If you‘re serious about managing your digital media collection, you need a powerful and flexible tool that can handle anything you throw at it. MediaMonkey fits that description perfectly. For over 20 years, this highly capable media manager has been helping users tame even the largest and most unruly music and video libraries.
I‘ve been using MediaMonkey Gold for the past few months to get my own sizable media library under control. Here‘s an in-depth look at how it works and whether it‘s the right program for your media management needs in 2023.
MediaMonkey‘s Key Features
At its core, MediaMonkey is designed to be a comprehensive, all-in-one solution for organizing and playing your digital media. Some of its standout features include:
- Support for a huge range of audio and video formats
- Powerful tools for tagging and organizing your library automatically
- Flexible playlist creation using custom rules and filters
- Easy syncing with mobile devices including iPhone and Android
- Extensive customization options for the interface and behavior
- Expandable with user-created add-ons and scripts
One of MediaMonkey‘s greatest strengths is its ability to adapt to your needs and preferences as a user. Whether you have a collection of a few hundred files or a few hundred thousand, it provides the tools to whip them into shape with minimal manual effort.
It‘s an especially appealing option for power users and collectors with large libraries amassed over many years from disparate sources. MediaMonkey‘s auto-tagging and organization features can save countless hours of tedious manual file renaming and metadata editing.
The program has been in continuous development since 2001 and has attracted a large and loyal user base. As of 2023, it boasts over 2 million active users across more than 200 countries. Version 5.0, released in late 2020, saw over 300,000 downloads in its first month alone, a testament to MediaMonkey‘s ongoing popularity.
Using MediaMonkey on a Mac
As a Mac user myself, I was initially hesitant to consider a Windows-first program like MediaMonkey for my media management needs. However, the more I read about its extensive feature set, the more I was willing to find a way to run it on my MacBook Pro.
MediaMonkey does not offer a native Mac version, but it is possible to run it using virtualization software like Parallels or VMware Fusion. I installed it on a Windows 10 virtual machine in Parallels Desktop and was pleasantly surprised at how well it performed.
I allocated 8GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores to the VM, giving MediaMonkey plenty of resources to work with. Even with a large 100K+ track library, it was responsive and stable, with no crashes or slowdowns. Tagging and organization operations completed quickly and scans for new media were speedy even over a network share.
The only issue I encountered was some sluggishness scrolling through my library with a 4K external display, likely due to the demands of running the high-res Windows interface in a virtual machine. Disabling a couple UI effects resolved it completely.
One thing to note is that syncing iOS devices requires installing iTunes in the Windows VM, since MediaMonkey relies on Apple‘s drivers to communicate with them. This can be a bit of a hassle and consumes a significant amount of drive space, especially if you keep a local copy of your library in the VM. But it worked reliably in my testing.
Overall, I was very satisfied with MediaMonkey‘s performance and functionality on my Mac. While it may not be quite as snappy as a native application, the trade-off is access to MediaMonkey‘s unparalleled media management capabilities that no Mac-specific program can currently match.
MediaMonkey‘s Mobile Apps
In addition to its desktop application, MediaMonkey also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android. These allow you to sync your media library with your phone or tablet for on-the-go access.
The mobile apps support all the same audio formats as the desktop version, including lossless files like FLAC. They offer playback with gapless transitions, crossfading, and EQ. You can create and edit playlists right on your device as well.
Syncing is done over WiFi, so you can transfer files to your device wirelessly without needing to physically connect it to your computer. The syncing process is fast and can be set to run automatically in the background whenever your device is on the same network as your MediaMonkey library.
One useful feature is the option to sync only selected playlists or portions of your library, rather than the entire thing. This is handy for loading up just a subset of your collection on a device with limited storage space.
The mobile apps also support importing media from cloud services like Google Drive and OneDrive. This allows you to keep your library backed up and accessible from anywhere without needing to store all the files locally on your phone or tablet.
The iOS app integrates with CarPlay in supported vehicles, so you can access your playlists and control playback from a built-in dashboard interface. The Android version offers similar Android Auto support.
My only complaint with the mobile apps is that they don‘t offer any ability to edit file tags or other metadata, something power users may miss from the desktop application. But for simply accessing your library on the go and creating on-device playlists, they get the job done well.
Tagging & Organizing a Large Library
To give a sense of what MediaMonkey can do, here‘s a rundown of how I used it to whip my sizable and somewhat neglected media library into shape.
First, I pointed MediaMonkey at my main Music folder containing about 120,000 tracks amassed over 20 years, a mix of iTunes downloads, CD rips, and Bandcamp purchases in a variety of formats. The initial scan of the files took about 10 minutes, automatically importing them into the library while preserving the existing folder structure.
Next, I used the Auto-Tag from Web feature to fill in missing metadata like album, artist, year, and genre. MediaMonkey searches the MusicBrainz and Discogs databases and does audio fingerprinting to identify tracks and pull in the correct tags. It was able to tag about 80% of my tracks successfully, leaving only some more obscure albums and self-published tracks to be filled in manually.
To complete the tagging process, I used MediaMonkey‘s batch editing tools to select groups of tracks and add the remaining info. This is made easy with customizable tag fields and support for drag-and-drop or copy/paste from spreadsheets. I was even able to add some custom tags like Mood and Occasion to use in smart playlists later.
