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FLAC to MP3 ???

post #1 of 28
1/23/12 at 3:34pm
Thread Starter 
I've ripped most of my CDs to FLAC. Now, it seems, that it is very difficult to do a conversion to MP3 for my portable device? Anyone know of a good app to do this? Free would be better, but I'll entertain all options at this point. Really don't want to re-rip everything to MP3.
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post #2 of 28
1/23/12 at 6:45pm
I really like Media Monkey for organizing my FLAC collection. The full (paid) version will also convert to MP3's.
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post #3 of 28
1/23/12 at 9:18pm
the free version of dbpoweramp does this too. I convert from FLAC to apple lossless using the free version.

there are a plethora of other conversion options for the free version as well.
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post #4 of 28
1/24/12 at 7:35am
One utility I use to convert FLAC files is SoundConverter, a shareware program that can batch-convert any kind of audio files to any other kind, including MP3 and M4A (AAC or ALAC). The latest Mac version is available through the Mac App Store, but if you use Windows then that version is available through the publisher at http://dekorte.com/projects/shareware/soundconverter .
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post #5 of 28
2/16/12 at 7:04am
I use mediamonkey for organization and Foobar2000 for conversions and playback (although one of my machines still have winamp and I like it too). Conversions are a snap with it once you install and set it up. You do have to install the LAME encoder into it (drop lame.exe in your foobar directory) and your set.

http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index....000:Foobar2000

Edit: Does batch conversions, easy to use - just highlight, right click and convert. One of the best players on the market IMHO, really customizable ...
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post #6 of 28
2/16/12 at 9:09am
I like this simple free tool for converting FLACs to MP3, it is appropriately named. Does batch conversion

FLAC to MP3
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post #7 of 28
4/27/12 at 6:27am
I recommend this: Flac to MP3
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post #8 of 28
5/8/12 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 
OK, I've been distracted, but am now back at it. Thanks for all your helpful suggestions. I have chosen to use Foobar for both the CD to FLAC process, and to convert from FLAC to MP3. I have run into a few issues that I hope you Foobar experts can help me address.

1. When I do the CD to FLAC conversion, every track Duration is 3:22:54 ???? The funny thing is, when I then convert to mp3, the durations are all correct? It doesn't seem to matter on playback, but I do get an error when I try to 'fast forward' within a track. Relatively minor issue but I would like to understand why and if it's correctable.

2. In foobar, I set up two separate Libraries (two completely separate folders), one for the FLAC files and another one for the mp3 files. Unfortunately, once I tell foobar to recognize the second lib, the original and the mp3 duplicate both show up in the queue (FLAC, mp3, FLAC, mp3 ...) when I send/add a CD to the queue for playback? I would like to be able to work with just the FLAC files or just the mp3 files at any one time. Is there a way to accomplish this?

3. When looking at the properties of the original FLAC file (within Foobar at the CD header in the lib queue), it shows FLAC/lossless. Once I run the conversion to mp3, the original FLAC file changes? It shows FLAC (98.5%) lossless, (1.5%) lossy??????? (the numbers change by a few percent, but the change to the original FLAC file is consistent after the mp3 conversion is run. Can someone tell me why I now have lossy in my lossless???

Thanks a lot for your assistance on this ... I've looked around online to try to find the answers to these questions, but have been unsuccessful. Any help you all can offer would be greatly appreciated!
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post #9 of 28
5/8/12 at 3:40pm
If you want foobar2k experts, I'd be looking in hydrogenaudio forums here or the foobar2k wiki here.

Here's a few ideas - Do you have the latest version of the FLAC codec installed? And the latest version of fb2k? What does the converter status report after a rip say? Did you try their file integrity verifier here to look at your rips?

I don't use foobar2k for ripping, only transcodeing and playback but did read something about that being a confirmed bug at one time, not sure where now but I would think it's been fixed by now.

