Instead of iTunes Radio discouraging new Internet radio player apps, it seems to have done just the opposite. New Internet radio station apps seem to be released very day. It is certain however, that these new apps need some outstanding features to grab the users eye. Enter SonicWeb Internet Radio Player.
SonicWeb is a multi-radio recording Internet radio player. It allows users to create personalized “radios” from their favorite internet radio stations. It then allows you to listen to your own mix of songs from the stations you choose.
Currently, SonicWeb can connect to over a thousand free Internet radio stations. You can record as many stations simultaneously as you like, limited only by your available bandwidth. The stations are split into tracks, and placed in a combined playlist that you control like almost any media player you’ve used in the past.
SonicWeb allows you to timeshift Internet radio, much like you do on your DVR on your television. You can pause and playback at any time, and SonicWeb happily fills your playlist with songs from radio stations you have switched on. You can skip as many songs as you wish, as long as there are still songs buffered in your playlist. I truly enjoyed the timeshift feature. The ability to record the stream and come back to it later is quite useful, much like television timeshifting is.
While songs that have been played are automatically removed from your playlist, new songs are added. You can, however, pin tracks in order to keep them for as long as you want.
Even though tracks are collected from various radio stations, SonicWeb works to normalize the volume of each track so you don’t need to adjust the volume continually. I also found the playback to be gapless, which is nice, considering the songs are pulled from various stations.
One particular feature I liked was the AirPlay feature. On any compatible Mac running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or higher, SonicWeb can send audio to any AirPlay compatible device. Particularly nice, since my best sound system is the one that’s attached to my television where the Apple TV is connected. And no one likes listening to music through their MacBook Pro’s built-in speakers
You Apple Remote will also work with SonicWeb, allowing you to control playback from across the room.
The interface is a bit dark for my tastes, and I found it to be a little imposing at first as there is a lot on the screen at once. But after you play with it for awhile, and maybe go for a quick run through of the manual, (available at the SonicWeb site), it all starts to make sense. (Currently, the background is a very dim version of the album artwork for the song that is playing. Perhaps a “skinning” ability to customize the background might help?)
For those who enjoy Internet radio, SonicWeb Internet Radio Player is an app to consider. While I first found the interface dark and a bit imposing, I eventually settled in with it. The timeshift feature is a particularly nice feature, as is the AirPlay capability.
While the price of $6.99 may seem high to some, the features included in this app could be well worth it for many users. I suggest checking out the app’s manual at the link above, and the video, embedded at the end of this review before deciding against the app.
Rating: 4/5[rating:4]
Price: $6.99 – Available for your Mac in the Mac App Store. [DIRECT LINK]
*The above review was commissioned by the developer in accordance with our app review policy, and has been written in an objective, unbiased fashion.
