Best Audio Batch-Converter

N

Nielo TM

Gawd
Joined
Aug 27, 2006
Messages
997
Hey

I'm looking for a quality, stable and easy to use audio batch-converter that runs on Vista x64. But the issue is, I just want a converter, nothing else. That means no A/V playback, sync features, music management, CD-RIP etc...

I've tried searching and couldn't find anything trustworthy.


So could you guys recommend me a few?


PS: I'll be using it to convert MP3s and WAVEs to WMA9. So there's no need for it support other codecs.

PPS: I would prefer the app to use Vista's onboard audio components rather installing its own, but that's optional.
 
Why do you need everything in WMA? I would leave the mp3s as-is if possible, otherwise they'll lose even more quality.
 
I use WMA on my Sony DAP and on the X360. Also, WMA has far better compression vs quality ratio compared to MP3.


PS: pfunkman, how exactly?:confused:
 
I know what you mean

But the lose of quality is nonexistent/inaudible during the initial lossy to lossy conversion. Also, it allows me to cramp more files into 3.85GB flash.
 
Years ago in the Plus! pack for Windows XP, Microsoft tossed in a (free) converter that would convert mp3 or wav files to wma, only problem was it was limited to 96 Kbps at best unless you paid to unlock the higher bitrates. Not sure if that's still around or not.

As for WMA offering better sound quality at lower bitrates, the people over at HydrogenAudio.org would strongly disagree, and so would the results of their low bitrate public listening tests, but whatever squeaks your sneaker I suppose.

Lossy to lossy is horrendous, period, but again, it's your ears you're killing with the added distortion and other issues such conversion creates. If you must do it only with Windows tools alone, the only way it'll happen is using the command line encoder that comes as part of the Windows Media Encoder, with the requisite command line switches to convert only audio, of course. It may require you to convert the mp3 files to wav and then to wma, however, which is something it's not capable of in one step (if at all).

The best overall converter for format to format these days (aside from foobar2k with the appropriate plugins) will be dbPowerConverter and, yes, the required plugins for mp3 and wma support. That program can do it all in one step, without issues.

A LAME mp3 encoded at the same bitrate will sound better than wma... just for the record. ;)
 
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