CNET Editors' review
Despite a glut of free player/encoders, it's tough to find one that meets our expectations. Formerly known as Sound DB, MediaMonkey has excellent library-management tools that keep the largest digital music collections well-organized. Stir that up with tight Winamp and Nero CD-burning integration, a stellar interface, a full-featured encoder, and the ability to sync with portable audio devices such as the iPod, and you have a pretty compelling product.
Upon first launch, the program prompts you to scan your drive for any supported digital media files to add them to the library. Files are sorted based on the ID3 tag, and helpful Auto-Rename and Auto-Tag From Filename features keep untagged tracks from falling through the cracks. Third-party plug-ins are available from the site if you want to tinker with the playback and encoding engine or add additional sound-processing effects. The interface is well-designed, with clean, colorful icons throughout.
Considering the overall polish of this application, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything you don't like. Although it's definitely geared toward managing extensive collections, just about anyone will appreciate the comprehensive feature set. For $20, MediaMonkey Gold adds advanced features such as sleep, scripting, and previewing.
MediaMonkey Standard - Manage large media collections - Download Video Previews:Publisher's Description
From Ventis Media:
MediaMonkey is a music manager/jukebox for serious music collectors and iPod users. It catalogs your CDs, OGG, WMA, MPC, FLAC, APE, WAV and MP3 audio files. It looks up missing album, art, and track information via Freedb and the Web, and includes an intelligent tag editor and an automated file and directory renamer to organize your music library. It includes a CD ripper, CD burner, and audio converter for saving music, and manual or automated play list editors for creating music mixes. Its player automatically adjusts volume levels so that you don't have continually fiddle with the volume control and supports hundreds of Winamp plug-ins and visualizations; or if you prefer, it can use Winamp as the default player. It also includes portable audio device synchronization that allows you to synch tracks and play lists with devices such as the iPod.
Version 2.4.2.874 adds basic streaming support along with several fixes related to iPod synchronization.
More Products to Consider
- Mix, scratch, and remix MP3 or music videos live.
- Convert CDs to MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC formats, convert audio ...
- Burn the files and images on CD and DVD discs.
- Convert DVD movies to all the popular video or audio formats wi...
- Play video and audio files, convert to other file formats, burn...
- Cut desired parts from your MP3 files.
- Rip CDs, convert audio files, and burn discs easily.
- Record voice messages for voice email, voice photo messages, vo...
- Play your music files in an inbuilt ID3 editor player.
- Emulate up to 18 DVD/BD drives.
- Transform your PC into a powerful standalone room correction pr...
- Create, edit, burn, mount, and encrypt CD, DVD, and BD image fi...
- Transform your PC into a powerful standalone room correction pr...
- Convert M4A/AAC into MP3/WAV format.
- Correct deficiencies of room acoustics using multipoint compens...
- Burn your music, movies, and games or documents on CDs or DVDs.
- Convert and backup DVDs to AVI, DivX, iPod, iPhone, iPad, WMV, ...
- Learn musical notes with midi keyboard device.
- Download YouTube videos and convert them into MP3 files.
- Detect duplicate files within your music collection.
- Copy DVD to iPod, iPhone, 3GP, PSP, Zune, HD TV, AVI, Divx, Xvi...
- Play online Radio Stations cataloged in musical genres.
- Edit and manipulate ID3 tags.
- Get fast and flexible digital-media playback with access to sma...
-
All versions:
4.0 starsout of 1,312 votes
-
Current version:
4.0 starsout of 32 votes
-
My rating:
Write review
-
"awesome"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
the most feature-laden free media player ever; many options for organising or ripping music; supports many file types; can change priority of background tasks;
Cons
slow loading; can't change nodes in explorer tree; settings saved in My Music folder (can't change location);
-
"Amazing"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
Great program, organises everything for you. Reminds me a little of AmaroK for Linux, which is definitely a good thing. Out of all the media players I've used, I'd definitely choose this one for Windows.