2 - I wouldn't set up two libraries as that does create duplicates AFAIK. When I transcode, I have them go to another folder but it's not set up as a library w/fb2k.

3 - I'm not sure about that issue, I've never seen it but could it be possible because you have fb2k pointed at both libraries? Have you tested without having them both on fb2k?
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post #10 of 28
5/9/12 at 9:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walk_Good View Post

If you want foobar2k experts, I'd be looking in hydrogenaudio forums here or the foobar2k wiki here.

Here's a few ideas - Do you have the latest version of the FLAC codec installed? And the latest version of fb2k? What does the converter status report after a rip say? Did you try their file integrity verifier here to look at your rips?

I don't use foobar2k for ripping, only transcodeing and playback but did read something about that being a confirmed bug at one time, not sure where now but I would think it's been fixed by now.

2 - I wouldn't set up two libraries as that does create duplicates AFAIK. When I transcode, I have them go to another folder but it's not set up as a library w/fb2k.

3 - I'm not sure about that issue, I've never seen it but could it be possible because you have fb2k pointed at both libraries? Have you tested without having them both on fb2k?

I am using 1.1.11 ... which is the current 'stable' version. Converter status reports are clean. Haven't tried the integrity verifier, so I will try that.

The confirmed bug was for mp3 rips.

I'll remove the second mp3 lib. Hopefully, that'll solve the problem!

Thanks for the response!
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post #11 of 28
5/9/12 at 12:22pm
Thread Starter 
OK, I lied ... I'm using CDex to rip my CDs. The Durations are correct there, but when I play them in foobar, the durations are wrong. Must be some incompatibility between those two apps (m:s:ms vs m:s ???).

I downloaded the Verifier. It tells me that the files have 'minor errors' but nothing specific. It says that the track times are incorrect ... yeah.

I'm using the most current versions of both apps, so I guess it's just one of those things you ignore.

The recommendation to remove the second library worked. The files again show FLAC/lossless. I verified that the files themselves had not been altered, so no more issues there.

Thanks again for the help.
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post #12 of 28
5/10/12 at 8:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RayGuy View Post

... Thanks again for the help.

No problem but I didn’t do anything, only made a few suggestions for you to check … I am not sure you want to take the next step but it would be interesting to compare the times if you rip with fb2k instead of CDex, let us know the results if you do.

Edit: BTW if you really want the best for ripping, look at EAC, there's good tutorial here.
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post #13 of 28
5/11/12 at 1:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tokerblue View Post

I really like Media Monkey for organizing my FLAC collection. The full (paid) version will also convert to MP3's.

^ I have the paid version of mediamonkey, which I bought for precisely that reason, I think it's $20, it does a good job, you plug in your ipod, select convert to mp3 on the fly and that is it, no messing about really. The good thing about this one is that your files remain flac and there are no duplicate mp3 files, I don't know how well other programs handle this.
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post #14 of 28
5/12/12 at 9:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walk_Good View Post

I use mediamonkey for organization and Foobar2000 for conversions and playback (although one of my machines still have winamp and I like it too). Conversions are a snap with it once you install and set it up. You do have to install the LAME encoder into it (drop lame.exe in your foobar directory) and your set.

http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index....000:Foobar2000

Edit: Does batch conversions, easy to use - just highlight, right click and convert. One of the best players on the market IMHO, really customizable ...

+1.
I don't know why people would pay for something else. In foobar2000 it is just a matter of sellecting the chosen songs and right click.... convert.
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post #15 of 28
5/13/12 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
I am using CDex to rip to FLAC because it's free, relatively user friendly, allows FLAC, and does the lookup of all the info so I don't have to type it in.

Unfortunately, the track duration problem persists (turns out that it is a known problem), but I'm way too far into the process to re-do the rips. I was hoping to find a solution to fix the durations, but it doesn't seem to exist. So, I can't fast forward a track ... a problem I can live with.

