April 2008, about.com, quotes and excerpts from the
review:
"RapidSolution Software's Audials One can best be described as
a 'Digital Swiss-army knife' for downloading free and legal media. It has a
large set of tools which allow you to; search the Internet for free audio and
video, remove DRM copy protection, make ringtones, convert file formats, burn
CDs, and more.
Read the following Audials One review to discover if this
is the 'total solution' you've been looking
for.
Pros:
* Intuitive interface.
* Rich toolset with
seamless integration.
* Excellent value for money.
...Audials One – Getting Started
System Requirements:
*
Operating system: Windows XP / Vista
* Minimum Processor: 1GHz
*
Memory: 512 MB RAM
* Software: Windows Mediaplayer 9+ / iTunes 6+
* DSL Internet access.
Installation and Configuration: You'll need
approximately 300 Mb of free hard drive space although the recommendation is 1
Gb. Each tool has its own unique settings that give you plenty of options to
tweak. Most were left at default with the exception of the export folders;
Audials One uses the My Documents folder which you may want to change - we
did.
User Interface: Audials One has a nice little navigation bar on the
left-side of the screen where you can quickly switch between the three different
programs. Each program is displayed in its own color; blue for Radiotracker,
green for Videoraptor, and red for Tunebite. RapidSolution Software have done a
good job of creating an intuitive interface that you can quickly learn.
Audials One - Radiotracker
Radio:
Radiotracker connects to thousands of Internet radio stations using a huge
streaming audio database. You are able to listen to and record the audio output
in the MP3 format. An autorip facility automatically records streaming audio
based on your specific requirements - genre, favorite stations, and a wish
list.
MusicFinder: The second tab across the top of the screen is named
MusicFinder. This functions as a meta-search engine where you can search for the
name of an artist or song title. You can even tell Radiotracker what type of
music or artist to search for by using your existing music
library.
Podcasts: The third tab across the top is for Podcasts. This
works in a similar way to the radio tab where a database is displayed enabling
you to select your media. If you need to follow a series of episodes then
Radiotracker allows you to subscribe to podcasts in the database or even add
URLs that aren’t present in the podcast list.
What makes Radiotracker so
impressive is its ability to record multiple audio streams in parallel. This
makes efficient use of your time and network bandwidth by simultaneously
recording audio streams from different sources.
Audials One - Videoraptor
Search
Music: Videoraptor as the name suggests focuses mainly on video but it can also
find MP3 music too. It works on a different principle to Radiotracker when
acquiring music; Videoraptor downloads files directly rather than recording
streaming audio. By typing in the name of an artist or song name you can find
music videos and normal MP3 music.
Web Video: Video websites like,
YouTube, ClipFish, and Google video are used by Videoraptor to capture video
that you would normally watch via your browser. To download web video using
Videoraptor, you have to visit one of the seven supported websites for the video
to be captured; Internet Explorer is unfortunately the only browser you can use.
During testing, Videoraptor produced good search results and downloading went
smoothly...
Audials One – Tunebite
DRM copy
protection removal: Tunebite’s main purpose is to convert audio and video
formats. The best feature though is the facility to remove DRM copy protection
in a legal way. This is achieved by recording the output of your soundcard to
generate a digital recording that is free from DRM. Because the original file
remains untouched there is no illegal hacking of the encrypted
file.
Audio Formats: Tunebite can convert a number of different audio
formats which are:
* M4A, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA, WMA Pro
The main
screen has a useful drag-and-drop area for you to quickly queue up media files.
The auto-detect feature is intelligent and was able to detect the type of media.
After the conversion process has finished you can set Tunebite to automatically
add cover art, ID3 tags and lyrics to each of your tracks.
Video Formats:
The following video formats are supported in Tunebite:
* 3GP, MPEG4,
WMV7, WMV9, XVID
Converting a video is done in the same way as for audio;
you can either drag-and-drop, or queue files by clicking on the add button. A
series of tests were performed using different video formats which yielded good
results in terms of speed and quality.
Audio Stream Capture: Tunebite can
capture streaming audio but compared to Radiotracker it’s very limited. There
are only two sources that it can connect to (musicload.de and Yahoo! LAUNCHcast
radio) and so it’s only useful if you’re searching for something that is only
available from either of these sites.
Audials One - Additional Tools
Ringtone Maker: A great tool for generating your very own
ringtones. It can use audio tracks, CDs, and audio from video. The process is
straightforward thanks to the wizard-based interface that takes you through each
step.
CD Burner: This integrated CD burning program enables you to burn
your collection to CD. If you are using Radiotracker there is the option to burn
to a data DVD as well as CD. All the three main tools support the creation of
either data or audio CDs.
Tagrunner: This is a handy tool that makes
organizing your music collection easy. It automatically adds cover art, ID3
tags, and lyrics to your music collection by using Internet CD databases
(CDDB).
Conclusion
RapidSolution Software's
Audials One has a plethora of useful programs that integrate well to provide a
seamless and well-rounded product. Its main target audience is obviously people
who are interested in downloading free music and video. With the inclusion of
Tunebite, the Audials One product will appeal to any user that has the need to
convert file formats or wants to break free from the restrictions of DRM copy
protection. For the more organized sort of person, the music library organizer
(Tagrunner) and CD burning tool will surely delight... Overall, Audials One is a
stellar product that represents excellent value for money and is highly
recommended for both music and video fans alike.
