Audion, the application, is officially retired. The developers, Panic, explain:
Now, when most software companies retire applications, they do it in the easiest way possible: they completely remove it from the market, pull all the downloads links, notify their customers, and move on with their lives. We can’t help but feel in our gut that, even if that’s what you’re supposed to do, it’s a harsh and, ultimately, drastic way to handle it.
We’ve really been searching our brains, trying to find the best way to handle this, so that we can move on, but still express our appreciation to everyone who supported us.
Thus, the good news: we’re making Audion completely free! That’s right
Has anyone used this program? Are there any issues with the “MP3PRO” format as claimed by the company – or are the recordings somehow weirdly proprietary in some way?
I wouldn’t even bother looking at this program except that it has the ability to record MP3s off the net from streamed content.
Any comments, my friends?
The article is a good read.
I owned Audion once as an app in reserve; I got it again because it’s free. It’s now the province of those nostalgically attached to their “skins” though I never found a skin I liked.
Funny how Apple asked Panic “if they did some special filtering” because the perception was that Audion sounded better than other players.
Never listened to streams via Audion.
I loved this article. It almost made me wish that I had given Audion an better chance. But admittedly, I choose SoundJam over Audion and then iTunes. Skins were somewhat exciting, for about 1 week to me, then I preferred a simple interface to manage my music. SoundJam came closer to that, then iTunes blew this theory out the window�power and simplicity.
But I love reading stories behind software, websites, and other products. In some cases it makes me feel closer to the software. Cabel wrote a great history, which will insure that Audion goes down in the history books as one of the great Mac MP3 players.
Eh WMP still has skins.. and.. well.. XP as a rule looks so cobbled together and inconsistent that it suits them…
There are plug-ins and skins for iTunes, but they’re whack.. I mean.. it’s cool the way it is..
I wonder what Thurrott would say..?
At one point, Audion gives over their special features “We have ratings and alpha filtering” or something..
That’s not important.. what’s important is Steve’s response..
“Why would anyone want to use that?”
I wonder if Bill Gates has ever, in his life, asked that question… well.. besides when the Mac BU is roaming about and he sees the Developer Previews of Tiger…
They described Apple’s philosophy ‘We realized that including features that only 1% of people would touch was irritating and confusing to the others’
Really amazing stuff…
First Post,
Anyone know of a patch “program limiter” that I can apply to my entire music collection so the volume can be the same when I go to burn?
I need to keep it within 4-6 dB range.
Right now I burn and one song is loud, the other is quiet etc.
Audion is awesome, the best MP3 player in the world, except iTunes. The skins are friggin incredible, but iTunes is just soooooo LOGICAL. The guys at Panic are the shazzizle, and they deserve a standing ovation for their company, and their products…
Panic makes such great stuff. I tried Transmit over a year ago, and bought it within a week of trying it out. It was just…That…Fantastic. Unison looks great, but I don’t use newsgroups enough to justify it. Candy Bar is very cool, and I plan on getting it. What I need to do first is buy the utility for Photoshop that lets me make my own icons and then I can finally develope those Transformers Superlink icons I’ve left on the back burner for months now.
I have been using Audion since version 1. I prefer it to iTunes because it is simpler, more Mac-like. It does not have the Library window, which serves no purpose to me. It does a lot of stuff iTunes doesn’t, like record streams, alarm clock, sleep timer, and you could copy songs directly from the iPod to your computer before Apple changed the iPod firmware. The only thing the iPod couldn’t do is play m4p or m4a formats and access the ITMS. So I but songs using ITMS and use Audion for everything else.
Hey NightOwl, iTunes can automatically do volume correction and adjustment so that all your songs are the same loudness. Go to the iTunes menue in iTunes, pull down to preferences, click on the Audio Tap, and then select “sound check” That should do it.
I like the Article.
It proved that among other things, Steve is still a fuck.
iTunes has 390 radio streams available as default… Audion has 5,000. Apple ought to address this issue.
I noticed that radio streams is one feature that Apple hasn’t really improved upon since it became part of iTunes. They could really beef this part up. Much needed.
“They could really beef this part up. (radio streams) Much needed.”
But how would this bennifet ITMS or iPods? Radio streams were a part of the early iTunes. Do you think Apple would remove it if they could get away with it?
This could VERY easily help out the iTMS.
They could add a link for whatever song is playing for purchase at the iTMS. It would also make iTunes more robust in its features in general. Customers will have new venues to find new music they like, and then purchase at the store. Like I said, it is much needed.
BTW, it is also needed cuz I want it!
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If this is a Mac only application, why didn’t they add AAC? I don’t mean the ITMS copy protected AAC, but the regular rip from my CD’s royalty free mp4 AAC? It’s been popular on the mac for a long time now. I believe it’s included in QuickTime. If they really felt about Audion the way they clammed, they wouldn’t have left it with this MAJOR handicap. It’s like giving away a car that only runs on a fuel that is no longer made.
Also, this does not seem to be mentioned on any of their doc’s.
I agree about the radio streams. The choice of international/multi-language stations puts iTunes to shame. With Yahoo Launchcast making an impression on PC users, Apple needs to counter.
Meanwhile, am I blind, or has iTunes 4.7 removed the “Convert to MP3” function?
“…Anyone know of a patch “program limiter” that I can apply to my entire music collection so the volume can be the same when I go to burn?….”
Hey NightOwl…. if the tip mentioned by DanK doesnt do the trick .. theres a $20 plug-in available..Over Here..