyrics on the Mac to export to the iPod and iTunes. iStar Composer finds lyrics, but more importantly allows you to synch them to a song and then allows you to export the synchronized lyrics into a new music file (AAC) that will play/display in iTunes and on the iPod.

Bring Lyrics Back To Life –
Downloadable music is very convenient but it has always been missing one thing that was available in the past and that is LYRICS! In the 60’s and 70’s records had lyrics on the back of the albums. In the 80’s and 90’s CD’s had lyrics in the inserts. Downloadable music does not have lyrics. This loss is remedied by iStar Composer an original application that doesn’t just add lyrics but makes synchronized lyrics available on the Mac, in iTunes and on the iPod.

How it works – iStar Composer has some very original tools and techniques to line up the lyrics with the music. These tools make it easy to quickly add synchronized lyrics for any kind of song you own. iStar Composer can be used for editing and displaying lyrics, opera, karaoke, jokeoke (where people imitate a robin williams or another comedy routine), poetryoke (poems done to music), children’s stories or children music, translation of text or lyrics, display of text for any audio track. And it is fun almost like playing a video game.

Musicians – Composers, Garage Band users, singers, song writers, recording studios and music publishers will all find that iStar Composer is a powerful tool to create, promote and enhance their music. Test out that new song with different lyrics. Export your latest songs with embedded lyrics that can be seen by others in iTunes and on the iPod. Rock, classical, jazz, opera, blues, country, and international music all benefit. Be understood not just heard.

Podcasters – iStar Composer lets podcasters add extra detail to their podcasts. Now you can add extra information such as notes, translations and the names of guests. iStar Composer can even allow the hearing impaired to experience a podcast for the first time.

Educators – iStar Composer is a great tool for education. Add notes to a professors lecture. Learn lines to a play or opera. Listen to foreign languages and immediately see the translation.

Kids and Parents- iStar Composer is also great for creating nursery rhymes, find some music add the lyrics, export to iTunes. Bedtimes will never be the same.

What’s New:
Version 1.2.1:

[new] iStar Composer now uses the iMediaBrowser for accessing iTunes audio files.
[bug] iStar Composer no longer crashes when processing m4a (MPEG-4 audio) files from iTunes.
[bug] Relocated synchronization patch.

Developer’s website: Script Software

MIDIGraphy – Edit, play, and record standard MIDI sound files

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

MIDIGraphy is a multitrack MIDI sequencer for
the Macintosh that allows you to edit, play
back, and record standard MIDI files. It may be
good for desktop music use. The internal data
structure is defined based on the Standard MIDI
File (SMF) specification. By using this
software, you can edit any event type that is
described in the SMF specification.

Developer’s website: Masao Maeda

AudioUnit Manager – AudioUnit organizer

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

With AudioUnits and hosts multiplying practically daily, users with growing collections of both soon want to be able to specify subsets of AudioUnits to be loaded with particular hosts. AudioUnit Manager provides a simple way to organize AudioUnits into sets so users can load just the AudioUnits they need for a particular application. This can mean accelerated application launch times and exclusion of incompatible AudioUnits for some hosts. AudioUnit Manager’s command line option makes it possible to select a set in an AppleScript before launching an AudioUnit host. AudioUnit Manager also makes tedious trial by error trouble shooting easier by allowing simple disabling of an AudioUnit.

What’s New:
Version 1.1:

Reimplemented database system for improved reliability
Fixed crashing bug when version info is missing from the AudioUnit.

Developer’s website: Granted Software

Compare! – Simultaneously play 2 audio files in separate ears

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Compare! is a program which will allow you to take two different music files (anything Quicktime can play), and will play one out one ear, and one out the other ear, in order to let the user compare the two files’ quality. The user can change the balance to hear only out of one ear, only out of the other ear, or anywhere between. The purpose of the application would be to select two different encodings of a song, to find out which sounds better. Compare! costs two dollars. You can use it for 15 seconds of playback to make sure you like it first, with this demo version.

