convert mpeg4 to mp3

[cgsharp]

Hi,

I just signed up for iTunes and downloaded a song, but it's being downloaded in MPEG4 format. Any ideas on how I can easily convert to MP3 so that I can play the songs on my clie?

-Chris

[MicahDG]

In iTunes. go to Edit, Preferences, Importing, change Import Using the MP3 Encoder, make sure setting us Good Quality 128, then click OK. Now right-click on the song you want to convert and select Convert Selection to MP3.

[cgsharp]

Nope, no luck. I still get the same annoying message:

"<name of song> could not be converted because protected files cannot be converted to other formats."

It seems that the import setting only applies when you import music in.

[MicahDG]

Ah, you must have bought a music track off an online music store? If that is the case, the only way that I know to get around that is to burn the song to an audio CD (or audio CD image) and rip the track back off the CD and convert it to mp3.

[cgsharp]

Yep, that seems like what I'm seeing in a lot of different posts to sites. Thanks for the confirmation on this.

[MicahDG]

It's not really that big a hassle to do. I bought my first two music tracks off walmart.com a few weeks ago and when I went to try to convert them for my clie and it would not let me, I was like "wtf, I paid for these." The license also told me I was allowed to only make about 5? copies of the song to CD and that was it. Quite rediculous. It only took five minutes to burn the image of the audio CD, rip it, and convert it to MP3 (with no accompanying copyright junk). I'll probably but more music from the likes of walmart, but I'll have to take the few minutes to convert them.

[Verus]

I tried all this and when I ripped back from CD the mp3 was only 500k (not the 5.9MB on CD) and just hissing sound. Any suggestions?

[MicahDG]

What program did you use to rip it and what bitrate?

[Unregister3d]

I have this same problem.. downloaded a bunch of music from itunes and found out it really doesnt work with any mp3 players exect ipods. I've tried burning a cd using Nero 6 ultra but it wont even recognize the mpeg4 files...

Also, what is a good ripping (and burning mpeg4) software to use?

[mropus]

Use the software e.i. itunes to make the audio cd most want you to
make a playlist then burn this to a cd after you make the audio cd then use your favorite ripper to convert it to mp3

[MicahDG]

I frequently use copytodvd (works for CDs too, of course) and audiograbber to rip. Like mropus said, you'll have to use the program with which you can actually play the copyrighted files to burn them to a CD. For example, the tracks I got from walmart would only work in WMP because only that app would download the license everytime I wanted to listen to the songs, so I used WMP to burn the songs to a CD in audio CD format, then ripped them, etc.

[Kanic]

Thanks! It works!

[daver]

Why don't you just BUY the CD that you want to rip and burn? If you can afford to have 5-6 PDAs, then you shouldn't even be thinking about how expensive CDs are. They're only $13 CAD at the most, unless you're crazy enough to buy it the day it's released which is almost ALWAYS $10 more than the regular price. I understand your want and need for MP3s to put onto your devices (whether it be a PDA or an MP3 player), but if you're willing to spend thousands of dollars on PDAs and MP3 players with all their optional gadgets, then you should be able to dish out no more than $20 for a CD that you want, and not burn it.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not one of those freaks who would kill you for not "supporting the arts" and all that kinda cr@p. i'm just tired of people with 2 laptops, a zillion different PDAs, and like 5 iPOD/ iPOD Minis (each one with a different colour face plate) complaining that CDs are far too expensive. obviously there's something wrong with them, and they've got way too low of a reservation price on CDs if they can blow away money on all those gadgets just to say that htey have them.

wouldn't quite say those are my 2 cents, but it sure feels good to say that a second time. the first was on the bus when some 16 year old kid was complaining about hte prices of CDs and Xbox/PS2 games all the while playing with his iPOD hooked up to his laptop, WHILE ON THE BUS.

daver

[MicahDG]

bleh... he already paid for the music once; why should he pay for it again just to get it on a CD? You sound like you're addressing a music pirate, and kanic and unregister3d appear to have purchased the music legally.

[cerberus]

Wow...loosen the necktie man. These guys ARE buying music. I myself would rather pay to get a single song than buy an entire CD to get the one song I want. I also happen to think that CDs are too expensive for what they give you. There are sometimes only 1-3 songs you really want from an entire CD. So why should I pay almost $6.70 per song(3 songs on a $20 CD) just to get the tracks I want? I've not seen ANY musician on MTV Cribs that was struggling on what they were being paid..... I mean, a CD costs what, like $.10 to make...maybe? The people who are really screwing us are the recording companies. They are the ones making the most off of the 'intellectual property' of their artists. So yes, I think CDs are overpriced, just like gasoline. OPEC=RIAA

Besides, it seems like you have more of a problem with people having gadgets that you don't have. Don't worry, once you get out of school and have a job, you can buy all those things you want.....

