alcazar

iTrader: (2)

My present set up seems to want to record data discs as WMA files, which apparently WON'T play on my chosen car headunit, (which I haven't bought yet )

What software would I need to be able to convert?

I have Nero, Windows Media Player, and Sony's Sonic Stage already.

Thanks for any help.

Alcazar

SJ_Skyline

Have a look on the downloads section of www.cnet.com - plenty of freebie tools available. http://www.download.com/Rippers-Enco...ml?tag=nav_dir - The link wasn't that easy to find!!

I think the latest (v10) windows media player also allows you to choose between MP3/WMA when you use it to rip...?

Phantom_Flan_Flinger

As should NERO.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I had thought of this, but did the first lot without thinking, and they play OK in the wife's car.

I had a look at Nero yesterday, but couldn't see where it gave me the choice. Can you explain where it is/how to do it please?
TIA

Alcazar

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

If the source files are WMA then it will always be in WMA when you come to burn them. I dont think Nero coverts WMA to mp3 on the fly. So as said you will have to get a 3rd party app to convert them. Where did u rip them from WMP10? Thats where you decide to saveas Mp3. Might just be easier to rip them again, but this time to mp3

scoobyster

iTunes will convert WMA to MP3 for you and is a free download. It takes nearly as long as ripping in the first place, so if you don't have that many CDs to do I'd rip em afresh as MP3 as they'll be a bit better quality than converted from WMA. To rip with WMP as MP3, click Tools, Options, Rip Settings and change the format to mp3.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Sorry to be thick, but I've just been into WMP, and can't find "Rip settings" anywhere.

It doesn't seem to be in Tools> options

Oh, and just to make you smile, does "rip" mean copy from cd etc to computer? Showing my age here

Alcazar

Phantom_Flan_Flinger

What exactly are you trying to do?

Do you just want to take songs from 1 CD and put it on another, or have you got existing music files that you may have downloaded, which may be in AAC, MP3 or WMA format?

Edit - Here are the ways to save different formats in ITunes, Nero and WMP.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I've got SOME files on my computer, some are in MP3 some in WMA format. So far, no probs, as the only things I've downloaded (???) 'em to have been a Sony Minidisc, and now a Sony Hard Drive player. Their software puts any files into the right format for the player (ATRAC???)

I recently bought a new headunit for the wife's car, it plays MP3 and WMA, so no probs there.

BUT: I now fancy one myself, and was looking at Sony stuff, which doesn't appear to support WMA. Asked them and their stuff doesn't. Headunits anyway.

I had intended putting the stuff already on the computer onto an MP3 type disc first, then slowly ripping(???) the rest of my collection onto other discs. I've even been looking at an MP3 autochanger for up to 6 discs.

I'm not sure what to do now. Junk the rest of my Sony stuff, and buy one that supports WMA, or what?

Alcazar

scoobyster

Ripping is the process of saving music from a CD onto your PC in a compressed format (mp3, wma, etc). The ripped music files are then on your hard drive and available to be burned to a CD or sent to your MD or HD players.

Do you know if the files you've put onto MD been stored on the PC as ATRAC (they will have been converted to ATRAC by the PC and stored temporarily, but maybe also permanently for future use, depending on your settings probably)? They would probably have been stored somewhere seperate to wherever you store your MP3 and WMA files usually, i.e. C:\Sony\Music or something. If so that might solve your problem as some Sony headunits also support the ATRAC format as well as MP3.

Personally I would rather work with the latest ATRAC format (3 plus, I think) or WMA rather than MP3, as most people say they sound better for a lower bitrate (thus file size) so you can get more tracks onto a CD-R. Given that you've invested in a Sony HD player I would choose ATRAC 3+ if you've seen a Sony headunit you like that supports it.

As an aside, many headunits that claim to support WMA now don't if you have the latest updates for WMP; the jokers at MS have changed the WMA codec (software that does the encoding maths) which makes it incompatible with numerous WMA players, inc. my Panasonic headunit WMAs encoded with the earlier codec are unaffected, but they've made it very hard to change back to the old codec (in order to continue using that for new music you buy) for reasons known only to themselves.