identify song

The last few years have seen an explosion in technology, and nowhere is that more evident than in the music industry. Many of the apps that have been released in the last decade have changed the way that we listen to, share and discover music, especially in regards to new bands and artists. Before smartphones came out, there were very few ways to find the songs that would get stuck in your head. You know, the ones that seem to play in your mind repeatedly where the name always escapes you.

Well, these days there are tools out there that you can use to help you figure out exactly what song is playing. You could figure out a few of the lyrics and type them out on Google, or you could use one of the many applications that have come out to help you find that tune that seems to be hovering in your ear. There are many audio recognition apps out there that will help you identify everything from the theme song to your favorite TV show, to songs, music and movies that are playing in your vicinity.

This review looks at the 10 best what song is this apps, and covers a couple of features that each app has inbuilt. The best thing about them is that they are pocket friendly, and you will therefore not have to break bank just to sign up to use them. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you do not know what song is playing in your head, these apps are sure to help you.

Top 10 What Song Is This Mobile And Web Apps to Identify Songs

1. Shazam

Shazam is a brilliant app that you can download for both your PC and your smartphone. It has become very popular over the years, and with all its functions it is hard not to see why. It has one of the largest databases of songs you could imagine, from TV show introductions to radio hits. All you need to do is play the track or a recording of the song and it will identify the song for you. It even provides you with links to other websites such as Amazon, YouTube, Rdio, iTunes and Spotify where you can then listen to or buy the track you are searching for.

However, perhaps the best feature of this program is that it saves the songs that you make it listen to when you are offline so that it can find them when you are back in internet range. It also comes with a free version allows you to identify 5 songs a month, rather than have to pay $4.99 per month for the premium version. It is also compatible on almost all smartphones including Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Android, and Nokia phones.

Perhaps the only disadvantage to Shazam as a song finding app is that you cannot hum tunes to it. Otherwise, this is one of the best apps out there if you cannot remember the name of a song.

Download: Google Play | App Store | Mac | Windows Phone | Windows PC Desktop

2. Midomi

Midomi is a wonderful website that allows you to find the titles of songs in numerous ways, including singing, humming and whistling. All you have to do is hook up your microphone to your computer, log on to the website, and click on the button that says “Click and Sing or Hum”, and hum, sing or whistle that tune that has been bugging you. The website will then give you a couple of suggestions based on a database that has been built up by music lovers and professionals alike.

One of the best things about this service is that it’s absolutely free, and you are not given any limits as far as the number of songs that you can track per month is concerned. It also has a collection of “hot tracks” and videos that may also help you find other songs that you may have been looking for, or even discover new music that other people have been searching for as well.

The only downside to using midomi is that it has numerous ads that can sometimes become tiresome to navigate through, especially when using your mobile phone. However, if you are willing to deal with all the advertisements, then this is a fantastic alternative to Shazam.

Visit Website: Midomi

3. SoundHound

This app was specially designed to help those with smartphones find songs easily. It normally comes already installed on new phones, though if you do not have it you could easily download it from the Google Play store or iTunes. Finding songs using SoundHound is as easy as humming the song into your phone microphone, or singing a couple of lines that you remember, and letting the app do the rest. You can then share the result of your search on various social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus, and save your tags for easy access at a later date.

Despite its similarity to Shazam, SoundHound is slowly becoming more popular thanks to its accuracy and the fact that you are not restricted to only 5 free searches per month. It is important to note though that you are going to have to be much more accurate with your humming or singing than when you are using Shazam, as that is the only way that you will get an accurate result.

Once you have found and tagged a song, SoundHound will display the lyrics to the song, allowing you to sing along whenever you fell like it. it will also display the name of the artist and the album the song came from.

Download: Google Play | App Store | Windows 8 Phone | BlackBerry

4. Musipedia

Musipedia is a website that helps you find songs by tracking the melody of songs that you are searching for. It does this using a variety of features, including using your mouse to draw notes into a musical staff on the website, whistling the tune into a microphone, tapping the rhythm of the song into the keyboard, or simply by typing in the lyrics that you can remember. You can also hum the melody of the song you are looking for into your microphone and search for the song that way. If you are not sure about the interval between the notes of the song you are looking for, Musipedia has you covered with its “Contour-based Search” option that allows you to look for the song even when you are not sure about how exactly it goes.

All you need to do is click on the “music search” on the homepage and you will be able to access one of the largest databases of songs that you can find on the internet right now. The best thing about this service is that it’s free, and therefore you do not have to worry about breaking bank to find your favorite track. However, the fact that it is free means that it is supported by ads, which can be a bit of a pain especially if you access the site from your smartphone.

Visit Website: Musipedia

5. MusiXmatch

The MusiXmatch app is one of the best apps to install on your smartphone or Windows PC if you need to look up songs frequently. This free app comes with an extremely large database of songs that you can search through using lyrics that you may remember, and has even been hailed as one of the best apps to use for those people who remember the lyrics songs they are looking for.

