Full MP3 meta data with MPFreaker

I've always enjoyed having the full details of the MP3s in my iTunes library. Long before I started sing iTunes, Winamp got the same treatment!

With iTunes, it's been easier to keep the data correct because it gets most of the info before ripping commences, but I used to use Audiograbber, but as it's a Windows only product, I had to make some sort of switch.

Another drawback from manual updating files is that the artwork is often missing. I don't have a colour screen iPod (yet) so artwork isn't necessary at the moment, but it's always been something I've wanted to have for the fancy features in iTunes and for when I eventually upgrade my iPod.

A few days ago I came across an app called MPFreaker which takes care of a lot of the meta data. I gave the trial version a whirl but within a few minutes I was ready to purchase the full version. The $20 wasn't exactly steep and with ability to now rip through 1000s of songs at once, it seems like a bargain.

It can update almost all of the meta data for the songs on your machine and even adds lyrics! It has a play function, reads from your iTunes library and even lets you search and refine your listings by the playlists you have in iTunes so it really could just take the place of iTunes on your machine. If I didn't download so many podcasts, I'd probably make the switch myself.

This is a Mac only product, but an episode of Geek Brief I caught up on yesterday highlighted an iTunes app called TuneUp that has similar, and extra, features, but is only available for the Windows version of iTunes.

The data for MPFreaker is collected from Discogs.com and is pretty accurate. I especially love the updated artwork, which is often a lot better than the versions I've had. There are some instances where no updates are made to any of the meta data or the artwork, but i would say 75% of my collection was amended. Where it thinks you've made a mistake and these are highlighted in a useful report in a task draw. The errors/warnings are in red, changes made in blue and success messages in green.

The icon choice wasn't great for the button that really gets you going, but it's a minor flaw in an otherwise great bit of software.