MAGIX Movie Edit Pro is a remarkable video editing software that allows you to create and record high quality movies from your home videos. Whether it is importing video from your webcam or camcorder, applying fade effects and mixes, or even jazzing video compilations with audio, the program's easy functionality is noteworthy. At first run, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro shows a pop-up screen that lets you load a video or create one.

The interface is clean and divided into three distinct sec¬tions - timeline, video pre¬view and task pane. Record, EdiE and Burn are sequen¬tial buttons at the top of the program window. and they help direct your video projects. Don't hesitate to browse through a host of effects and filters under the Edit button, and after applying a few of them, you can save movies not only in standard NTSC or PAL modes but also in High Def¬inition. Rendering video takes a while, though. MAGIX Movie Edit Pro has two skins to choose from, and is recommended for all who dabble in video editing and mixing.

MAGIX Music Maker 14 sil¬ver: Even novices can try their hand at creating music, and do it with ease, using MAGIX Music Maker - a robust soundtrack maker that is true to its name. It has a repository of virtual instruments (drums, percussions, etc.), experimental beats, and a studio music panel to get you started; however the only flaw in its bag of goodies is that it lacks a virtual turntable which would have made playing with this software better.

MAGIX Music Maker's interface includes a master audio effect rack and sound mixer: two consoles heavily involved in tweak¬ing sound beats. Another important window is the File Manager which pro¬vides access to a large col-lection of sound loops, synthesizers and ready-to¬use templates. You can import audio files directly from a CD, create text to speech files, and export audio compilations in WAY, MP3, OGG and WMA. Load up the demo file to get the hang of the controls, and once you get used to sequencing beats, creating that first sympho¬ny is just a matter of time. Mufin MusicFinder: A music program that analyzes an audio file and creates a compilation of music tracks similar to it - this is what Mufin MusicFinder specializes in and manages to pull off pretty well. Just load a song from its library and click on 'Edit> Find similar tracks', and you'll see what I mean; songs are selected in a jiffy and you are saved the trouble of hunting for them on your hard drive. Apart from this feature, Mufin MusicFinder also doubles up as a music manager and player. You can create, import or export playlists. See one-click statistics on your music library and maintain up-to-date links whenever you move your music folders, via the library maintenance option. Transferring playlists to portable devices or burning them on a CD or DVD is also supported. Do give this interesting music application a try if you are tired of using traditional music managers.