The app is also compatible with a large number of music media players, allowing you to stream the songs from the web. It also supplies you with the lyrics so that you can sing along karaoke style. Best of all, it allows you to share the lyrics of the song you have been looking for on numerous social media platforms, including Facebook and twitter.

The only downside to this app is that it does not allow you to sing, hum or whistle the tune of the song that you are looking for, therefore, this app is for those that have a good enough memory to remember the lyrics of the songs that they are looking for.

Download: Google Play | App Store | Windows Phone | Windows PC

6. WatZatSong

WatZatSong is an app that showcases what happens when creative app developers meet peoples need to find good music. The app allows you to upload songs in mp3 format and ask other internet users to identify the song for you. The songs that you upload can be anything, from professionally recorded songs to rough recordings that you made using your smartphones sound recorder.

Once you have uploaded the song, other members of WatZatSong are then given details about the song that you have uploaded, such as the language it is in, the genre of the song, and the year it was released. Using this information, members of the website can then give their input, and should they fail to have an answer, you can share your recording on social media to help you engage more people that will may have an answer.

The only downside to this app is that it cannot recognize the songs themselves, you have to rely on other people replying to whatever you upload. This can make the process of finding the name of the song tedious and time consuming. However, it is a fun way to get into the action, and give suggestions to other users who are also stuck in your predicament.

Visit Website: WatZatSong

7. FolkTuneFinder

This is another web-based song finding service that helps you find songs in a variety of ways, including humming, playing the melody, or by title. Playing the melody for the track you are looking for is as easy as clicking on the on-screen keyboard that is displayed on the webpage. This feature is especially useful for those who already know how to play the keys, though you do not have to be a genius to figure out how to do it even if you have never seen a keyboard before.

However, you must keep in mind that the website is dedicated to folk tunes, and will only be able to give you results based on folk tunes. However, it has one of the largest databases of folk tunes on the web, and therefore you will not have to worry about whether you will be able to find your song or not.

The best thing about it is that it is very easy to navigate, and finding the songs you want to hear will be as easy as tying your laces. It also has an integrated music player that allows you to not only listen to how the song sounds, but will also give you the opportunity to learn how to key in the song by ear.

Visit Website: FolkTuneFinder

8. SpotSearch

SpotSearch is a free app that is heavily dependent on Spotify, by far one of the most popular web-based music applications on the planet, hence the name SpotSearch. The app lets you find tracks you are looking for by typing in the lyrics, and gives you instant results every time.

If you are signed up to Spotify premium, you get connected to the website immediately so that you can stream the song immediately. However, if you are a regular Spotify user, the app will provide you with the YouTube link so that you can stream the music from there. SpotSearch is available for both android and iPhone, meaning that it is compatible with most smartphones out there. One of the best things about this app is that it is available offline, meaning you will still be able to search for your favorite track when you are on the go. It also lets you share the lyrics of the songs you are looking for on social media, as well as the lyrics for tracks that you have found.

However, one of the biggest downsides to this search engine is its dependence on Spotify to find your tracks. This reliance on Spotify means that should the song you are looking for not have been uploaded to the service then you will not be able to find it.

Download: Google Play | App Store

9. Tunatic

Tunatic is a free app that is perfect for those that do not have an internet connection as it can be accessed offline as soon as it is downloaded. However, it is only available for Windows PCs and Mac OS, and therefore is more suitable for laptop and PC users.

Despite this little set back, it has one of the largest song databases you will find anywhere, and finding songs on it is relatively simple. All you need to do is use your microphone to either hum or sing the tune of the song you are looking for, or even better, play a small snippet, and the app will find the song for you within seconds.

When you are connected to the internet, it will even supply you with links to websites such as iTunes where you can buy or download the song. It will also give you additional details such as artist and song information.

Visit Website: Tunatic

10. Hound

Hound has been called a more subtle version of SoundCloud, and works in much the same way as Siri and Google Talk. All you have to do is say the name of the song or artist into the microphone and the app will provide you with all the information you could possible need, including artist or band names, tour dates, top songs, and links to the artists’ or band’s websites and social media accounts. Once you have installed hound, you will be able to see the social media activity of all the artists you are looking for, especially their Facebook posts, and latest tweets. The app will also provide you with the names of similar artists, and provide you with links to their material so that you can discover more songs that fit your tastes.

Many people who download the app to their phones and computers do not believe it when they find out that all this information is at their fingertips for free, and that they will not have to pay any troublesome monthly or annual fees.

The only downside to this app is that you cannot sing or hum the tune of a song and find it instantly, you will have to know the artist or title of the song, or a couple of lyrics from the song to help the program find your result.

Download: App Store

Conclusion

As far as mobile what song is this apps are concerned, Shazam remains one of the most popular. However, with SoundHound steadily growing that top spot may be lost pretty soon. Midomi is the king of the online apps, and it will be very hard for you to find an online application that works as well as Midomi anywhere on the net. These apps are all fast, reliable, and allow you to share your results with the world.

Therefore, if you are looking for apps to help you find the name to that song that has been in your head for the longest time, why not try one of the three apps above. You will be relieving yourself of stress for free, something everyone wants to do.