Cons
However there are issues with this program, like how not all the music I listen to can be found on Amazon (005 or Winter Equinox anyone?) and that makes Auto tagging them useless. It also does not play video files. I haven't tested MIDI files yet, but I doubt it plays those either from what the file extension list said. The interface is also a bit cramped.
-
"Great product"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
You can do everything you need with your music files
Cons
In the free version you can not rip your CD's after 30 days of use
-
"Top Product - Both Thumbs Up for this Monkey!"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
Great Product and does everything that I wanted it to do easily. Plays, sorts, converts, rips and burns. Loads more features if you want them and all in the free bundle.
I downloaded loads of others and this was the best I found.
-
"Best free music management software I've come across"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
If you are looking for a great free music managing software that does everything you could imagine then look no further. If you are cheap, this software will make you want to donate/purchase the full version. This "demo (if you want to call it that)" gives you too much functionality for free. SPYWARE FREE! Great download.
Cons
None I could find. This software rocks!
-
"Get this comprehensive program today!"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
After reading the reviews, I downloaded this and was pleased beyond my expectations. This is a must for any music collector to organize your files. Most notable is the Files to Edit feature. Oh my goodness! You have no idea how much time that feature alone saved me in locating all sorts of files that I needed to either fix or delete (untitled artist, album, song, genre, year, rating tags, missing album art, duplicate songs--I had a lot). Just amazing how quickly it indexed all 60gb of my mp3/ogg/wav collections. The search feature is quick too and being able to tag files from Amazon.com within the program is a huge plus as well. The interface is pretty easy to get used to after clicking around a bit and the shortcut keys will speed things up too.
Cons
Just a minor pet peeve of mine, but the Genre scroll down box does not allow the user to type any unknown genre and also will not allow the user to quickly get to that genre by typing the first letter that genre begins with while the scroll down list is present. It does however work if you type the first letter without the scroll list open. It also does not read the track length of VBR mp3 files correctly sometimes, but few players actually do anyway. It's really hard to find any other noticeable cons after 24 hours of normal use.
-
"I don't hear any sound"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
looks good
Cons
The sound doesn't work in my computer
-
"Very flexible with a ton of features"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
This is one of the easiest-to-use taggers and cover art downloaders I've used. It just also happens to have third-party plugins, play multiple music formats, convert between music formats, organize music, rip music, support iPod syncing, etc. This is one great piece of software and it also has an excellent user support forum at their main website.
Cons
None for me.
There are a bunch of wishlist items listed on their support forum, but I don't see any of them as being all that important. Great to see what they have planned for the future though.
-
"ditch your iTunes"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
I used this program to manage my music and loved it. I used it because iTunes wouldn't work on my old computer. So I downloaded iTunes when I got my new computer and I was really unimpressed. Everyone talked about how wonderful it was but it didn't compare to Media Monkey.
I absolutely love being able to edit the tags and make them right. I don't have an mp3 player like an ipod but you're supposed to be able to sync it with one. I don't like the monopolizing of files that iTunes is headed.
I always root for the underdog but can you blame me?
Cons
Kind of a dorky name for such a good program. Doesn't sound like something for adults. I am reminded of that stupid bonzi buddy people went nuts over several years ago.
-
"Amazing! Just Sweet baby, SWEET!"
Version: MediaMonkey 2.4.2.874
Pros
It lets you AutoOrganize your tracks (into directories) by using tags (artist; title; etc) and they are moved by MediaMonkey. Not like iTunes that does it own thing most of the time.
A feature I discovered tonight... I burnt some of my License WMA to an ImageDrive (using Nero) so I can re-rip it as MP3. Once I loaded the VirtualCd in the Monkey it immediately recognize these files, so i didn't have name the file over again... How sweet is that.
Cons
It doesn't locate the license for Licensed WMA (like Winamp). Besides that it's number one. RESPECT.
Add Your Review
Submit your reply
E-mail this review
Report offensive content
Previous Versions:






