14 DAY TRIAL // It is a known fact that music is a great influence on all human beings. Depending on the beat and sound pitch it can bring you up or down almost instantly. I have seen many people playing a certain kind of playlist when doing a particular type of work. Of course that, in time, this behavior leads to what is called "anchoring" providing a subconscious state of mind already prepared for the future job.
Anyway, truth is many people listen to music while on some job. I do it all the time in order to isolate myself from all potential noise and distractions that may appear in the room. But, as I said before, people generally associate a certain beat and pitch level to the work at hand in order to become more productive. That is what playlists are good for or different types of online radio.
Speaking of which, wouldn't it be nice to have a program that constantly gathers the radios on the Internet into a single place where you can choose what to listen to? Some of you may say that the Internet is filled with such software. Indeed, there are similar applications that not only allow you to listen to online radio but also watch online TV. However, in most cases the streams offered are pure crap and generally very few people listen to them.
But, as there is serious competition in this area a better alternative may be just around the corner. Like Online Radio Tuner which is constantly updated with radio stations from all over the world providing hundreds of radio stations. And the best part is that you really have something to listen to.
However, there may be minor mischiefs preventing you from wanting to buy the application. Like the price, $39.95 is a bit expensive for an online radio player. But the truth of the matter is that this particular software has its advantages. For instance, it can be scheduled to start recording from user specified radio stations (any radio station). Trial period allows for 30 full days of testing without any restriction to application's features.
The interface is not much, actually is quite simple and straightforward as there are no unnecessary bells and whistles. It is clear that the developer did not invest too much effort into the looks of the application save for integrating play controls and favorites buttons as well as all the info pane containing details about the currently playing radio station.
Unlike other online radio players out there, Online Radio Tuner is not entirely focused on the list of stations supplied to the user but is also interested in offering as many features and options as possible. For instance recording feature is not limited to offering a simple Record button which you have to press in order to start the job and stop it. You also get to define the format string, enable ID3 tag writing as well as creating recording profiles for the best quality possible.
All radios are saved in preset list which can be accessed from application's menu. All radio feeds are organized in three main sections for better handling. These are grouped by Genre, Broadcast Networks and Region of the world. The list of genres cover everything (or so I think as I am not fully updated with the latest trends and genres) from alternative, chill, classical, comedy, country, instrumental, jazz, R&B or urban to dance trance techno, folk, oldies or new age. My favorite folder is Film/Show, a radio that plays only soundtracks from different movies, more or less famous.
Looking into Region list and then into each of the countries available I have to say that the application proves to be quite modest. The overall number of stations is indeed good but there are countries like USA or UK which have a small amount of stations present. It is hard to believe that New York state could come up with only two stations and California with three. On the other side Texas is extremely generous offering a wide range of choices to the audience (about 40 stations). With UK things are not better and the correspondent folder shelters only 8 radios, well, 9 if you count the one in Scotland which is separate (don't ask because the last time I checked UK comprised the Highlands as well).
Among the radio-richest European countries in the list seem to be France, Russia and Spain (Euskadi included). These three offer a wide range of choices for you to select from and most radios worked with absolutely no problem during our testing, save a great deal of Spanish ones.
Online Radio Tuner allows setting a number of five favorite stations, even if the stations are not available in preset list. You can configure it to play an URL of your choice and then simply add playing radio to the favorites. From what I saw on Online Radio Tuner forum the developer takes care of all the requests of the users in order to improve the application and satisfy everyone's needs. Also, you can leave a message there with the URL you want to be included in the next set of presets and the developer will update the list accordingly. You have to know that preset list is updated independently of of the software so it can include new radios each week.
Options dialog window contains all the settings necessary for configuring the application the way you want it. Starting with Appearance options the program can be visually modifies by applying different color schemes.
A very handy feature is Album Art picture in main application window. When some radios are running (Oldies, Film/Show) the image will change with the playing track and display the poster of the movie or the cover of the album. But, in between the songs this will show a default image, application's logo mark. In Options menu you can personalize this aspect and replace the image with one you really like.
The two updating options available (one for new presets and one for the program) permit the user making the process automatic and schedule daily, twice a week, weekly, twice a month, every three weeks or monthly checks.
Radio recording can be configured in terms of format string and enable ID3 writing. Also, you can set the program to record continuously. If you are worried about the size of the recording on disk, don't. Online Radio Tuner makes available the creation of recording profiles for each type of file format supported by the program: MP3, AAC, OGG and WMA. So the parameters of these formats can be configured to suit your needs. You can set the desired bitrate value, conversion power, or maximum bitrate.
Scheduling options also address radio recording and allow you defining the start and end time of the operation as well as the URL of the radio station and the recording frequency. The best part is that you do not necessarily have to select a radio station from preset list as adding your own URL is possible.
For those Winamp fans out there DSP plugins are supported by the application, but in some cases these have to be disabled for the radio to play right.
Although the application needs more attention from the developer it is very promising as it brings lots of really good radios and flexible recording options. Also, having that album art image in application window and radio details only add more value to the program.
The Good
Online Radio Tuner is extremely easy to handle and comes with a great bunch of good radios. Recording options are very flexible and allow the user to determine the quality of the output file as well as the duration of the recording.
More than this, the software can record only the songs determining when it begins and when it ends all by itself.
The Bad
It is in beta stage for now so there are plenty of problems yet to be fixed. Some streams could not connect to their server making impossible the playing of some stations.
A search function in Preset list would be a great improvement of the application. Also, it would be great if the user could add radio stations to the list. For this kind of money, I think this would be a good compromise on both sides.
The Truth
The application has some really great radio stations. My favorites are Oldies and Show/Film, but I saw some fantastic jazz stations as well as comedy ones.
However, there is still work to be done as the application has a long way to being complete. Also, a more glossy interface that supports resizing would be a nice addition.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
