01. Audacity - Best for sound manipulation
Audacity is available for a every conceivable Operating System, and the Linux version is as much of a beast as the rest of them. Simply put, Audacity lets you add effects to your audio files, lets you cut and paste within them and generally does everything you ever need.
You may have downloaded an MP3 file and want to cut the best part out to make a ring-tone. With Audacity it is simple. Just load in the audio file (can be one of many formats that Audacity supports), highlight the part(s) you want to cut out and then delete them. Add a fade-in or fade-out by again simply highlighting the relevant part of the audio, and then save in your favourite audio format! There are endless possibilities with Audacity, and you have unlimited tracks to play with, so you can seamlessly mix tracks, remix tracks and do what-ever your creativeness allows.
Download>>> From Ubuntu/Mint Software Centre
02. UMPlayer - Best for general music player
I have already reviewed UMPlayer and I stick to the notion that it has surpassed VLC as the best overall music and video player around. UMPlayer is simple to use, super-quick to load up and will play anything you throw at it, even if the file is damaged. It has recently been updated so anyone who may have had problems in the past should have no problems with UMPlayer now. The player is highly customisable, and will play your music collection on favourite radio stations quickly and simply.
Download>>> Visit the UMPlayer review for step-by-step instructions to download
03. CD Player - Best for simple CD playing
CD Player is a simple... erm... CD player for you to quickly enjoy your music from any CD that you insert into your machine. Its ultra lightweight and does the job it is set-out to do. It can also record the CD tracks but only has a limited amount of formats that you can choose from. This program is ideal for those of you who don't want to run heavy resource hungry programs such as Banshee and simular do-all programs.
Download>>> From Ubuntu/Mint Software Centre
04. Banshee - Best for iPod and Music Management
Think of Banshee 2 as iTunes for Linux users and you can not go far wrong. It looks and acts in almost every way like Apples piece of software. Banshee is best used for Music Management between your devices, and has some great features including Amazon Store for downloading music.
I have tried Banshee with numerous iPods and it has worked flawlessly with everyone of them. You just plug in your iPod and the program recognises which iPod or other audio device you have. It works on a simple drag and drop interface when interacting with your iPod, and once you get used to it it is a pretty impressive piece of software. There will be a guide up soon with regards to getting the best from Banshee.
Amazon Music Store is a brilliant idea, and you can buy music and put it straight onto your PC or iPod etc. The selection of music is very good, and the overall experience is quite seamless. Again, it looks and acts like iTunes, so most people should be happy using this software.
Download>>> From Ubuntu/Mint Software Centre
05. Asunder CD Ripper - Best for ripping your CD collection
There are other programs out there that can rip your CDs, however Asunder feels the most professional and easiest to use. You can record tracks in various audio formats, and you can easily customise your settings with little or no problem. Asunder can be connected to online database's and will name the tracks for you on your CD before ripping. The quality of the ripped music is generally very impressive, and pretty quick.
Download>>> From Ubuntu/Mint Software Centre
06. Audio Recorder - Best for recording off sound-card
Once again I have reviewed Audio Recorder in quite a bit of depth on this site, and I highly recommend it to anybody who wants to record radio stations or sound off DVDs or other sources through your sound-card. Its one of those programs that once you've used once you don't realise how you lived without it.
Download>>> Visit the Audio Recorder review for step-by-step instructions to download
07. VLC Player
Many people swear by VLC. Its a nice little video and music player that plays almost everything you throw at it. Its logo is a road-cone that gives the impression that its a work in progress, and to some extent it does feel like that. VLC is not pretty, but it gets the job done and those familiar with it may be happy to know that it works perfectly in its Linux incarnation.
Download>>> From Ubuntu/Mint Software Centre
08. Clementine
Another great music player, it does everything that VLC and UMPlayer does and is one of the new players on the block. You can listen to internet radio via Last.FM, SomaFM, Magnatude, Jamendoa and Icecast. You can also use it for simple iPod management. Its well worth a look if you are after something different to play around with.
Download>>> From Ubuntu/Mint Software Centre
09. Brasero - Best for recording your MP3s to CD
Even in this day and age people want to record their music to CD. Brasero is a brilliant program that lets you record CDs and DVDS. Most importantly it allows you to choose between Audio CD or DATA CD so you can record a bog-standard music CD or a CD of music filled with MP3s.
Brasero is simple to use, which is the most important thing about any software. Its easy to drag and drop the music to your CDs and everything is done with efficiency. For many Linux distributions, Brasero is the default recording software, and to be fair there is a reason for that... it does the job perfectly.
Download>>> From Ubuntu/Mint Software Centre
10. Amarok
For those who may not get-on with Banshee 2 there is Amarok. It is very similar it what it does to Banshee, however its not as pretty to look at or easy to use. It feels less resource hungry, so may suite those with lower spec systems.
Amarok is however a powerful Music Management program that should not be dismissed. It offers a lot of features for the even the most feverish music fan and computer buff. Amaroks appeal is to those who just want something different and that does the job. I can only fault it because I believe Banshee does a better job overall.
Download>>> From Ubuntu/Mint Software Centre
If you have found this top 10 review helpful or have alternative software that you would like to highlight, then please leave comments or get in touch. Call back soon for a full guide to using Banshee 2 with an iPod.
Mark Adams
August 10th 2011
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