February 2009, about.com, quotes and excerpts from the
review:
"Introduction
This multi-talented media software (containing Radiotracker,
MP3videoraptor, and Tunebite) impressed us with its depth of features when we
reviewed version 2. Now at version 3, and with the addition of Audials TV, we
take an in-depth look to discover if Audials One is the ultimate tool for your
media needs.
Pros:
* Improved
interface
* Tighter integration of tools
* Extensive tool set
makes Audials One an excellent all-rounder
* Cost effective solution for
your entertainment needs
...
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:
Installation
takes approximately 350 MB of hard drive space, although 1 Gb is recommended to
comfortably use the software. Once installed there is a good range of
configuration options for each of the components. Incidentally, most of the
options were left at their default settings which enabled us to start using the
software straight away.
User Interface:
Audials One's
interface has been improved since version 2. The arrangement of the controls,
and the addition of new ones is more logically arranged which has made the
software more intuitive.
Audials One - Radiotracker
5
Radio:
Radiotracker records streaming music
from the many radio stations on the Internet. You can pick a genre to start
recording, or by using MusicFinder (see below), you can specify your taste in
music for a more granular search. On our test, Radiotracker's Autorip feature
found plenty of music and recorded several audio streams in parallel. If you
like listening to Internet radio and want to record it, then you'll find
Radiotracker an indispensable tool.
MusicFinder:
Also
working in conjunction with MP3videoraptor, MusicFinder helps you to buildup a
wish-list of artists and track names to record when searching for music. It
functions as a kind of meta-search engine and can even be used with your
existing music collection.
Podcasts:
This works in a similar way to
the radio tab by using a displayed database; you can subscribe to and download
podcasts. You can also add URLs that aren’t present in the database.
Audials One - MP3Videoraptor
3
Music Search:
MP3Videoraptor's primary method
of recording music and video from the Internet is its Music Search function.
Simply by typing in an artist or title, you will immediately start to see
results. You can also filter the results depending on what you need - audio,
video, artist, track, or any other keyword. A nice new feature that has been
added is an audio preview button that enables you to check a song before hitting
the record button.
Autoload:
If you want to get the
maximum out of your network bandwidth when downloading music and video then use
Autoload. This super-charged beast is built for speed and its comprehensive
database gives you an efficient way of quickly building up your media library.
The speed is very impressive - so watch your hard drive
space!
Surf and Catch:
The last time MP3videoraptor was
reviewed, this component restricted the user's choice of Internet browser; only
Microsoft's Internet Explorer could be used to view and grab Web video and
streaming audio. The new version of MP3videoraptor now has support for Mozilla
Firefox (versions 2 and 3). There are now ten Web sites that MP3videorator is
compatible with; popular sites such as YouTube, MySpace, Sevenload, Veoh, and
Godtube.
Audials One – Tunebite
6
DRM Copy Protection Removal:
The main
function of Tunebite is to legally record DRM copy protected media to produce
DRM-free files. Audio and video files can easily be converted by either dragging
and dropping files onto Tunebite's target area, or by using the Add button.
There's also a virtual CD burner that can be installed to enable software such
as iTunes to burn to a virtual CD. The installation of the virtual CD burner is
much improved - previously the installation link was hidden in the Windows
programs menu.
Perfect Audio:
This new mode guarantees a
perfect copy of your original files. Two copies of the original file are
recorded at the same time which are then compared for errors. This method is
slow but produces good results. If you've got a lot of files to convert then you
may want to leave this option off.
Audio Formats:
Tunebite 6 now has an increased number audio formats that it can work with,
these are:
* FLAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA, WMA
Pro
Video Formats:
There are now 7 supported video
formats in Tunebite:
* 3GP, AVI, MPEG4, Sony PSP, WMV7, WMV9,
XVID
Converting videos is done in the same way as for audio. Speed and
quality is good.
Surf and Catch integration:
Originally
Tunebite only supported two sources of streaming audio (musicload.de and Yahoo!
LAUNCHcast radio). Now, the Surf and Catch component of MP3videoraptor is also
accessible from Tunebite which makes Audials One even more tightly integrated
and efficient to use.
Audials One - Additional Tools
Audials TV:
You can use this program (free
to download from the Audials Web site) to watch Internet TV by selecting a
station via its database. There is a good selection of channels to choose from
and the video quality is good. The downside though is that it's not integrated
into Audials One and so you can only view with it.
Ringtone
Maker:
If you fancy creating your own ringtones for your cell phone,
then Ringtone Maker can work with existing MP3 files, rip a CD tracks, or record
from auxillary sources (microphone, etc.). You can transfer the ringtone via WAP
or download it to your computer.
CD Burner:
Now with DVD
support, this integrated burning program enables you to burn Audio CD, Data CD
and DVD discs.
Tagrunner:
This automatically adds cover
art, ID3 tags, and lyrics to your music collection by using Internet CD
databases (CDDB).
Conclusion
RapidSolution Software
has improved Audials One in many areas to produce a media software suite that is
more powerful, and even easier to use than before. Whether you're looking for
audio or video, Audials One represents excellent value for money... That said,
Audials One is a comprehensive suite of software programs that will satisfy most
peoples needs in the search for free and legal media. For existing users, there
are enough improvements to consider upgrading. Highly recommended."
