Free Sound Programs
Welcome to our free sound programs category. If you happen to stumble across an outdated link, we'd very much appreciate it if you could report it. Thanks for visiting and enjoy your time freebie hunting!
Nullsoft
Winamp - Our favourite free audio-visual player, Nullsoft Winamp
is undoubtedly a classic. It supports MP3, CD, WMA, MPEG, Audiosoft,
Mjuice, MOD, WAV and tons of other file formats. You can even customise
your Winamp player with a variety of freeware skins. The program is
easy-to-use and offers: drag and drop file support, CD ripping and
burning, graphic equalisers, extra plug-ins, visualisation effects,
etc. A powerful media library allows users to organise multiple playlists.
> Winamp 5.5 sees the introduction of a sleeker,
more polished default skin called "Bento" (and "Big Bento" for users
who prefer larger controls). The interface is more cluttered than
previous Winamp versions, in which case you may wish to revert to
the "classic" or "modern" skin.
> The latest version of Winamp features an improved media library
and podcast support.
VLC
Media Player - A free and cross-platform media player, ideal for
playing music, watching videos and accessing streaming services. VLC
supports various formats, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX,
MP3 and Ogg. It also has no problem playing DVDs and VCDs. The software
functions on all popular operating systems, including Windows, Mac
OS X, Linux, BeOS, etc.
GOM
Media Player - This freeware multimedia player for Microsoft Windows
will handle almost any type of multimedia file format you can throw
at it. Containing pre-installed audio and video codecs, the program
is ideal for playing all kinds of files, including videos and sounds.
The program is also able to play some broken media files (i.e. an
incomplete or damaged AVI file). GOM can be customised with a variety
of skins, which are available to download for free.
JetAudio Basic - This freeware media player provides all the tools you'll need to play and organise your various media files. It supports all the popular media file formats (e.g. MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG), and includes a cross-fader, media file converter and also a media library for creating playlists. This nifty little program also makes burning/ripping audio CDs a breeze, so you'll no longer have to reply on larger programs to perform this task.
musikCube - This fast, free and lightweight audio player makes organising and playing your digital music collection very easy indeed. Since musikCube is compatible with the vast majority of music storage devices, audio files can be transferred from one location to another with minimal effort. The program also uses "dynamic playlists", which learn from your listening habits and become smarter as more tracks are played. Size: 2.9 MB.
MusicMatch - A visually appealing freeware program that allows users to record, search and then play every type of audio file imaginable. The award winning MusicMatch free sound program also features many more utilities, such as allowing you to create your own audio CDs and listen to the radio. If that isn't enough, you can search through listings with the MusicMatch guide and create personalised playlists.
Cdex - At this site, you'll find a link to an extremely useful program called CDex. This program converts various file formats to MP3s or WAVs. You can also extract music files from a CD-ROM and convert that way, compressing as necessary. It has many other uses and although commonly called a "file ripper", it doubles as a recorder for sound cards. This site also provides a link to a similar program called "Xilisoft CD Ripper".
FoxyTunes - Do you listen to music when browsing the Internet? If you do, then we highly recommend you check out FoxyTunes. This nifty little program integrates a media player seamlessly and unobtrusively into your browser window, so you'll no longer have to switch windows when playing your favourite tracks. Users can press play, stop, shuffle, pause and also adjust the volume all from a neat bar at the base of their Web browser. Size: 0.5 MB.
Apple
iTunes - An easy-to-use digital jukebox-style program, originally
designed for the Apple Mac, but now available to users of Microsoft
Windows. iTunes plays a wide variety of media files, such as MP3s,
CD tracks and videos. It has an integrated radio player (with pre-configured
stations), a CD burner, parental controls, and more. Storing and organising
music into relevant playlists has never been easier with this popular
program.
> If they choose to do so, users of iTunes
can now gain access to the "iTunes Music Store" where tracks are available
to download legitimately for a minimal fee.
> Users on networks (i.e. home or office networks)
have the option of sharing their music collection with other iTunes
users on the same network.
> iTunes integrates seamlessly with Apple
iPods, so if you own one of these music players, make this software
your first port of call.
UltraPlayer - This is a seriously cool, 2 MB digital media player with potential to become one of the Internet's most popular audio software programs. It can handle MP3 files, CD audio, WAVs, MIDIs and virtually every other type of sound file. The program allows you to create and edit playlists, change graphic equalizer settings, automatically repeat tracks and change visual effects. UltraPlayer also supports a variety of skins.
BiblePlayer - By using this unique freeware program for Apple iPod, you can read the Bible when you're on the move. The BiblePlayer also comes complete with various other "modules", which you can transfer to your iPod, including a daily reading plan and daily devotionals. Please note: a deluxe BiblePlayer (Audio Bible Player) is available with extended readings, although this is not completely free to download.
RealPlayer - This second-generation audio program, produced by Real Networks, is the latest RealPlayer offering. Overall, the package is pretty tidy and has some appealing features: a personal media library, skinnable interface, integrated Netscape-style Web browser and graphic equaliser. Using this, you can play CD tracks, MP3 and also listen the radio online. On the downside, the program has a cumbersome interface, which distracts from its appeal.
Quintessential Player - This classy Web site houses a great freeware audio player. Quintessential Player plays songs from a CD or from your own personal MP3 collection and can also be customised with different skins (these can be downloaded from their site). With all sorts of interesting "modes", add-ons and plug-ins, Quintessential Player is definitely worth a download if you need to take control of your music collection.
Audacity - A free audio editor, which enables you to open, export, record, play and modify sounds in various formats, including WAV, MP3 and AIFF. Audacity can also be used as a simple mixer, allowing you to merge tracks together. Some other interesting built-in effects include: bass boost, "wahwah" and noise removal. Available for Windows, Linux and also MacOS 9/X.
Audiograbber - A piece of software that grabs digital audio from CD-ROMs and then copies it through your soundcard. By doing this you can make perfect copies of the originals and can even perform a test to see that the copies really are perfect. It can also automatically normalise the music, delete silence from the start and/or end of tracks, and send them to external encoders.
Ots CD Scratch 1200 - See yourself as a budding DJ? Ots' CD Scratch program is a free and fun virtual turntables CD player that can be used to mix tracks together. Using this, you can play two tracks from the same CD at the same time, one forwards and one in reverse. You can also perform various other impressive tricks, such as "scratching" the turntables back and forth. The file size of Otd CD Scratch is approximately 1 MB.
vanBasco Karaoke Player - Play karaoke MIDI files in the form of .kar, .midi, .mid and .rmi file formats. This freeware program packs plenty of features and tools to keep you going and even includes a piano view, the ability to change tempos, volume and the key of various songs. You can also integrate the program with Netscape or Microsoft's browsers and skin the interface.
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