Posted on March 10, 2009
XLD, short for X Lossless Decoder is an awesome audio converter that I stumbled upon a while back. It supports a lot of file formats (including the lesser-known FLAC, OGG, APE, WV, and TTA), and can convert them without any quality loss. What sets XLD apart, though, is the speed. XLD can convert huge, lossless quality FLAC files (30MB+) to iTunes-compatible M4A files in just a few seconds, or up to 50x real time. It’s also a fully functional CD Ripper and burner. Heck, it can even create cue sheets for CDs. Another added bonus that sets XLD apart is that it comes with a fully-functional command line tool. If you’re in need of a nice audio converter or a solution to play FLAC files in iTunes, look no further. XLD is your solution–I’ve never seen a faster converter.
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Posted on July 19, 2008
GimmeSomeTune is an old classic in the world of Mac freeware. It’s kind of like Growl for iTunes, but much more. You can fetch and add artwork and lyrics within the app, add a rating, and do tons of other neat things. It has a nice little HUD-based window where all of the song info can be seen, and an insane amount of preferences. Also, it just sits in your menu bar, like many iTunes control apps. Last.fm support is an added plus.
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Posted on July 8, 2008
StepMania is one of the coolest free cross-platform games ever. It’s essentially exactly the same as Dance Dance Revolution, except with tons more songs (which can be made by the users), and a huge fan base. Now, if it sounds dull to play DDR with a keyboard, you’re right. It really is. But, StepMania takes it a step further (no pun intended) and lets you plug in a dance pad via USB. This way you can actually dance to really any song you want. StepMania has been around for a while, and keeps getting better. Simply put, this game is a blast. I might add that you need a pretty good knowledge of computers to play StepMania.
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Posted on April 3, 2008
CeltX is an amazing media writing application. You can edit movie and play scripts, screenplays, podcasts, and of course, plain text. It’s extremely well-developed, and perfect for anyone into theater and arts. It’s surprising that CeltX is still free.
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Posted on February 18, 2008
MacTheRipper is a Handbrake-like DVD ripper for Mac. It essentially copies your DVDs to your Mac for you to burn again. In other words, Handbrake should be used for copying DVDs to an iPod, and MacTheRipper should be used for copying DVDs to your computer and burning them to another DVD (generally, not always). It can even get past the copy protection.
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Posted on February 9, 2008
YamiPod is an awesome iPod manager that can actually run on your iPod. It lets you delete songs without syncing to iTunes, and do many other cool things with your iPod. This is the app I’ve been looking for since I got my first iPod.
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