Developer’s website: Charlie Miller

Earsaver – Revolutionary background music program to please the ear

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

EarSaver is a revolutionary backround music program that provides virtual Ambionic soundscapes
and music for the computer user. EarSaver is like an audio based screensaver. But unlike a
screensaver, EarSaver is used while you perform your regular everyday computing tasks.
EarSaver’s unique software audio synthesizer works invisibly in the background without affecting
other programs or tying up your CD-Rom or Hard Drive.

Developer’s website: BeeHive Technologies, Inc.

Star – Menubar item lets you rate iTunes playing song

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Star will provide you with a helpful menu item in the menu bar that allows you to see what song is playing, it�s rating, and allow you to increase or decrease the rating to suit your every whim.

What’s New:
Version 1.3.1:

Fixed potential cause of higher RAM usage

Developer’s website: Improv, Pastence

Sound Sculptor II – Professional music recording/editing program

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Sound Sculptor II is a commercial quality sound editor with overdubbing
capabilities. It plays 8 tracks of stereo sound with precise control of volume and pan. It records
sounds in mono or stereo with input gain control. The multi track mixer has level meters and controls
for solo, mute, boost, volume, pan, and pan delay for each track. A variable speed shuttle rewinds
and fast forwards up to 32 times faster or slower. Some of it’s effects include chorus, distortion,
echo, equalizer, filter, flange, oscillator, resample, reverb, reverse, slow tempo, tone generator, fade
in and fade out. It has envelopes and LFOs for amplitude, pitch, resonant filter and more (envelopes
are for controlling effects over time, LFO’s are for vibrato and tremolo effects). It also has pencil,
line and eraser sound drawing tools.

What’s New:
Version 2.4.4:

Fixed recording time display bug.
A few minor bug fixes and changes.

Developer’s website: Jeff Smith

Freaky Tuner – Multi-instrument tuner

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Freaky Tuner can play the multiple tuning notes for many different intruments, including the guitar, virbraphone, violin, trumpet, and more.

Developer’s website: Freak Software

WiNRADiO – Radio receiver software

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

WiNRADiO is is a radio wave program that adds support for the developer’s most popular receiver, the WR-1550e, a medium-range external receiver with frequency range 150 kHz to 1.5 GHz (the US version excludes cellular frequencies 825-849 and 869-894 MHz).

What’s New:
Version 1.8 improves reliability when running in ‘Classic’ mode on an OS X Mac. A symptom observed in the previous version was that the program could experience a port timeout and quit running. The timeout configuration for the USB to serial connection had not made sufficient allowance for OS X allocating time to other processes.

Developer’s website: WiNRADiO Communications

VoiceQ DUB – Translation and cueing software solution for dubbing film and TV

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

VoiceQ DUB is a translation and cueing software solution for dubbing film and TV projects for international markets. Synchronized scrolling text over video offers talent and technicians a frame-accurate cue making the dubbing experience efficient, economical and effortless.

Clear on-screen display and cueing of lines facilitates continuous, speedy, and enhanced delivery by the voice talent. Working with ProTools, VoiceQ DUB harnesses the power of Apple Macintosh platforms and OSX providing an abundance of simple easy-to-use features for all dubbing and studio professionals.

What’s New:
Version 1.7:

Audio Beeps cueing feature (with visual countdown)
Visual streamer (wipe) cueing feature
Scrolling waveform superimposed over movie
Scrolling ruler superimposed over movie
Updated Preferences panel
Updated GUI and transport controls
Additional Quick Keys

Developer’s website: KIWA International Ltd.

SignalScope – Audio signal analysis tool

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

SignalScope is a real-time audio analyzer designed to work with Mac OS X compatible audio hardware. It functions as a spectrum analyzer and oscilloscope. SignalScope was designed to make meaningful measurements with easy-to-use controls.

What’s New:
Version 1.8.5 prevents a potential crash at launch and allows Autoscale to be turned off in demo mode.

Developer’s website: Faber Acoustical S&T

RecordPad – Record audio to export as MP3 or wav files

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

RecordPad is a sound recording program for Mac. Using RecordPad you can quickly and easily record audio notes, messages or annoucements in either wav or mp3. RecordPad is designed to be very easy and intuitive to use. Within minutes you will be able to start a recording, save it, and replay the file.

