Full fledged sound editing program is too much to handle for the common user
Although there are plenty of commercial titles out there that should be shareware, it's a rare occasion when you stumble upon the opposite. PlayerPRO is one such example, combining high end sound editing features into a tiny downloadable package. And at $99 it's the most expensive piece of shareware I have on my computer.
PlayerPRO is a sound editing program that belongs to the "sound trackers" category; one that is uncommon on the Macintosh but is well known throughout most other platforms. The soundtracker system is based on the MOD file, a format that's fairly uncommon today in the age of mp3s and MIDI but nonetheless popular in the hands of a developer.
Similar to an mp3, the MOD format uses exceptional compression therefore creating small files that contain lengthy and complex music. This format is most often in shareware games as well as a handful of commercial titles.
PlayerPRO is a soundtracker on steroids. It supports the MOD as well as over a dozen others (S3M, Midi, MTM, MADx, OKTA, System 7 sound, MINS, WAV, XI, AIFF, AIFC, MED, 669, IT, ULT and XM). However, most of those formats are uncommon and hence rarely found. Unfortunately, the most popular format today, MPEG Layer 3 (mp3), is unsupported.
Load PlayerPRO once and you'll immediately see why it's directed at programmers and music enthusiasts. The user is hit with several windows including pattern, digital, track, and instrumental view as well as an oscilloscope and spectrum view and your very own mini keyboard. Although it's more than possible to create your very own soundtrack using only the keyboard and mouse, ideally a MIDI keyboard and some piano experience is needed.
As a MIDI compiler, PlayerPRO is one of the best I've seen. After composing MIDI files for a year on a PC with the every-so-popular Cakewalk Professional (an earlier version, mind you) it was refreshing to see that PlayerPRO contained so many useful features that Cakewalk didn't. It supports more instruments than the New York philharmonic and more controls than a radio station. It's also refreshing to see a commericial-quality application distributed on the shareware scene, truly giving users a chance to try before they buy.
As mentioned earlier, PlayerPRO is really directed towards developers and musicians. The average user has no need for such a powerful program unless they want to "see" how a sound looks through a variety of professional tools. As a simple music reader, PlayerPRO doesn't stack up to the smaller and free SoundApp.
If you're looking for a truly excellent piece of software for MIDI composition, you'll be hard pressed to find one that competes with PlayerPRO in both price and performance, even on the retail shelves. However, PlayerPRO offers far too many options for the average user to take advantage of.
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 Shareware Fee: $99 |