Recommend free WAV --> MP3 batch conversion utility

[Muse]

I have something like 1000 WAV files from 5 to 90 seconds or so that I want to convert to MP3s. Naturally, batch support would save a lot of work. Seems there are some out there. Anyone know what's good?

 

[Muse]

Did some searching and downloaded ABC Amber Audio Converter, version 1.03 freeware. Seems to work OK. Don't know if it lets you choose encoders or bitrates, etc. but it's batch processing an entire folder of WAV files for me right now. I'm not too concerned with the quality for what I'm doing at the moment as long as it sounds decent.

http://www.processtext.com/abcmp3wav.html

 

[Red Squirrel]

dbpoweramp music converter. It also has a cd ripper.

Hopefully it's still free. I have an existing installer I always use so I have not gotten it off the site in a while.

 

[Muse]

Did some searching and downloaded ABC Amber Audio Converter, version 1.03 freeware. Seems to work OK. Don't know if it lets you choose encoders or bitrates, etc. but it's batch processing an entire folder of WAV files for me right now. I'm not too concerned with the quality for what I'm doing at the moment as long as it sounds decent.

http://www.processtext.com/abcmp3wav.html

The batch that this processed with default config was 128 kbps, 48 khz sampling rate, really exactly what I would have chosen myself for this job.

 

[JSt0rm]

itunes

 

[synn_]

I'll go with dbpoweramp music converter. It is worth to try.

 

[Muse]

I'll go with dbpoweramp music converter. It is worth to try.

Well, my first experiment with ABC Amber Audio Converter, version 1.03 freeware yesterday, batch processing a folder with about 30 WAV files in it to MP3s seems to have gone fine.

 

[Dream Operator]

The batch that this processed with default config was 128 kbps, 48 khz sampling rate, really exactly what I would have chosen myself for this job.

Are you starting with 48khz content?

 

[Muse]

Are you starting with 48khz content?

The files I batch processed the other day were 44khz. Probably just about all of the ones I'm doing right now (around 1000) are also 44khz.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

format factory

 

[0roo0roo]

razor lame.
if you were keeping wavs why would you use a second rate converter. use something that uses the lame mp3 codec like razor lame
i use v0

 

[mikej007]

I'll go with dbpoweramp music converter. It is worth to try.

+1 This is what I use.

 

[Muse]

razor lame.
if you were keeping wavs why would you use a second rate converter. use something that uses the lame mp3 codec like razor lame
i use v0

Good point. I'm not really personally up and the whys and wherefores but I know that the LAME encoder has a tremendous reputation. Never seen any other MP3 encoder plugged like this one. Does Razer Lame do batch conversions. :\ Up til now I've been using Total Recorder to do my conversions, and with LAME, but it doesn't do batch processing. I really need that feature here.

 

[0roo0roo]

razor was all about the batch encoding.
thats its only purpose
lame presets are rather simple these days, -v and number. -v0 is ~224kbps vbr, certainly good enough

lame gets plugged because tis good, and its developed. companies like apple hardly care about their mp3 encoder much. they like aac and such after all.

 

[Muse]

razor was all about the batch encoding.
thats its only purpose
lame presets are rather simple these days, -v and number. -v0 is ~224kbps vbr, certainly good enough

lame gets plugged because tis good, and its developed. companies like apple hardly care about their mp3 encoder much. they like aac and such after all.

I think I'll have to try razor or something. The Amber Audio Converter program worked fine first time I tried it with around 25 average one minute WAV files but when I set it working on a directory with around 25 one hour WAV files and changed the KBPS to 96 from the default 128 (this is low fidelity voice recording with a lot of background noise) the program said it was processing the files but after almost 1/2 hour it hadn't succeeded in ripping a single file so I aborted the process. My Total Recorder does one of those conversions in about 5 minutes, but AFAIK it doesn't support batch operations.

 

[EarthwormJim]

I think I'll have to try razor or something. The Amber Audio Converter program worked fine first time I tried it with around 25 average one minute WAV files but when I set it working on a directory with around 25 one hour WAV files and changed the KBPS to 96 from the default 128 (this is low fidelity voice recording with a lot of background noise) the program said it was processing the files but after almost 1/2 hour it hadn't succeeded in ripping a single file so I aborted the process. My Total Recorder does one of those conversions in about 5 minutes, but AFAIK it doesn't support batch operations.

Try out dbpoweramp. It's multi-threaded, so it'll convert a file on each of your processors.

 

[0roo0roo]

i think razor lame spawns multiple instances.
well you can use foobar as well, that does multiple threading as well and lame.

 

[Muse]

Try out dbpoweramp. It's multi-threaded, so it'll convert a file on each of your processors.

i think razor lame spawns multiple instances.
well you can use foobar as well, that does multiple threading as well and lame.

I will try one or more of these. Had a look at Razorlame yesterday. I looked at it a long time ago, maybe 10 years. Yesterday I found it as confusing as the time before. It may be a piece of cake, I just don't know... LOL.

The Amber Audio Converter program maybe have crapped out due to a fluke, maybe my having changed the bitrate. If I try it again it might work. Might give that a try before trying the others. The interface, while not really professional and smooth, does seem pretty straight forward and simple.

 

[0roo0roo]

eh just use foobar then. right click->convert, lame/slider to v0 done

 

[nerp]

I use cdex. It can convert wav no problem. And it does batches nicely. It's free. Oh, and it used Lame.

 

[Muse]

I use cdex. It can convert wav no problem. And it does batches nicely. It's free. Oh, and it used Lame.

Seems to have it all. I've done something with it in the past, I think. I have downloaded it some time ago. I'll look for the current version and give it a try. Thanks.

 

[Muse]

I installed CDex Ver. 150 (not the beta), and am running it right now, batch converting 14 one hour WAV files. Seems to be running OK. My issue right now is that it's saving them to:

<OS Drive>\Documents and Settings\<my name>\My Documents\My Music\MP3

I don't see a way to change the save directory. My data here is on a different HD than the OS. I can move the files after conversion, but it would be simpler if I could save them in the same directory where the WAV files are or some other directory of my choice.

I got a weird message when I opened CDex:

Failed to load the wnaspi32.dll driver!
use the "Native NT SCSI library" driver option instead?

I said yes and it opened seemingly normally. This machine is running XP.

Edit: The conversion files sound fine.

 

[Muse]

Ah, a bit of Googling revealed the presence of CDex.ini. The first two lines are:

[General]
MP3OutputDir=<OS Drive>\Documents and Settings\<my name>\My Documents\My Music\MP3\

I guess I'll just change that to a directory on the drive where I have my sound files:

MP3OutputDir=<my data drive>\BatchOutput_of_MP3_files_by_CDex\

 

[nerp]

I thought there was an option in CDex to change the folder for 'conversion' to whatever you specify in the options. In any case, seems like you found the option on your own in a different way.

Don't worry about the ASPI message the first time you installed it. It's a relic from the old days when you had to worry about your ASPI layer for some CD software to properly detect your optical drives. Just clicking through is all you needed to do.

 

[sourceninja]

VLC can do this as well.