Foobar does a nice job of converting the FLAC to MP3, but I can't use it to manage both the MP3 and FLAC libraries simultaneously. So, I'm going to use Windows Media Player to do that ... I really don't like WMP, but is is compatible with my Sansa Fuze, so I'm stuck with it. WMP will allow me to download mp3s to the player, sync with the library, and create playlists. That's really all I need, right? That it is as user friendly as a wasp nest is just a fact of life.
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post #16 of 28
5/14/12 at 6:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RayGuy View Post

I am using CDex to rip to FLAC because it's free, relatively user friendly, allows FLAC, and does the lookup of all the info so I don't have to type it in.

Unfortunately, the track duration problem persists (turns out that it is a known problem) ...

Not sure if you noticed above but for anyone that is serious about their music and I assume you are by taking the time to rip to FLAC. There is nothing available that beats EAC and it's free too. Don't take my word, ask around and research it on the net. This is why I linked tutorials for perfect CD rips. Sure the initial set up for someone that is not computer savvy maybe a little difficult but once done the rest is easy. I know a few people that are not savvy at this and have set it up fine, me You won't have the errors that you speak of and you can rip older and possibly scratched disks fine ... again the link is here.

BTW if eliminating errors is important, the longer you put it off the more they'll pile up and having to re-rip CDs is a small price to pay now rather than later.
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post #17 of 28
5/14/12 at 3:42pm
Thread Starter 
I looked into EAC when I started this process many months ago. I concluded that CDex was going to be easier to use for a novice like me.

Having worked with CDex and foobar, I have learned a great deal. So, it's possible that now I would not make the same decision that I did at the beginning. Consequently, I will give it a re-look.

Ease of use / intuitiveness is very important to me. Frankly, I find foobar barely tolerable as a tool, but put up with it because there is a lot of 'support' online, seems to be stable, and it makes a fine-sounding rip. I admit that I very little tolerance for geek-ware. Poor or no doc, poor usability, or buggy. Having to look around the web for an answer to a question .. like looking for a needle in a haystack. If some geek had just written a decent and descriptive error message ... but I digress !!!

And let me say that I was a programming geek for many years. I know my geeks!

Anyway, I won't be re-ripping. Too time-consuming for very little benefit (I can live with the duration bug). I will, however, give EAC a look for the future. Have you used it to rip vinyl to flac? How was it as a tool to accomplish that? Does it handle metadata well? Parsing tracks? Click and pop removal? ... next on my agenda ...
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post #18 of 28
5/15/12 at 8:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walk_Good View Post

There is nothing available that beats EAC and it's free too. Don't take my word, ask around and research it on the net. This is why I linked tutorials for perfect CD rips. Sure the initial set up for someone that is not computer savvy maybe a little difficult but once done the rest is easy. I know a few people that are not savvy at this and have set it up fine, me You won't have the errors that you speak of and you can rip older and possibly scratched disks fine ... again the link is here.

BTW if eliminating errors is important, the longer you put it off the more they'll pile up and having to re-rip CDs is a small price to pay now rather than later.

- I couldn't agree more. I have CD's that I cannot replace since they are either limited edition or promotional copies. I actually ripped my entire collection over again using EAC just to make sure everything was accurate. Losing CD's to damage or rot is no longer the concern it once was.

It's hands down the best WAV to FLAC program out there and it's very easy to use.
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post #19 of 28
5/16/12 at 5:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RayGuy View Post

Have you used it to rip vinyl to flac? How was it as a tool to accomplish that?

I don't know as I do not rip my vinyl, it's too big and I have it all but a few rare ones on CD. My collection will probably die when I do as my kids would probably just sell it off

Quote:
Originally Posted by RayGuy View Post

Does it handle metadata well? Parsing tracks? Click and pop removal?