Developer’s website: NCH Swift Sound

MakeiPhoneRingtone – Convert AAC audio files into iPhone ringtones

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

MakeiPhoneRingtone is a free drag & drop application that allows you to drag AAC ringtones (made with any editor, although Rogue Amoeba hope you use Fission), which then adds it to the iPhone Ringtones tab in iTunes. Then, the next time you sync your iPhone, the ringtones will be ready.

Note: Apple may release a version 7.4.2 patch that makes this program obsolete, like they did with 7.4.1.

What’s New:
Version 1.2: Now works with all iTunes libraries, regardless of location.

Developer’s website: Rogue Amoeba

Street Spirit Fade Out – Sleep timer for iTunes 2 and 3

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

A sleep timer for Apple’s iTunes 2, this is an AppleScript that just does something I’ve wanted iTunes to do, have a sleep timer. So basically, you tell it how long you want it to play for and once the time is up it’ll fade the music then stop playing. You also have the choice of putting your computer to Sleep or Shutting Down the computer after the timer runs out.

You can run this AppleScript from anywhere, just launch it � its called Street Spirit Fade Out. It ought to run under any OS that runs iTunes, but I’ve mostly tested it under OS X 10.1. To put it to use, you can simply double click it… If you want to make it more useful, put into iTunes’ Scripts folder. To get there, you should open up your Home folder, and then open up the Library folder. You should have a folder in there named “iTunes” (no qoutes), if you don’t � make one. Inside the iTunes folder, create a folder named “Scripts” if it doesn’t already exist. You should put Street Spirit Fade Out inside that Scripts folder. Now, when you run iTunes, you ought to see a little Script icon at the end, next to help. Select Street Spirit Fade out from there to run it. Simple.

Personally, I like having access to it from anywhere in OS X, so I got Apple’s free Script Menu utility and then I just put my AppleScript into the Script’s Folder (which you can open from the Script Menu utility. Apple explains this better than I will).

What’s New:
Version 1.3 adds the following:

Mac OS X 10.2 supports the Applescript shutdown command, and now SSFO does too. So rock yourself to sleep and save power too.

Developer’s website: Grade Designs

LibMikMod X – Sound library and module player

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

MikMod is a sound library (libmikmod), as well as a module player originally written by Jean-Paul Mikkers (MikMak). It is able to play the IT, XM, S3M, MTM, 669, STM, ULT, FAR, MED, AMF, DSM, IMF, GDM, STX, OKT and of course MOD module formats. More information is available from the original MikMod site.

What’s New:
Version 3.1.10r3: Recompiled CoreAudio versions as Universal Binaries.

Developer’s website: Fruits of Dojo

Cubase SX/SL Updater – Adds a new hardware controller and more

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Cubase SX/SL 2.2 Updater adds several standard maintenance fixes and changes, in addition to new and improved hardware controller support and – in the case of Cubase SX and Nuendo – two brand-new virtual instruments and a new effect plug-in.

Developer’s website: Steinberguk

CherryPicker – OMS or FreeMIDI to XML patch convertor

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

CherryPicker is an OSX XML Patch File editor and format converter with many features that will help you convert and customize your patch lists from Cubase, OMS or FreeMIDI to the new XML midnam format. Imports MOTU expander files, and provides a MIDI file player for patch auditioning.

What’s New:
Version 2.62: Minor fix – Cubase and FreeMIDI Save formats were reversed.

Developer’s website: Rob Martin

play – Command line utility audio player

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

play is a command line utility for playing audio files. You can specify paths to sound files either as command line arguments or through stdin.

play should be compatible with all audio file formats supported by Quicktime and is distributed as freeware.

What’s New:
Version 1.3 adds the ability to loop playback.

Developer’s website: Hieper Software

PianistEnvy – Unleash 120 QuickTime instruments

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

PianistEnvy allows anyone with a Mac and QuickTime to instantly unleash 120 crystal-clear instruments built-into Apple’s QuickTime software. Each instrument can be extensively manipulated to create the right sound through Octave, Pressure and Duration controls. And if you find the "point and click" approach to piano playing tedious, simply use your Mac’s keyboard as an alternative.

