Contents
A complete listing of programs on this CD.

Readme and disclaimer
Important information about using this CD.

Installing files
If you are new to installing files, see this Help Screen file for a quick overview.

Virus Warnings
Worried about viruses? See these tips.

Bugs and fixes
If your software is crashing or misbehaving, maybe it's a bug.










TOP SHAREWARE

Sound & Audio Tools

By Scott Mendham
More people are using their PC to manage sound files and create music. You may be a beginner who simply wishes to convert your CDs into MP3s, or a professional who wants to mix tracks, generate beats and create new compositions. Either way, this collection of software should make it easier to achieve your goals. In the past, poor quality sound cards and slow PCs have hampered access to new tools. Thankfully, that situation has changed and now there are a range of programs that can help audiophiles get the most out of their PCs.

If you are looking for basic audio programs, head over to the Essentials section of this CD where you will find Winamp, RealPlayer and MusicMatch. MediaPlayer 7 is also included as part of the Windows Tips software (see the Reviews and Features section). If you want to edit your audio files, then CoolEdit, Awave and GoldWave are good places to start. If mixing tracks is your objective, then Mixman, FruityLoops and Reason provide a range of powerful features. More traditional musicians may want to check out NoteWorthy Composer, which can record, print and play music scores, If you enjoy playing guitar, then Cakewalk's Guitar Studio can help you mix and record your music onto CD.
  • Awave Studio 7.0
    Awave is a multi-purpose audio tool that reads a wide range of audio formats from different platforms, synthesisers and trackers. It can be used as an audio player, editor and wavetable synthesiser instrument editor and converter.


  • Cakewalk Guitar Studio 2
    Guitar Studio is a multitrack recording program for guitar players. It can be used to create CD-quality music with up to 16 tracks of digital audio. In addition, you can add effects, create MIDI files and mix tracks.


  • Cool Edit 2000 1.1
    Spice up your sound effects and music files with Cool Edit 2000. Change echo, reverberation, pitch and a range of other studio effects.


  • FruityLoops 2.7.2
    A software synthesiser and sequencer that allows you to create drum and other audio loops.


  • GoldWave 4.21
    A digital audio editor with real-time oscilloscopes, intelligent editing features and numerous effects (echo, flange, distortion, mechanise, reverse). GoldWave can open and play most Web sound files and can convert to and from many standard formats such as AU, WAV and SND. You can also rip audio from CDs to your hard disk.


  • HammerHead Rhythm Station 1.0
    HammerHead is a simple drum computer program aimed at the dance-scene. You can use it to create Techno loops, Jungle patterns or House beats. It is also suitable for Hip Hop, Triphop, Rap, Industrial and most other music. HammerHead features six separate channels, 29 built-in drum sounds, six complete breakbeats and the possibility to import six samples of your own. You can save your patterns to completely noise-free CD-quality wave files to use them with your sampler, tracker or sequencer program.


  • Mixman Studio 4
    Mixman allows to easily create professional quality music on your PC. With the automatic beat matching you can combine individual sound elements to create unique music. Finished songs can also be exported to RealAudio.


  • NoteWorthy Composer 1.7
    NoteWorthy Composer is a software music composition and notation processor for Windows. It allows you to create, record, edit, print and play back your own musical scores.


  • Quartz AudioMaster 4.6
    A free audio and midi sequencer that includes a range of filters and plugins. This freeware version has up to 4 audio and 16 MIDI tracks. If you need more audio tracks, you can purchase one of the advanced versions from the developerÆs Web site.


  • Reason 1.0
    Reason is a sophisticated and fully featured studio rack. It features Analog synth, sampler, drum machine, ReCycle!-based loop player, mixer, effects, pattern sequencer and more. It is also a MIDI studio, complete with its own realtime sequencer. Even if you are not interested in advanced audio tools, the interface of this program is interesting and a welcome relief from run-of-the-mill menu systems.


  • ReBirth RB-338 2.0.1
    ReBirth 2.0.1 is the software equivalent of two analogue bassline synths and two classic drum machines. This allows you to create dance tracks on your PC without the need for the old hardware and cables.


  • Sound Forge 4.5g
    Professional hard-disk based sound editor for Windows with flexible, intuitive user interface. Provides audio professionals and amateurs alike access to an extensive suite of signal-processing and special-effects tools. Advanced features include auto trim, graphic fade, channel converter, insert silence, resample, convert mono to stereo and stereo to mono. Audio effects include amplitude modulation, flange/wah-wah/phaser, reverb with echogram, chorus and more.


  • Sound Laundry
    Sound Laundry is a set of high-end modules for cleaning and mastering noisy, scratchy recordings - especially old records or cassettes. Please note there are some limitations in this demo version.



PC World Website
Visit PC World online for reviews, the latest news, opinions and PC resources

Suggest a file
Do you have an idea for a program to include on this CD? Send us an email.

Note: you must be connected to the internet before clicking the links in this column.