Converting mp3s to wavs...

[Murph]

Okay, so there a like a hundred-thousand programs out there to convert mp3s to wavs, and my wife has recently fallen in love with Kazaa. (Thanks to you guys, I knew the answer when she said "How's the best way to download songs?)

So, now I'm convering her mp3s for wavs so I can burn them to a CD for her. (I'd never pirate stuff myself, but I'll gladly help her. Whatever.)

Well, I'm done for now, but I'm curious, for future reference: What's the best program to do this with?

The only criteria I know that I have: I want it to be reliable, I love being able to right-click on the file and have "convert to wav" show up in my right-click menu, and I'd like it to be free, but if I can't really get a free one that's not going to number my conversions and only give me so many (like the program I just...used up), then I'll pay for one. But if I'm gonna pay for one, I wanna make darn sure I'm getting a good one.

So, you guys who do this a lot...What do you recommend? (Wumpus, I know you do stuff like this a lot...)

[Thierry Nguyen]

WinAmp does it for free. If you already have it numbered and named in the MP3, I think it should duplicate that naming when it makes the WAV file.

Just go to Options | Preferences, then Plug-Ins | Output, and select "Nullsoft Disk Writer."

[DennyA]

Yep, as Scooter says, WinAmp will do it, and it's free.

However, if you're doing this to burn them to audio CDs, you can skip a step if you're using Nero or Easy CD Creator to create your CDs. Just start an audio CD project and drag the MP3 files over to it. The CD burner app will convert them automatically.

[Brad Grenz]

Yeah, I used Nero to do this automatically all the time. Getting from MP3 to CD audio is a snap, now, trying to get my K-Jofol .AAC files into a burnable format, that's a lot harder.

[Murph]

Nero will do that, huh? That's cool. My Adaptec Easy CD Creator won't. I tried.

[DennyA]

Murph,

What version of Easy CD Creator are you running? Recent versions have that feature -- from 3.5 on, I think.

I might still have my old copy of Easy CD 4.0 lying around (I'm using Nero now, and I'm not all that sure 4.0 is XP compatible anyway) if you're using an older one. I'll look around if it turns out you need it.

[Jason Cross]

Murph, if you're using Windows XP, you don't even need to convert to .wav manually.

Just highlight the MP3s you want to put on a CD, right-click, and choose "Copy to Audio CD."

Media Player will then launch and take care of everything for you.

[Met_K]

CDex for all your mp3 needs.

[Dave Long]

I'm with Jason, it doesn't get much easier than Windows XP's method.

--Dave

[wumpus]

I do not recommend EZ CD Creator. I've had too many people I know install that damn thing and bluescreen their computers and/or have long term instability. And this isn't "friend of a friend" apocryphal stuff, I'm talking about five totally different people, with totally different computer skill levels. From novice to expert, Sleazy CD Creator has bitten them all on the ass at one time or another.

I'd also include myself in that list. Not quite a bluescreen, but when you have to install a patch for a version of the software that has just been released literally a week ago, you know you're in trouble. When it still doesn't work right, it's time to look for different CD burning software.

I'd say go with the WinXP built in stuff, assuming you're using XP. Be sure to use Windows Update prior to that, as there are a bunch of patches. Ironically, MS licensed their CD burning code from.. you guessed it, Roxio, the company that makes Sleazy CD Creator.

Can't win 'em all, folks.

[Murph]

Not using XP, though. Might think about upgrading soon, but gotta have something in the meantime.

I think I have Nero on here, I just don't use if often. I'll look into that, and I'll download WinAmp, as well.

Thanks guys!

[JeffL]

Speaking of Winamp - I seem to recall using Winamp at one time to create HTML type directory listings of my MP3s. I can't find that option any longer - is it still there?

[Alan Au]

Try Ctrl+Alt+G.

- Alan