arael

How do i convert window media audio to MP3? Thanks

meanSpleen

I'm assuming you are running some version of windows.

But before I say what you could use, I have to give THE STATEMENT.
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When converting from one music compression type to another (examples of music compression are wma, mp3, ogg, etc) you will experience a loss in the quality of the music. A converter MUST change the compressed file that has already lost some of its original quality into an uncompressed wav file. Then converter then will REcompress the file into a new format. This double compressing strips away a large amount of the original quality. In most cases, you are better off finding the original and ripping straight to the type you want. If that is not possible, then you can convert file types and hope you do not mind the difference in quality.
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that being said, I have used DBpoweramp before and have been pleased with the results.

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm

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Nomad

You can use a program like Advanced MP3/WMA Recorder : http://www.xaudiotools.com/ : to record your WMA file to MP3. Just play the WMA file on your player, and record It to MP3 with the Recorder. I don't think you will lose much, If any, quality of the music. The Recorder will record anything that goes thru your sound card. You should be able to find a free recorder with a goggle search.

clonmult

Try the DMC audio convertor, it can convert between pretty much most formats with the various plug-ins, Mp3-wav-wmv, etc. etc.

meanSpleen

You will lose quality when converting music file types. The first time you compress the file, I'm sure we can all agree that you lose some amount of quality. Mp3's at 128kbs are sub-CD quality, while 160kbs-192kbs are pretty much the same, without that much difference. The problem in your understanding, though, is that when you play it back it does not regain any of the lost quality. Even when you play it through your speakers, you are essentially playing a wav file. Wav's are just a part of the conversion process. When you recompress a music file, you are stripping another layer of quality off the original's already degraded copy.

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meembo

conversions of this type DEFINITELY lose quality

EAC -- Exact Audio Copy -- is the way to go --I rip to .wav's and then do what I please with the .wav's, usually .mp3 and .ogg

Keeping the standard HIGH is the key. The quality of the original rip is always the limit of the next conversion. Each compresion routine loses a qualified level of sound, but conversions from one standard to another must settle for the lowest common quality -- bad news for good music.

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arael

well i need mp3 because i use my Ipod. Thakns though. You guys have been so helpful

Nomad

I agree, but using Advanced MP3/WMA Recorder ( Or any other Recorder ) Is not converting the music file. You will be re-recording a new MP3 music file from the old WMA music file, you will not be making any changes to the old WMA file. You will be recording a new MP3 file with the recorder.

I've made a few new files with Advanced MP3/WMA Recorder, and I can hear no loss In the Quality of the files I've made with It. I'm sure It also helps to have a good Quality sound card to record from.

juanvaldes

Orginal -> WMA (lossy)
WMA (already missing bits) -> mp3 (lossy)
net result a more lossy mp3.

Just because you can't hear the difference does not mean it's not there.

meanSpleen

And for my last trick, to hopefully turn some of you non-believers, I will turn to some rudimentary ASCII art.

The Original File looks like this:
AIIIIIIIIA
BIIIIIIIIB
CIIIIIIIIC
DIIIIIIIID

I'm making it real easy there. The sound starts all the way on the left, and ends on the right. Treat all four lines of I's as one sound.

Here is what happens when you compress it into a music file, for example WMA:
BIIIIIIIIB
CIIIIIIIIC
DIIIIIIIID

What happened? We stripped off a "layer" of the music to turn it into a compressed file. In this case, the new file is about 75 percent as good as the original. We can pretend that this is mid-range quality on wma.

Now, we are going to convert it to mp3. But first, lets listen to it.
BIIIIIIIIB
CIIIIIIIIC
DIIIIIIIID

Hmm, yes, this is what we hear. The part that was stripped off does not magically re-appear. It is gone forever, unless you go out and buy an official copy. Official meaning- Not Bootlegged, Downloaded, Taped by a friend, etc. Official stands for- What the music guys put on CD/Medium for my consumption.

Anyway, lets convert the wma to mp3 now.
CIIIIIIIIC
DIIIIIIIID

Using what we saw when we listened to it, we see that again, the top layer did not magically reappear. The conversion took what it was given, the BCD file, and uncompressed it. The uncompressed BCD file will sound the exact same as the compressed BCD file, except that it will be very large in file size. The conversion then goes to the next step of recompressing the new uncompressed BCD file. That is when it strips off the B layer. Why? Because it is doing the same thing it did the first time when we made the WMA file. Only, because we do not have the A layer, it removed the B layer.

This new mp3 file is about 50 percent as good as the original, and about 66 percent as good as the WMA file.

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