[daver]

Haha, don't worry, i got a job, and it pays really well for an undergrad university student. i'm just saying that i'm tired of people buying gadgets that they don't need at all, especially those who buy things for their kids who don't even deserve them (i.e. the parents who buy 3 cars for their one kid).

anyways, i have absolutely NO IDEA how iTUnes or any of those things worked. my bad for assuming that it's straight CD ripping and all that stuff.
i apologize if my post was misunderstood as me being pissed off at people downloading music randomly or something. i'm just tired of people pirating software, ripping CDs/DVDs, etc. and complaining that they're too expensive when they own 3 BMWs and a Land Rover. You'd understand what i'm trying to say if you were Asian and accused of being an immigrant in Vancouver and Richmond of BC, Canada for the past 5 years. i am a 2nd generation chinese born Canadian, and can barely hold chopsticks properly, let alone order food in a Chinese restaurant. For now, my girlfriend's teaching me how to hold chopsticks properly. haha.

btw, Cerberus, as for MTV Cribs: although i never watch it, half the money they make is through the celebrities being publicity whores. you really think they only make money just through record labels? I read somewhere that Nelly made just over $2 million simply for showing up at one of his CD releases. All he had to do was show his face in public, and BANG, money in his pocket just like that.

anyone noticed that we've gone on a tangent here?

daver

[MicahDG]

Woh buddy, please take your pity case elsewhere, such as to a psychologist... or you could simply get over yourself and all the minor problems you face and get a life like the rest of us. Personally, I'm sick of people making their problems into other peoples' problems. Go cry to Brett Tippie, the legendary freerider, who said "ride to live, live to ride." Great advice, hahaa.

[cerberus]

Jinkies! Whoa...let's bring it back down here. I get what you're saying...and yes, we have definitely gone on a tangent into some other dimension.... :rolleyes:

[Teddy]

Hi,

I just signed up for iTunes and downloaded a song, but it's being downloaded in MPEG4 format. Any ideas on how I can easily convert to MP3 so that I can play the songs on my clie?

-Chris
I have Itunes I just bought the Destiny's child new Cd and was able to convert very easy. What you have to do is copy a audio cd with Itunes and then import it again make sure you settings are set for MP3 encoder. This should work

Teddy

[greyS60]

I have been following this to try and help my daughter put tracks on her MP3 from itunes. I downloaded to the songs from itunes and burned them to a cd using the itunes program. I then downloaded and installed audiograbber. When I try to convert them to MP3 from the cd, I get an error that says" The file E:/track01.cda is not a 16 bit, stereo, 44.1 KHz PCM wave file". Any idea on what I am doing wrong?

[MicahDG]

Hmm... how are you trying to convert them? I mean: are you clicking on the track01.cda and trying to do something with it? Or are you running audiograbber and telling it to grab all of the files? Please explain a bit more what process you are following and we can try to troubleshoot it.

[greyS60]

I am going to the File menu and then selecting "Make MP3". I then go through and find the CD and choose "All Files". I then double click on the first track. Hopefully this helps.

[MicahDG]

Ah, that is not the correct way to do it :) In the large white Audiograbber window, there should be a list of tracks. If there is not, select Settings, General Settings, Naming tab, change CD-ROM Unit to the correct drive in which your CD is inserted. Then click OK.

Now the tracks should all be listed. By default all of the tracks have a check mark next to them. You can customize that. The ones which are selected are the ones you're going to be ripping. Now click the MP3 Icon at the top, and customize the bitrate to variable, constant, or whatever you prefer. Normal settings are either variable, or constant with 128 to 196kpbs. Also change the "Grab To" setting to "MP3 File via intermediate wav file. Delete the wav file." Then click OK.

Now under the MP3 Icon, click the check box. Now click GRAB. Audiograbber will copy the data from the disc track by track, and convert them to MP3 track by track. The files should be dropped in your audiograbber directory.

[greyS60]

Thanks MicahDG

I am now able to rip them to MP3. My only other question is about the MP3 Encoder. I apparently have a 56kb encoder. I tried to download and install the LAME MP3 encoder from Audiograber, no luck. I downloaded it, put it in the Audiograber file, and extracted the files, I still only have the 56kb option. Is there a better one out there, will the different encoders make a difference in the quality of the music? I appreciate all of the help so far, my daughter is verry happy.

[MicahDG]

Yes, a 56kb encode is going to sound terrible for music (it's a decent setting if it was an audiobook). I've uploaded my copy of the lame codec here:
http://www.sonyclie.org/lame_enc.dll

It will encode up to 320kb. Place the file in your audiograbber directory; overwrite the old one if it exists.

[greyS60]

Thanks again, the music sounds so much better. I am thinking right that the higher the speed, the better the sound?

[MicahDG]

Yes, the higher the bitrate (kbps) the higher the quality. 128kbps is typical and acceptable to most peoples' ears. 196 is fairly popular and offers an excellent sound quality/file size ratio. Just so you know :P

[Dano]

HELP. I just got a Dell DJ with Musicmatch and now realize that I can't get all of the songs I have in iTunes brought across because of the file type differences. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

[21stcenturymac]

You need to Google for "JHymn"

[jgvytgfycf]

ok to convert to mp3 if you have i tunes go into that and bring up the song u want to convert and right click on them and it will say convert section into mp3


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[USA Webcenter]

I'm trying to upload track one (1) to my website. It's called E:\Track01.cda but it won't upload it. Says its the wrong extension.??
Joe

[4thGrdDrop0ut]

Try this. www.dbpoweramp.com

[Marco G (Italy)]

Hi Guys,
the easyest way is this:
1. download "Itunes" from Apple.com
2. import all Mpeg4 files
3. plce the maouse on the top of the file, click the right botton and "Convert selection to MP3"
4. The file with the new extension will be create in the Itunes library.
You have to do this file by file, but, it's very easy.

Good work

[Da Moose]

Personally I'd rather buy a complete CD, then buy individual mp3's. 9 times out of 10, I find songs I like better than hits from that album.