Category Archives: Software

Audioware applications and programs

AAX Audio Converter ~ AAX To mp3 Or m4a

Posted by tom2tec on

  • Free and Open Source software.
  • Converts Audible proprietary .aax files to plain .mp3 or .m4a/.m4b.
  • Also offers basic support for older .aa files.
  • Windows application, with all the classic features of the Windows eco-system.
  • Requires activated Audible Manager/App or personal activation code.
  • Processing Modes:
    • One output file per input file.
    • Multiple output files per input file, divided by chapter.
    • Multiple output files per input file, divided by chapter and further split into shorter tracks of roughly equal length.
    • Multiple output files per input file, split into shorter tracks of roughly equal length, ignoring chapters.
  • Creates additional playlist if more than one output file is created per book.
  • Handles books with multiple parts.
  • Manages and preserves all meta-tag information.
  • Supports named chapters, for .aax files downloaded with the Audible App.
  • Can adjust inaccurate chapter marks.
  • Allows customization of output naming: files, folders and tags.
  • Delegates all audio processing to powerful FFmpeg, including DRM handling.
  • High performance: Utilizes all available processor cores to run conversion work in parallel.
  • Optionally copies original .aax file to a new location after the conversion, with a customizable name.
  • Automatically launches default media player after conversion has completed.
  • Log facility, optional, to record program activity, activated with program argument.
  • Online update function: Will automatically scan the website for a new version, download and install it.
  • Technical:
    • .Net Framework application, written in C# with Windows Forms, the Task Parallel Library and other goodies from language and framework.
    • Incorporating a number of snippets from the Open Source community.

https://github.com/audiamus/AaxAudioConverter

Tomahawk ~ Metadata Based Player

Posted by tom2tec on

Tomahawk is a free multi-source and cross-platform music player. An application that can play not only your local files, but also stream from services like Spotify, Beats, SoundCloud, Google Music, YouTube and many others. You can even connect with your friends’ Tomahawks, share your musical gems or listen along with them. Let the music play!

Tomahawk is basically a player for music metadata. At its core it decouples the metadata about a song from the source and reassembles it for each user based on their individual music accessibility and rights. In short, given the name of a song and artist, Tomahawk will find the right source, for the right user at the right time. This fundamentally different approach to music enables a range of new music consumption and sharing experiences previously not possible.

Music Sources:
  • Local music library (MP3, Ogg, FLAC and many other formats)
  • Networked music libraries (other connected computers)
Subscription Music Services
Free Streaming / Music Promotion Platforms
Network/Cloud storage

Third party-developed resolvers have also been written for services like YouTube, Qobuz and others. We’ve also heard of digital music distributors writing their own for their internal CMSes to help them navigate and preview their content. That’s cool.

https://github.com/tomahawk-player/tomahawk

tapedeck ~ DJ Audio Editor

Posted by tom2tec on

Tapedeck is an audio editor for Linux with an alternative control interface. Instead of a mouse, keyboard, and screen, it uses the DJ board Hercules DJ Control Instinct, and a set of LED graph displays (not currently implemented, simulated with terminal graphics).

github.com/vanjac/tapedeck

GXLame ~ Low-bitrate MP3 Encoder

Posted by tom2tec on

GXLame is an MP3 encoder based off of LAME v3.98.4 and v3.99b0 which has been heavily optimized for high-quality, low-bitrate VBR encoding. It is similar in concept to other popular encoders at these bitrates such as some AAC codecs, Vorbis mods, and so forth at bitrates down to 56kbps. This codec does not rely on aggressive lowpassing or resampling to achieve these low bitrates, and the quality aims to be acceptable at much lower bitrates than have come to be expected of the standard.

https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php?topic=80510.0

Eisenkraut ~ Multi-channel Audio Editor

Posted by tom2tec on

The audio file editor, baptised ‘Eisenkraut’, came into existence (as a scaffold) during a project class on audio programming in Java at the SeaM in Weimar. It is distinguished by a number of traits which makes it particularly interesting in the field of computer music: There are no restrictions with regard to the number of channels in a file, and there is an OSC interface via which the functionality can be extended, for example using the SuperCollider language. Possible applications of such extensions are the transfer of marker information or the maintenance of meta data for segmented files, the algorithmic editing (cut/copy/paste) of files, or the addition of your own sound transformations or special decoders (e.g. an MS matrix).

