Software



		Want to make your own movie discs? With the full version of CyberLink PowerProducer 1.0 – exclusive to this month’s PC User cover discs – you can burn DVDs, VCDs, Super VCDs or Mini-DVDs, complete with a professional-looking but personalised menu. Click here.


		Are you converting your vinyl LPs to CDs or MP3 Files? You've probably discovered how time-consuming it is trying to record each track as separate WAV files to store on a CD or to encode as separate MP3 files. Now you can do the job easily with LP Ripper, and it's yours for free this month, thanks to CFB Software (as sold for $65.95). Click here.


		ChordWizard 1.5 is the definitive reference for learning to play guitar, bass, banjo and other four, five and six-string fretted instruments. This month, the full version of ChordWizard 1.5 is yours free (as sold for $49.95), thanks to ChordWizard Software and Drovers Dog distributors. Click here.


		Want to create multimedia slideshows and presentations? With the full version of CyberLink’s Medi@Show 1.0 you can make multidimensional slideshows containing images, video, audio clips and even PowerPoint files. There are loads of special effects to use, and Medi@Show will allow you to save your slideshows in Web format or as an EXE file for distribution on CDs. Click here.


		The best way to learn is through video tutorials, where you can virtually see and follow examples. This month, in keeping with our audio theme, you can learn how to connect your music keyboard to your PC and also find out how to convert your LPs to CDs. Click here.


		CD/DVD burning tools Whether you are a music composer getting ready to send your final take of your composed music or just a serious music lover, the last thing you want is to lose all your music files. Here are some CD and DVD burning tools for backing up your music files. Click here. Audio production and authoring tools Mix different tracks together, edit and record your own music. With these audio production and authoring tools, composing music cannot get any easier. Click here. Loop and pattern-based composition tools These composition tools are based primarily on audio samples that can be looped, pitch and time-shifted, to build up a composition using several repeating sections. Much modern dance, hip-hop, and pop music is done this way. Click here. Softsynths These are sound generators that rely on your soundcard to reproduce their sound, but their core functionality is entirely software-based. They can be a simple wavetable synthesiser, or be modelled on an analog synth, giving you great freedom to create new sounds or even be a sampler. Click here. DX and VST plug-in effects DX and VST are plug-in standards for programs such as Cubase, Sound Forge and Cool Edit Pro. They are used to add and extent the features of the host program. Click here. Notation tools These tools allows musicians to experiment and preview musical notation through their PC soundcard before printing out. They can be used to prepare everything from a simple piano and vocal lead sheet, to brass band, choir or full orchestral scores. Click here. Audio searchers Whether you want to share your own music or find free and legal audio files on the Internet, here are the tools that are best for the job. Click here. Players Stream, download or listen to your favourite CD with one of these popular audio players. Click here. Other utilities Here are some extra tools to help convert other audio formats to MIDI, the standard for almost all music software. Click here.