Converting MP3s to WMA - Which settings to use?
IzzyS
Posts: 11,045 Forum Member
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Hope this is the most appropriate forum(?), I want to convert my MP3s into a condensed WMA format that will make them a smaller size so that I can fit more songs into a smaller MP3 player basically... im getting one thats WMA compatible.
Anyway I thought I had it figured out and I used DBPowerAmp Batch Converter to conver my music files from MP3 to WMA 9.2 I think it was but it took 4 hours and after all that, it turned out that the finished 'lot' of WMAs actually take up more space than the MP3 originals! All of the MP3s I have at the moment take up 7.03 GB but the folder I made with WMAs it says is 11.7GB, so I obviously got it wrong and probably selected too high a bit rate or something similar(?) tbh I just selected the default WMA format that DBPowerAmp suggested...
So im wondering if anyone (esp. anyone who's used that program before, DBPowerAmp batch converter) knows which settings to select to get it to convert my MP3s in a way that will basically leave the files as WMAs, I don't expect the best audio quality ever or anything of course, as long as their fairly clear thats fine I just want to be able to have condensed set of the same music, so that they take up less space for a new MP3 Player... I thought that WMA 9.2 is the general format that most WMA compatible MP3 Players can accept but I think I did convert to that format... was it the bit rate that was wrong? I'd rather check im doing it right rather than wait another 4 hours and find out the results are another folder that takes up more space than the MP3 originals!
thanks in advance for any replies!
Anyway I thought I had it figured out and I used DBPowerAmp Batch Converter to conver my music files from MP3 to WMA 9.2 I think it was but it took 4 hours and after all that, it turned out that the finished 'lot' of WMAs actually take up more space than the MP3 originals! All of the MP3s I have at the moment take up 7.03 GB but the folder I made with WMAs it says is 11.7GB, so I obviously got it wrong and probably selected too high a bit rate or something similar(?) tbh I just selected the default WMA format that DBPowerAmp suggested...
So im wondering if anyone (esp. anyone who's used that program before, DBPowerAmp batch converter) knows which settings to select to get it to convert my MP3s in a way that will basically leave the files as WMAs, I don't expect the best audio quality ever or anything of course, as long as their fairly clear thats fine I just want to be able to have condensed set of the same music, so that they take up less space for a new MP3 Player... I thought that WMA 9.2 is the general format that most WMA compatible MP3 Players can accept but I think I did convert to that format... was it the bit rate that was wrong? I'd rather check im doing it right rather than wait another 4 hours and find out the results are another folder that takes up more space than the MP3 originals!
thanks in advance for any replies!
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Comments
You certainly won't gain anything. To be honest it is really bit of a waste of time converting stuff, it never sounds anywhere near as good as what it was.
Indeed. That would be the way to go.
So (and I'm amazed you didn't do this first time round) ..... why don't you use a single file until you get a size and sound quality you're happy with. Then do the rest of the folder ....
I use DBPowerAmp myself and from what I remember (am at work so I can't check) it's pretty straightforward ..... you have a 'quality' gauge on the setup screen that will lower the file size and obviously, the quality at the same time.
Normally, I would agree with this. But, as it's being done as a space saving exercise, and the OP has said he's not hugely fussed about getting the highest quality possible, it would be a lot quicker to convert straight from the MP3. While the quality will drop slightly, it certainly won't render the resulting files unlistenable unless you go mad with the compression rate ...
Not sure what version you're using?
When I use it, it's pretty straightforward. Select the source folder. Select the target format, adjust the quality guage (there are advanced options but most can be ignored unless you are trying to do something VERY specific), select destination folder, click "Go". Job done.
Its on the screen that starts with the 'converting to' drop down menu, the default settings for general WMA 9.2 seems to be that it makes WMA files that are much larger than the original MP3s, so I was trying to lower the quality a bit to bring the file size down but when I change things under a drop down menu like where it says VBR Quality whichever number, if I click and select a lower number, for some reason it reverts back to whatever it said before... if I try to change other settings, it does the same thing, as if im not allowed to change the settings, they revert right back to what they were before *shrug*
oh well, as it happens if I don't include some of the MP3s I don't listen to too much, it adds up to only 5.40GB and as im interested in an 8GB model, that should be good enough I guess, I'll still be left with space so maybe I won't bother converting to WMA for extra space...
So why convert in the first place?
Seems like a lot of work for nothing to me! You'd still have almost 1gb to expand into as well ....
Will have a quick look at DBPowerAmp when I get home .... see if I can turn an MP3 into a smaller WMA .... just out of curiosity.
Loss of quality in the conversion of the already converted file.
Plus wma is power sapping on batteries.
If you do it is the 64K low quality level where wma wins. At 128 K plus there is less difference.
However many find even 64K wma unacceptable quality. You 64K will be even less than 64k in quality being sourced from an mp3 file.
Cannot see that playing wma will sapp power on a players batteries. Never had a problem. Sound quality yes.
Haven't got a copy to hand but I recall that the free version had some limitations as to what you could do with some of it's tools. You only got the full set when you paid for it.
Maybe that explains why IzzyS is having problems getting dbPowerAmp to remember the settings changes?
Thats very possible.
I've had it installed for donkeys .... it was all free when I installed it. I know that you now have to pay for at least some functionality so that may well be whats behind it.
I didn't realise before that my MP3s were so small, the way I had things organised confused me and I thought they were all taking up about 8gb but I managed to separate sme of the lesser listened to stuff and when I re checked how much the rest took up, its a much smaller 5.40gb which is absolutely fine for an 8gb player...
tbh I've been put off the device I was thinking of getting after reading about some problem it appears to be prone to, so im kind of back to the drawing board. I just want to have a replacement MP3 Player to listen to my music on *sigh* my old one stopped working properly about 3 weeks or so ago, I got a used one and that doesnt work either, but I guess im maybe a bit too picky about what I want in a brand new one *shrug* anyway im kinda stressed with other stuff going on so im maybe not thinking too logically... thanks for the info. anyway (though im pretty sure in the past that it was possible to have decent sounding WMA files that were smaller in size than regular MP3s)