I do all my metadata with MP3tag, but I get the feeling that you are still talking about vinyl that said, it will keep rescanning disks (CD) to correct for errors depending on how you set it up. I really don't know how it would work on vinyl. Seriously you really should read up on it, even if you don't use it, like I said above, There is nothing available that beats EAC and it's free too. Don't take my word, ask around and research it

BTW I gain nothing here, I am only relaying information and if I'm wrong please let me know. In the end we all do as we wish ...
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post #20 of 28
5/17/12 at 1:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walk_Good View Post

I don’t know as I do not rip my vinyl, it's too big and I have it all but a few rare ones on CD. My collection will probably die when I do as my kids would probably just sell it off

Yeah, think that the kids will just use 'em for frisbees. Also, in my case, they won't wait until I'm dead, just until I'm too feeble to stop them! "Hey Sonny, hand me that Boston album ... gonna chuck that one myself!" (lands 16 feet away ... most of that distance on a roll...)


Quote:
Originally Posted by Walk_Good View Post

BTW I gain nothing here, I am only relaying information and if I'm wrong please let me know. In the end we all do as we wish ...

I don't really understand this comment. If my comments seem ungrateful, or dismissive, my apologies. Certainly was not my intention. I very much appreciate everyone's input. Just trying to explain how I got here (CD-rip-wise, not stork_wise)
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post #21 of 28
5/17/12 at 5:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walk_Good View Post

BTW I gain nothing here, I am only relaying information and if I'm wrong please let me know. In the end we all do as we wish ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by RayGuy View Post

I don't really understand this comment. If my comments seem ungrateful, or dismissive, my apologies. Certainly was not my intention. I very much appreciate everyone's input. Just trying to explain how I got here (CD-rip-wise, not stork_wise)

Apologies back at you. I did not mean anything by my comment. When I receive comments as to why not use the best ripper after making suggestions I get the feeling that my suggestion isn't taken with much weight or maybe others don't believe me. When someone makes the decision to go to FLAC that indicates they want to archive their CDs in the best format and I would think errors are not acceptable. Regardless when I read suggestions from others, I also do my own research and reading to get a better understanding and make a better informed decision.

On another note but it's not free and I have not used it, I've heard from a trusted audio engineer friend that dBpoweramp is supper close to EAC (only slightly below it) in quality and he recommends it to everyone who wants a easier user interface to use and setup. I will give it a try as it's been so long ago that I set up my EAC that I have to go thru the tutorials again just to update it and I will probably need to start ripping some of my newer CDs soon .
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post #22 of 28
5/18/12 at 12:00am
Thread Starter 
If you do an eval on dBpoweramp .. I would be interested in hearing the results. If it's easier to use than EAC, that may be more appealing (at least to me).

Rip On!
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post #23 of 28
11/25/12 at 4:56pm
I like this one. It's very simple and does batch conversion job very quickly. It's called one-click FLAC to MP3.
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post #24 of 28
11/27/12 at 3:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanPackMan View Post

I like this simple free tool for converting FLACs to MP3, it is appropriately named. Does batch conversion

FLAC to MP3
Comodo Internet security flags this as malware.
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post #25 of 28
12/29/12 at 5:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teeps View Post

Comodo Internet security flags this as malware.

Thanks...after checking I also found a malware flag on my laptop with this software installed. Sorry for posting that recommendation. (Although after I removed the malware, the software still works.)
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post #26 of 28
3/26/13 at 2:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnny_blazer View Post

the free version of dbpoweramp does this too. I convert from FLAC to apple lossless using the free version.

Ditto this! I use dBpoweramp basically every single day. Against the other stuff I've tried, it's by far the most flexible and straightforward one I've used.
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post #27 of 28
3/29/13 at 3:05am
Dbpoweramp has a ripper that is also rather foolproof thanks to its extensive AccurateRip database containing the crc files for thousands (millions by now? wink.gif) CDs. It compares your rip to those that have come before, ensuring maximum accuracy and minimal errors. More user-friendly than EAC but it's also not freeware.
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post #28 of 28
5/21/13 at 2:58am
To convert FLAC to MP3, you can try Mac FLAC Converter. I like the App and would like to share it with all you guys.
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