User Interface

github.com/dhfgj/Eisenkraut
github.com/Sciss/Eisenkraut

KickMaker ~ Plugin Drum Synth

Posted by tom2tec on

KickMaker is a synthesizer designed specifically to create good kick drum sounds. It uses four independent oscillators and a wide range of effects, allowing one to create perfectly customized beats.

Features:

  • Four independent oscillators
  • Each oscillator has its own ADSR curve
  • ADSR curve for mixed signal
KickMaker 1.x/2.x screenshot

http://teragonaudio.com/KickMaker.htm

https://github.com/teragonaudio/KickMaker

Psycle ~ Modular Music Creation Studio

Posted by tom2tec on

Psycle is a Music tracker (like FastTracker 2 or Impulse Tracker) combined with plugin modularity. It supports its own plugin API, the VST2 plugin standard, and a tracker style sampler playback.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/psycle

http://psycle.pastnotecut.org/portal.php
http://sourceforge.net/projects/psycle/

Wok Loudness ~ Dynamic Equalization

Posted by tom2tec on

Wok Loudness simulates the loudness button on old HiFi amps, which alters the frequency response curve to correspond roughly with the equal loudness characteristic of the ear at lower volumes.

The level of high and low frequencies is increased at low listening levels, to compensate for the fact that as the volume of audio decreases, the ears lower sensitivity to extreme high and low frequencies may cause these signals to fall below threshold.  As a result audio material may seem to become ‘thin’ sounding at low volumes, losing bass and treble, the ‘Loudness compensation’ button (often just labelled ‘Loudness’ or ‘Loud’) is intended to rectify this situation.

wokwave.com/old-plugins/html/wok_loudness_free_vst_plugin

Mp3VoiceStamp ~ Automatic Voice Annotation

Posted by tom2tec on

Athletes’ companion: adds synthesized voice overlay with various info and on-going timer to your audio files.

Features:

  • Automatic voice volume adjustment based on music file volume
  • Supports batch processing of multiple files
  • Features dry-run mode for quick tests
  • Highly customizable
  • Minimal runtime dependencies
  • Works on Linux, Mac OS and Windows
  • Free

github.com/MarcinOrlowski/Mp3VoiceStamp

Header Investigator ~ WAV Header Editor

Posted by tom2tec on

Header Investigator allows the user to open WAV audio files and display the header information and make changes.  The actual audio data is never changed… simply the header information.  This is useful if the user has accidentally recorded audio while locked to an external digital clock source so that the header sample rate is a mismatch to the actual sample rate of the data – which causes the sound file to play back at the wrong pitch.  By simply changing the sample rate in the header – the WAV files can be corrected without having to retransfer or sample rate convert the file.

www.railjonrogut.com/HeaderInvestigator

AudioWorks ~ Tagging & Conversion Suite

Posted by tom2tec on

A cross-platform, multi-format audio conversion and tagging suite for .NET and PowerShell. Formats currently supported are MP3, MP4 AAC, FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC), Opus, Ogg Vorbis and Wave.

This project supplants PowerShell Audio by targeting both Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core (Windows, Linux and MacOS).

github.com/jherby2k/AudioWorks

Helio ~ Libre Music Composition

Posted by tom2tec on

Distraction-free – Helio is an attempt to rethink a music sequencer to create a tool that feels right. It provides a lightweight UI to help you get into the zone and focus on your ideas.

Clear over clever – Visualize music in a way that doesn’t seem so smoke and mirrors. The app may serve as a learning tool you need to grow as a composer.

Cross-platform tech – Available for all major platforms, desktop and mobile. Hosts VST and AudioUnit, runs on CoreAudio, ASIO, DirectSound, ALSA, JACK and OpenSLES. Exports to MIDI, WAV and FLAC.

helios

helio.fm
github.com/helio-fm/helio-sequencer