Audio Xtract Pro and Rhapsody: Streaming Music for Keeps How Audio Xtract Pro Works Scott Koegler
How Audio Xtract Works
Boot up Audio Xtract Pro and you'll see a menu full of programs that you will eventually want to use for fine-tuning your audio collection. Select the Audio Xtract Pro icon and you'll be presented with a list of Internet radio stations along with full search criteria enabling you to either find exactly the station you want or pick a genre and explore stations that offer the type of music you prefer.
Click on a station name to request the stream and in a few seconds you'll be listening to the station. Now for the magic: Click on the Record button and your stream is captured to disk. But unlike your old tape recorder, Audio Xtract is smart enough to know all the information about the song being played because it's broadcast from the radio station along with the song. The information is recorded in the MP3 info along with the audio portion. Even better, the songs are recorded individually and are automatically saved in folders by category, artist, and album so you can easily find them later.
You can create a favorites list of radio stations and revisit them later. You can even schedule recording times and Audio Xtract will start up the radio station and record the stream for you like a PVR. And you can record up to eight streams at a time. At that rate you can fill up your 200GB drive in a few weeks for a total cost – and flat rate – of $50.
Combine Services for Better Taste
As with all radio stations, you're at the mercy of the DJ's taste for music selection. If you want to dictate your own play lists, simply subscribe to Rhapsody (or any other service that lets you create your own playlist). Once you have your selections set to play, start up Audio Xtract and set it to record the audio stream from Rhapsody. You can only record a single audio stream using this method, but the music selection is all yours.
The Rest of the Package
Once you've built your MP3 library using Audio Xtract Pro, you can make use of the other goodies in the Pro package. You'll find that the tracks you record through Audio Xtract don't always end when the song ends, leaving some DJ conversation or even the beginning notes of the next song. Use Xtract's included audio editor to trim the ends of the songs, or add fade-ins and outs if you prefer. Then use the included CD burner and labelmaker to burn a CD of your music, or use the Audio converter to convert your MP3s to .WAV, .WMA, or Ogg formats.
If you already have a subscription to a music service that streams the music you want to hear, grab a copy of Audio Xtract Pro and start saving your favorite tracks for your personal library. If you haven't enrolled in a subscription service, just use Audio Xtract's Internet radio stations to build your library at up to eight tracks at a time. Whatever method you choose, you'll have a great-sounding collection of tunes without having to pay for each track. And best of all, you'll have them legally.