With tagging complete, I turned to organizing the actual files on disk. MediaMonkey‘s Auto-Organize feature let me create a folder structure like Artist > Album > Track and automatically move or copy files into it based on their tags. I further customized it with variables like {genre} and {year} to group albums into subfolders. The whole process took only a couple minutes and saved me hours of manually reorganizing files.
Finally, I used MediaMonkey‘s Auto-Playlist feature to create some smart playlists based on my custom tags. I made ones for relaxing instrumental music, upbeat exercise tunes, holiday songs that appear only in winter, and more. As I add new music to my library, they automatically populate with matching tracks.
Here‘s a breakdown of the time I spent on each step of the process:
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Initial library scan | 10 mins |
| Auto-tagging from web | 30 mins |
| Manual tagging cleanup | 60 mins |
| Auto-organizing files | 5 mins |
| Creating smart playlists | 15 mins |
All told, I spent about 2 hours getting my 120K track library fully tagged, organized, and ready for use with MediaMonkey‘s advanced features. Considering it had been neglected for the better part of a decade, I was thrilled with how quickly I was able to get it into shape. MediaMonkey‘s auto-tagging and batch editing tools are game changers for anyone contending with a large, meticulously curated library.
MediaMonkey‘s Scripting Capabilities
One of MediaMonkey‘s most powerful features for advanced users is its extensive scripting support. Using a JavaScript-based API and hooks into the program‘s internal object model, you can code your own extensions to add new features, modify behavior, or integrate with external services.
The MediaMonkey website hosts a repository of over 400 user-created scripts that can be downloaded and installed with a single click. Some popular examples include:
- Automatically adding new tracks to specific playlists based on rules
- Fetching lyrics and album artwork from various online databases
- Sync ratings and play counts with Apple Music/Google Play Music
- Exporting playlists in various formats for use in other programs
- Adding new commands and keyboard shortcuts for common tasks
With a bit of coding knowledge, you can create your own scripts to customize MediaMonkey to your exact needs and workflow. The scripting API is well documented and there‘s a dedicated section in the user forums for getting help and sharing code snippets.
As an example, I wrote a simple script to add a "Play Random Album" button to the main toolbar that starts playback of a random full album from my library. It was a quick 10-minute project that added a feature I use all the time now.
For users coming from iTunes, MediaMonkey‘s script capabilities are similar to iTunes‘ AppleScript support, but more extensible and cross-platform. If you‘ve ever wished for a particular feature in iTunes that never came, chances are you can add it yourself in MediaMonkey with a bit of JavaScript.
Comparison to Other Media Managers
To see how MediaMonkey stacks up against the competition, I put together this comparison table of major features:
| Feature | MediaMonkey Gold | iTunes | MusicBee | Swinsian | Vox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| macOS version | Via VM only | Native | No | Native | Native |
| Automatic tagging | Yes | Limited | Yes | No | No |
| Batch tag editing | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes | No |
| Folder organization | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Smart playlists | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Scripting support | Yes | Limited | Yes | No | No |
| iOS/Android sync | Yes | iOS only | Android only | No | No |
| Streaming service import | No | Apple Music | No | No | No |
| Lossless format support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $24.95 | Free | Free | $19.95 | Free |
As you can see, MediaMonkey offers the most comprehensive set of features for power users, though it lacks a native Mac version and support for music streaming services. iTunes is a capable all-around media manager but lacks advanced features like batch tagging and smart playlists.
MusicBee is a solid Windows-only alternative to MediaMonkey with a friendlier interface, but it can‘t match the depth of customization and mobile device sync that MediaMonkey provides.
On the Mac side, Swinsian is a well-reviewed iTunes alternative focused on large libraries and lossless audio. But it lacks many of MediaMonkey‘s advanced tagging and organization features and has no mobile sync capability. Vox is similar story, more focused on playback than library management.
Ultimately, MediaMonkey remains the gold standard for power users and collectors looking to organize and make the most of large media libraries. Its extensive feature set and customization options are unmatched on either Windows or macOS. The tradeoff is a steeper learning curve and less polished interface compared to more mainstream apps like iTunes.
Final Thoughts
After several months of daily use, MediaMonkey has earned its place as the centerpiece of my digital media library. No other application I‘ve tried matches its combination of power user features and performance, even running in a virtual machine on macOS.
For anyone with a large personal media collection, especially one accumulated over many years from different sources, MediaMonkey is a uniquely capable tool for organizing it and realizing its full value. Tasks that would take hours or days of tedious manual tagging and renaming can be automated with just a few clicks.
At the same time, it‘s an application that requires a certain level of commitment and willingness to learn to get the most out of. The user interface, while infinitely customizable, is far from the polished experience of consumer-focused apps like iTunes. You‘ll need to spend some time configuring it to your liking and learning what its various features do.
But for those who invest the effort, the payoff is substantial. You‘ll have a lightning fast, perfectly organized library that can be sliced and diced any way you want and synced effortlessly to your mobile devices. Listening to your personal media collection will become a joy again, not a chore.
MediaMonkey may not be for everyone. Casual listeners are probably better off with simpler, more user-friendly options. But for power users, collectors, and anyone else serious about making the most of their media library, it‘s an indispensable tool. I can‘t recommend it highly enough.