Windows users have lots of choices when it comes to playing music on their computer. They can make use of Windows Media Player for instance, or download and install a third party music player like iTunes, Winamp or AIMP3. The choice of available program shrinks significantly when it comes to software that not only plays music but also offers management capabilities.
And if you add other requirements like CD ripping and burning, music conversions, synchronization or sharing, you probably end up with less than a handful of tools that offer all of that to the user.
MediaMonkey 4 Gold is one of those programs. But music is just one of the things the program handles. The big new feature of the latest version of the product is video support. This basically means that can use many of the program’s management options for video files as well.
Installation, First Start
All users install the free version of MediaMonkey first. Gold users can enter the registration key in the program to enable the Gold features.
First thing that new users may want to do is to add their music collection to the program. This can be done with a click on the Insert key or the selection of File > Add/Rescan Files to the library. This opens a file browser where one or multiple folders can be selected. MediaMonkey can scan the selected folders once, or include them in the program’s folder monitoring feature to scan them continuously for new media. This adds new media automatically to the program’s database.
The options button loads the library preferences which define how files are added to the program library. Information are taken from file names and tags, with options to use file paths as well. MediaMonkey will furthermore scan the directories for artwork, ignore files shorter than 20 Kilobytes, remove unused attributes and generate thumbnails for videos. Additional options that need to be selected include analyzing files for duplicates, ignore files that are shorter than x seconds and removing unavailable items.
The file types button highlights the supported file types. Not all media files are automatically selected. Ogg video and RealMedia video files are for instance not included in the scan by default.
A click on ok starts the scan which may take a while depending on the performance of the PC, the amount of media files and the structure they are stored in.
It took less than five minutes to scan two large folders on a test system with thousands of video and music files. MediaMonkey offers to import data from programs like iTunes or Windows Media Player if they are detected on the system.
Working with the program
Once you have started to add media to the program you are ready to make use of the functionality offered. You can play media with a double-click on a file. Both music and video are played in the program interface.
MediaMonkey users with a less than perfectly organized media collection may want to use the program’s automatic tagging and organization features to bring order to their collection. All media files that cannot be identified properly are listed under unknown. It makes sense to start there to identify those tracks properly.
A click on Tools > Auto-Tag from Web scans the collection for music that is not properly tagged. MediaMonkey tries to match the music with albums, and displays the finding in its interface. Information are retrieved from Amazon.
Auto-organization of files can move and rename files to a new destination based on file tags. This can be useful to create a distinct structure that all media files follow.
Options are available to analyze the volume of selected music files and level it if necessary. Other options include converting media files into different formats, burning music to CD or creating virtual CDs. The virtual CD option can be used to create a mixed music CD easily or to have virtual copies of your music CDs on your computer.
Selected music can also be synced with mobile media players like Apple’s iPod, Iphone or Android phones. Plug-ins need to be downloaded and installed for some devices.
Advanced features
MediaMonkey 4 Gold supports the creation of multiple media collections which can be configured with their own distinct display modes and playback rules.
For example, a Classical Music collection can be configured to display a Conductor node and an Original Year column, and play with cross-fading disabled, whereas Contemporary Music wouldn’t.
Advanced playlist options leave little to desire. It takes a single click to create a playlist with the overall top 50 songs of a collection, to fill an audio CD with music, or a playlist with songs from a specific year, genre or composer. Custom playlists using any of the parameters shown below can be created in little time.
Another interesting option is the ability to right-click on files to find more of the same (by artist, genre, year, album or location).
Sometimes you may want to organize different types of media files differently. Classic music for instance by composer, videos by date or tv series by season. The auto organization rules, configurable in the options, allow you do configure specific organization rules for collections, genres and playlists.
MediaMonkey 4 Gold introduces additional new features, like a new portable mode to run the program from an USB device, secure ripping of CDs to improve the accuracy of the ripping, tabs to browse different parts of the music collection at the same time, automatic synchronization with mobile devices and a new sharing option to share via UPnP/DLNA with compatible devices such as Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s Playstation or compatible telvisions and media stations.
Verdict
MediaMonkey 4 has improved a lot in the last year. The addition of video support improves the capabilities of the software significantly. Not all video formats are supported right now, but the developers promised to add support for additional formats like mkv in future releases.
Even inexperienced users can setup the program in little time. Advanced users will love the new features that the devs have added. The initial configuration may take some time, but once setup correctly it saves the user a lot of time in the long run.
