The Apple Blog

With the 3,700 songs of my iTunes library constantly pushing some sort of noise out of my speakers, iTunes is easily the most used app on my computer. It literally never gets closed.

With it being my most used app, I’ve taken quite a bit of time trying out different add-ons to make the most of iTunes. Below is a listing of 10 apps that I’ve used and feel comfortable saying they’re worth the price you pay for them.

CoverSutra

CoverSutra (previous coverage) is one of my favorite add-ons. It is packed with little features that aren’t immediately apparent when you first start using the app.

A few features include music search, a mini-player, Last.fm integration, keyboard shortcuts, and album cover display.

The $22 price tag seems a tad much, but I’d suggest giving the free trial a run and then deciding for yourself if you can live without it.

Moody

I tend to listen to music based heavily on my current mood, or the mood I’d like to be in. Moody (previous coverage) makes that a piece of cake.

Moody lets you tag your music based on color. The app has a spectrum of 16 different colors to classify your moods. From there, you can pick a combination of colors to create a dynamic playlist based on your mood.

What is even better about this is the fact that it is completely free.

Tangerine

In the same vein as Moody, Tangerine (previous coverage) creates playlists based on the BPM of your songs. So say you wanted to create a playlist for a workout (something more intense with a higher BPM), Tangerine can whip up a playlist for you right on the spot.

Tangerine will set you back $24.95 after the 15-day free trial.

Awaken

I find the sound of a regular alarm clock to be one of the most abrasive and painfully horrible ways to start my day. Awaken helps change that by turning your mac in to an alarm clock.

By tying in to your iTunes library, you can now wake up to something soothing like Sunrise instead of that horrendous, ear-piercing buzzer.

Awaken is well worth the $12.95 (with free updates for life). Give the 14 day free trail a run for the next few mornings and see how you like the change.

Simplify Media

One of the really nice things about living in the dorm rooms back in college was that I had access to the iTunes libraries of hundreds of other iTunes users…effectively expanding my listening options exponentially.

Now that I live in suburbia with no one else on my network except for my wife, I’ve lost that easy access to other music.

Fortunately, Simplify Media (previous coverage) has created a really cool add-on that basically gives you that access back.

All you do is add the username of other Simplify users (who have approved your adding them), and you’ll then be given access to stream their iTunes library just as if it was on your own local network.

Simplify Media is free in every way possible.

Synergy

Synergy is a “classic” iTunes add-on. It has been around for over 5 years and is probably one of the most widely used apps for iTunes.

The latest major release (3.5) was a complete rewrite for Leopard.

Synergy basically adds 3 small buttons to your menubar to give you immediate access to controlling iTunes. It is an affordable $8 and includes a free trial. Be sure to check out the tour.

The Filter

The Filter (previous coverage) is another playlist-creation add-on that almost seems magical.

Simply select a few songs that you are interested in, click on The Filter and an entire playlist is created with other songs you’d probably want to listen to at that point.

The Filter uses “advanced recommendation technology” to create these unique playlists by tying in to The Filter community of other users.

The Filter is free to download and use.

DiscoBrick

I don’t use the iTunes visualizer that much, but sometimes it’s just fun to check out what what your music visually creates.

DiscoBrick takes that one step further and creates some seriously amazing visual effects based on the beat of the music.

DiscoBrick is $10.95 for a single, personal license and up to $55 for a public-use license if you want to use DiscoBrick at parties or other events.

TuneBar

TuneBar picks up where Synergy leaves off. On the surface it’s just a simple iTunes controller. Past that…it’s still an iTunes controller. Ultimately TuneBar is more customizable than Synergy and lets your create your own themes by editing simple HTML.

Is it worth the $4 extra over Synergy? Maybe not. Just depends on how much you’d like to customize your player.

iWow

The iTunes equalizer is quite capable for the majority of iTunes users.

But if the sound controls are quite what you’re looking for, or if you’re looking to make those small headphone or desktop speakers sound better, I’d suggest you check out iWOW.

iWOW is an audio “enhancer”…which basically means it uses different settings and effects to make the audio larger, fuller, and more crisp than what iTunes can do.

iWOW is currently on sale for $19.99 here.

Share This