Music file conversion to MP3

[MrMoose]

Hi all, I'm sorting through my music library and I'm looking for a safe way to convert WMA and MP4 music files into MP3 files so that they will play through the Connext usb port.
I'm always hesitant to download anything that is "free", and run it on my PC.
Thanks

 

[BigAbe75]

VLC media player has an export/convert function, I believe. Also Audacity will export to MP3, but I don't recall what file types it will open.

VLC, I think converts mostly Live. So, it takes the same amount of time to convert as it would to play each song. A pain, if you're doing a bunch.

Surely, there are other apps out there that would let you queue up a list of files and convert them in a batch, but I haven't tried.

 

[MrMoose]

Thanks @BigAbe75
I even noticed that the Google music app that comes with my Android phone only plays mp3.
I sorted through my library and pulled a bunch of music out that I think Mrs. Moose will enjoy in Bimini, then I realized that 122 of the 200 songs are newer iTunes purchases and are not MP3.
@Administrative seems to have moved this to an off-topic forum, clearly failing to realize that it's clearly on-topic since Connext only plays MP3 through the usb port.

 

[Julian]

I moved the thread....shoot me! I actually probably should have put it in the Stereo forum....will move it there. Regardless, most people browse by New/recent posts and don't notice the forum things are in....but Stereo would make more sense. (off to move it properly this time!)

I know I've used a conversion app in the past....but that was a while ago....you just need to be sure the conversion doesn't reduce the "resolution" of the audio. I hate that iTunes would defer to their own format vs MP3 ....but you can change it if you know you want a more common/less proprietary format. You may even be able to have iTunes do the conversion....

 

[Julian]

Here is what looks to be a decent review of the free ones out there:

https://www.lifewire.com/free-audio-converter-software-programs-2622863

I'll be curious to know what you end up using as I have a few I've been meaning to convert as well!

Also, what do you use to create thumb drive playlists?

 

[JoeMitchem]

I use MediaMonkey for just about anything audio related. It can rip from CD, convert formats, manage audio tags, create playlists, etc. There is a free version and a paid version but the free version does just about everything you could ever need.

Also, they have a comparable Android and iOS app so I use it on my phone and tablet as well.

http://www.mediamonkey.com/download/

 

[MrMoose]

I moved the thread....shoot me! I actually probably should have put it in the Stereo forum....will move it there. Regardless, most people browse by New/recent posts and don't notice the forum things are in....but Stereo would make more sense. (off to move it properly this time!)

I know I've used a conversion app in the past....but that was a while ago....you just need to be sure the conversion doesn't reduce the "resolution" of the audio. I hate that iTunes would defer to their own format vs MP3 ....but you can change it if you know you want a more common/less proprietary format. You may even be able to have iTunes do the conversion....

Yup, I almost asked for a refund from the forum because you moved my post @Julian. Wait... never mind, as you've suggested, I'll have to shoot you. ... I hope that a shot of rum at the infinity pool in Bimini will suffice.

 

[Julian]

I hope that a shot of rum at the infinity pool in Bimini will suffice.

I'm counting the days!

I use MediaMonkey for just about anything audio related

I'm going to have to check this out!

 

[Bruce]

@MrMoose are those iTunes purchases or part of the monthly subscription plan? Purchased can be converted, the subscription files are encrypted.

 

[MrMoose]

@MrMoose are those iTunes purchases or part of the monthly subscription plan? Purchased can be converted, the subscription files are encrypted.

Thanks @Bruce ; iTunes purchases for the most part. I'm not an Apple person. I just bought the songs on iTunes and downloaded them onto my PC to later copy onto my Android phone along with stuff that I ripped from CDs a while back. I never paid attention to the format until I noticed that they don't play on the boat, nor from the phone's micro-sd card.

 

[Bruce]

Does Connext not play unencrypted MP4 files?

 

[MrMoose]

I think that my usb stick had mp3, mp4 and wma files, and I think that only the mp3 files played. None of the files were from streaming services, they were all ripped from my CD collection or purchased from iTunes, so they were not encrypted. The same happens when I use Google Play on my Android phone.

 

[MrMoose]

So, I checked out a couple of the converters that were on the "top 10" list from @Julian's url. First, I tried Switch Sound. As the author in the top 10 list suggests, it's not totally free. It's a 15 day trial, but I'm not against paying for something if it's worth it. The reason that I chose Switch Sound first is because it mentions that it has sound leveling. In my opinion, the sound leveling didn't work, but maybe the songs that I had in mind to have the software fix were within a tolerance range that the software considered acceptable. A few things that I learned when using the trial software. If you want to purchase it at time of initial trial download, it's $25. The trial software is good for 15 days, but I also learned that there are other limitations that are not mentioned up front, like a 100 song limit (then the sw stops working), and you can only convert 5 songs at a time (pita). Once the trial abruptly ended when I hit the 100 song limit, I was offered the software for the purchase price of $16.97, as opposed to the original $25 ... hmmm.
Not convinced that Switch Sound was worth paying for if there is free-ware that will do the same thing, I tried MediaHuman Audio converter (also from the top 10 list in Julian's url). It's free, faster, and has no limitations on the number of files that you can process at once. It doesn't claim that it has sound leveling, so I didn't test this aspect of the software. This is the software that I'll be using in the future.

In parallel, I looked at the Google Play store to see if I could find a music player that could play m4a and wma files. I tried a couple free ones. PITA software that didn't work as I expected. They only played mp3 on my phone, so I cut my losses and I'll stick with the original Google music player, and just convert my music to mp3. That way, I'll have my music available on a usb flash drive for the Connext on the boat.

So, if you're looking for simple to use, batch-capable, fast, and free software to convert your music files, MediaHuman Audio Converter is my recommendation.
Thanks to Julian for providing the top 10 list.

 

[KXCam22]

I use EAC, exact audio copy. Then load the LAME encoder. All free. Does a very accurate conversion. Stay at 320 to 512 bit for highest usable quality. If you are doing your whole library I would suggest using FLAC format. It is a lossless codec and preserves All the audio info , which mp3 does not. However your file size is not reduced, so if storage size is a concern then mp3 is the smallest. If you use a high end audio source you can hear the diff. Cam