iPod/MP3 Reviews - 4/18/2006

Welcome to this week's iPod/MP3 Review.
In deciding to do this, I mentioned my favorite media player Media Monkey. This program will do just about anything you want it to. Ripping CD's (limited unless you buy the application), converting audio formats(MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, FLAC), playlists, and tag editing are pretty much standards when it comes to media players these days and MM handles them like a dream. Where it distinguishes itself is in the organizational aspects of audio. The media library can be sorted in a number of different ways (again standard), but provides the ability to auto-tag songs based on data from Amazon.com. This includes album art which can be stored inside the MP3 file if that is available. Once you've got your tag data down, you can instantly rename the track based on whatever configuration you specify. The ability to do this with your entire library at once makes this program great. In fact my only want is that it would play AAC audio. The app will sync with your iPod, but I don't recommend this as the iPod is a very tempermental gadget. I really love mine, but the fact I've had to reload it twice based on lock-ups really irks me. I give Media Monkey a 4.5 out of 5.

Freebies:
So, iTunes is treating us to three free downloads this week although one is not available at the moment (More on that in a moment).

The first is Damone - Out Here All Night. I really enjoy this song. It's got a great rock-beat, good guitar licks without any hair-metal band solos, and the vocals aren't screaming like a ton of bands seem to do. I've always been a fan of bands with female lead singers especially in rock bands. The band sounds polished but not so much in a way that makes you feel like they would sound really bad live. The song is a lot of fun actually. The fact that they released their album on my birthday this year bodes well for them too. All in all, I'm planning on keeping this song on my iPod and would give it a 4 out of 5.

The next is MSTRKRFT - Easy Love. It is iTunes' Discovery Download of the week (Pronounced Master Craft). All in all, I'm not much for techno. It's great if you're at a club, but if you're not, it feels a little like you're stuck in a Night at the Roxbury skit. I know it takes a lot of skill to put together something like this especially with the digitized voice not sounding like a voice prompt in a call center. I'm sure this fits right into some people's style, but it's just not mine. Repetition is only good if you like what you're repeating. Therefore, I'm giving this a 2 of 5. It's probably not that bad for the style, but I don't enjoy the style. Sorry guys.

Finally, the last freebie of the week is a "Clip Show" from the Apprentice. I'd love to tell you about this one, but when you click it right now, it says "This item is being modified. Please try again later." So, I'll review it later.

Well, that's it for this week,
PJ