Interested users can download MediaMonkey 4 from the developer website.
Giveaway
We have 25 MediaMonkey 4 Gold licenses for this give away. You will be included in the draw if you leave a comment below. Please note that comments are only open for 24 hours before they are closed down. Winners are drawn afterwards and notified by email.
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Yes please!!!
As a years-long user of the free version, I have always coveted the extra functionality of the full version, and would LOVE to have a licence for it.
There are, of course, several notable programs that incorporate similar functionality, but oftentimes we love what we know, and I know Media Monkey.
With best regards, Simon
MediaMonkey looks like WMP12. I’m using iTunes to manage my music files.
I have used Media Monkey in the past to wade through my rather extensive and varied music collection. It is definitely one of those tools well worth looking at when trying to manager your media library.
Haven’t tried the new functions for videos yet, though.
Hi,
I want to win a license for MediaMonkey, because it’s a really great tool to organize und hear music. :-)
cu, Markus
I have recently changed from Foobar2000 to MediaMonkey and I must say that I am impressed. A Gold licence would make my day. Thanks.
I would love to win a MM4 Gold license.
I’ve been using MM3 for the last couple of years – and I hadn’t even noticed a new version was out >.<
I particularly like that it is (fairly) easy to modify skins – which allowed me to create a miniplayer (what's called 'windowshade' in Winamp lingo) with only the controls I use, taking up as little room as possible.
oh man, I would love one of those keys. I’ve used Media Monkey for, what, 5 years?
I would love to get a license of MM Gold. Count me in, please.
I got one of those licenses last year (or was it two years ago?) I would love a renewal!
I want the licence it is really increase quality audio or video
thanks for giveaway
https://twitter.com/#!/mohammadwasi786/status/146889620137840640
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=251118804952154&id=100002366387231
I’d like to get this one!
the best of the best! i like this great app! thank you for this great contest and thank you for the chance to win a license for very nice software!!!
https://twitter.com/#!/Alex77toy/status/146890466070233088
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=306990829334400&id=100003055787962
Hi,
This looks like a Swiss Army Knife when it comes to media management, will be sweet to lay hands on a copy and play with it.
Thanks for the offer.
Verry good software …..
licence please :)
Thanks for the offer. Looks like a great piece of software and I’d love to win a Gold license for it :-)
Just want to try my luck!
nice program! i would like to have a license. good luck everyone!
Looking one to try.
I started out a wee while ago by getting the free version of MediaMonkey just to sort my audio books (the files number over 96,000).
Windows Media kept bloody crashing the more I added and so I was tired of having to rebuild my library.
For organizing my audio book library alone, MediaMonkey is a godsend.
MediaMonkey Gold would be the most welcomed program that I have received this year
thanks for the opportunity to apply
Thanks for the nice review.
WOW, this is the most exciting giveaway for me as a music junkie.
I have used Media Monkey for many years and I can say that it is hands down the best program for managing your music. It is also nice that you can use Winamp pug-ins with MM as well. A real big plus! Also the library interface is great and the music player is pretty awesome as well. All around a great program!
Giveaway party are going on here, and now we have not only security or other software, but also MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC!!!! So what are we waiting for? Please, stand up and Dance, Dance, Dance… turn on your media Monkey gold and do what you like, because we have here a great feast!
Thank you for another great offer. really it is great!
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=214440138634099&id=100000509041253
https://twitter.com/#!/william_of_pale/status/146886724973363200
https://plus.google.com/103738131454128170313/posts/BoA83FpsiKQ
I love MediaMonkey to manage my music files.
It’s so easy to get correct tags and album covers from my collection.
I also use the functionality to rename files according to tags already set.
Very nice giveaway so count me in pls :)
Regards
I’d love a chance to win a copy of MediaMonkey 4 Gold.
I am after the auto-tag function.
I would recommend this media player to anyone else any day!
It’s best for sorting out your music library I find, but also syncing media to my iPod Touch. Since my iPod is only ~28GB in available space and I have a library just about 25GB or larger, I set MediaMonkey to down-convert my mp3 and flac music to 192Mhz so that it will all fit on there. That’s the second most handy feature that I love about it!
My absolut favourite music manager, I’d love to have it gold!!
Great giveaway! I sure hope to win a license. Thank you!
I hope too!!! Count me in for one.