Convert MP3 folders to WMA (free)?

[Venturello]

Hi all. Been carrying a pocket pc for reading ebooks in the train to work for about a month, and wanted to buy a MP3 player... DUH. While having a 95% empty 512Mb SD card inserted... double DUH.

Question: how can I convert my MP3's to WMA's? This should give me the possibility to put more music in. I would like an utility that's free (if possible) and simple to use - that I point to one folder with MP3's and it outputs to another the converted WMA's. Dont need no fancy playlists, etc, just something simple. Dont mind command line.

Any suggestions?

Also, is there any alternative player that's free and recommendable? WMP is good enough but dont want to go on missing on a good thing because of my ignorance.

Thanks all,

Juan Miguel Venturello

[Venturello]

Found this:

http://www.sagasoft.net/mp3-wav-converter.htm

Which nicely and in a simple manner does what I want.

[Venturello]

Any software I can try for the pocketpc which has an ecualizer? Really missing this functionality from media player!

:(

[hamishmacdonald]

Even better: JetAudio. This integrates into the Windows shell, so you can just select files and right-click to send them for conversion (which you have to set up to WMA once, but then that'll be your default after that).

http://www.cowonamerica.com/download/

And it's free! And no, they did not pay me; I just find it handy. I made the mistake once of using that old WM PowerToy converter thing, and it reduced all my songs to a nastily low bitrate.

[fairyliquidizer]

1. transcoded audio files sound bad

2. A well encoded MP3 sounds better than the best encoded WMA (visit www.hydrogenaudio.org for evidence). So Microsoft's claim of CD quality at 64kbps or storing twice as many songs as MP3 is BS

3. if you really must then www.dbpoweramp.com is great. DBPoweramp is a sweet of mini programs each of which does a particular task very well.

Fairy

[GSmith]

I am currently transcoding with Windows Media Player 10 on a desktop by setting up the Syncing parameters correctly. The only drawback that I couldn't get around (after briefly trying) is storing the transcoded files permanently. I'm not sure what this will mean if WMP "forgets" what files have been transcoded. I have noticed after a brief misstart that WMP10 transcoded some files (again) but then skipped the transfer to the portable device because the files were already there. Thus wasting some time during the (re)encoding process for those files.

I do not agree that "transcoded files sound bad". I have ripped all my wife's music to a Network disk encoded in 256kbps MP3 files. This is for compatibility with the widest variety of standalone network players. I recently purchased an Archos XS202 (20GB), and I am in the process of transcoding all the files to WMA 128kbps. It sound fine for the vast majority of music, even transcoded. Last time I personally did sound tests, I needed 192kbps MP3 files to not hear artifacts. My transcoded files sound fine--we'll definately see, though, after extended listening tests--and take up less space: I can fit her entire library on the 20GB Archos XS202.

Sometimes transcoded files sound "good enough".

[fairyliquidizer]

If they sound good enough to you then that's fine :) Personally I don't have the best hearing in the world but I do hear transcoding artefacts and also WMA artefacts (the WMA Pro codec that hardware players don't use is great in case you think I'm being anti-MS).

If I was transcoding I would use LAME encoded MP3 or AAC but if your happy who am I to differ :D

http://www.rjamorim.com/test/multiformat128/plot18z.png


sourced from http://www.rjamorim.com/test/multiformat128/results.html

Recent versions of LAME now outperforms AAC.

Anyway I will say no more on this coz you are happy and that's all that matters 8) [/img]

[GSmith]

That's a great page. I remember seeing a study that showed WMA outperformed MP3 (in terms of sound quality), but it looks like that is no longer the case. LAME, I understand, is one of the if not THE best MP3 encoders.

But I agree: if it sounds good enough to whoever is listening, at whatever bitrate, whatever encoding, and/or whatever transcoding, then it's FINE!

Thanks for the link!

[Down8]

Is WMEncoder out of the question for some reason?

It's freely available, and has always worked well for me.

-bZj