What’s New:
Version 2.0 adds the following:

Piano resembles real-life piano keys
Revamped Recording functions
More intuitive octave slider
Performance enhancements
Bug fixes

Developer’s website: Melonsoft

minimoog V – Simulates the famous minimoog

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Arturia introduces the minimoog V, a faithful reproduction of the Minimoog. Offering all the features of the original, the software version also brings polyphony, MIDI management, presets, coupled with other advantages of modern tools – behind the control panel are additional functions: a modulation matrix, an arpeggiator and an independent LFO as well as a stereo chorus and a delay. But what about the core of the Minimoog, the sound? Thanks to TAE�, Arturia�s proprietary technology for emulating analog circuits, the minimoog V offers an unchallenged quality of sound. Sharp filters, aliasing-free oscillators, soft-clipping guarantee you have the best analog emulation on the market. The minimoog V comes loaded with more than 500 presets made by a selection of talented sound designers. It is certainly an instrument which is going to bring a lot to your musical palette.

Developer’s website: ARTURIA

Inspector – VST audio plug-in for spectrum analysis

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Inspector’s spectrum analyzer gives you a clear picture of the sonic properties of your mix. Real-time numeric readouts for balance, headroom, and clip incidents tell you exactly what is happening from sample to sample. All in a compact size to save your desktop space.

Developer’s website: Roger Nichols Digital

Digital Performer Updater – Digital audio and MIDI sequencer

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Digital Performer is an integrated digital audio and MIDI sequencing production system. It provides a comprehensive environment for editing, arranging, mixing, processing and mastering multitrack audio projects for a wide variety of applications.

Digital Performer allows you to simultaneously record and playback multiple tracks of digital audio and MIDI data in a totally integrated, creative environment. Digital Performer’s award-winning multitrack sequencer design, combined with nondestructive digital audio editing capabilities, provide you with unprecedented flexibility and control over the audio you create.

Developer’s website: Mark of the Unicorn, Inc.

Dr.Betotte – Metronome software with alarm function

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Dr.Betotte is a multi-divisions programmable metronome/beatbox program, that can create any kind of complicated rhythms for practicing your instruments.

Features:

6 sliders and mute buttons to control up to 13 sounds.
Create your own soundset with your own sounds.
Create your own patterns (sequences).
Create chord progressions.
Swing feel.
Halftime feel.
Tap tempo.
All settings can be saved.
Auto tempo increment/decrement.
Loop timer.

What’s New:
Version 2.1:

Can call BPM or ring alarm sound if the tempo is changed by auto tempo function.
Can stop playing by timer.

Developer’s website: ssworks

BadCable AU – Simulate a bad audio cable

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

BadCable is a v2 AudioUnit which attempts to simulate a bad audio cable. The result is a form of waveform distortion. With some settings, the effect sounds like an FM broadcast when you’re at the edge of reception (check out preset #2 "FM Edge").

NOTES:

The effect is rather dependent upon the average level of the incoming signal, so the Intensity parameter is designed with a very wide range to cover all possibilities, including very soft 24-bit signals.

Very high settings of Intensity will sound like a "cable" that is so "bad" is doesn’t work at all :-)

Developer’s website: Sound Consulting

Solera – AU compressor, de-compressor, expander and de-expander

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:30:18 +0000

Solera comes from 10-years-long cogitation about compression, dynamic, loudness. How to make a compressor, which can add loudness whilst keeping some airiness in the sound, which retains fast transients, subtle distinction and undertone ? How to make a processor that can retrieve lost dynamic ? Or just to be able to add contrast, to increase low-level ambiance or to sharpen the sound etc� How can we imagine processing the dynamic without taking into account the sound Level ? How to compress the sound steadily without losing the �nuance� and pumping ? And so on.

Solera tries to answer all these questions.Solera implements 4 different detectors and envelop generators in parallel and simultaneously: compressor, de-compressor, expander and de-expander which can all be independently switched on or off and implement an activity display next to their controls. Many more features.

What’s New:
Version 1.2.0.17 :

Support au Logic8
Improvement in support of Digital Performer

Developer’s website: flux::