Incomplete conversion .m4a to mp3

[Glen Vaal]

I've downloaded and registered DMC + codecs because I want to convert my .m4a tunes to .mp3, so I can load them onto my mobile phone. File conversion starts OK but then completes prematurely, creating .mp3 files that play and then stop short. The duration appears to be random - from a few seconds to almost complete. No error messages are issued and all behaves smoothly. Does anyone have any idea whats going on and how I can get complete conversions?
Thanks,
Glen

[ChristinaS]

Re: Incomplete conversion .m4a to mp3

Could some of the .m4a files be protected?


What settings do your .m4a files have and what settings did you pick for .mp3 ?

Anyway, ebfore we go too far in speculaiton, please post here you dMC Configuration information, so we can refer to it.

[Glen Vaal]

Re: Incomplete conversion .m4a to mp3

Config dump below as requested:

Version Information
dBpowerAMP Music Converter: Release 11.5
Power Pack & Mp3 License: [ Registered: Yes ]
dBpowerAMP Audio Player: Not Installed 'music Player like no other'
dBpowerAMP CD Writer: Not Installed 'easy way to burn audio cds'
Sveta Portable Audio: Not Installed 'enhance your portable player'

Contact Information
Web Site: http://www.dbpoweramp.com
Support: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/support.htm
Support Forum: http://forum.dbpoweramp.com
Codec Central: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central.htm
Add extra [en/de]coding abilities such as m4a, wma, etc.

Smart Install Codecs
Ogg Vorbis: .ogg
Musepack: .mpc
Flac: .flac
Monkeys Audio: .ape
OptimFROG: .ofr
Shorten: .shn
WavPack: .wv


===Shell Integration===
Convert To (right click): On
Edit Tag (right click): On
Popup information Tips: On
Explorer ID Tag Property Page: On
Explorer Columns: On


===Codecs===
Installed Compression Codecs (Write)
AAC to Mp4: [ .mp4 ]
Advanced Audio Coding (CLI): Release 5 (Faac v1.24.1) [ .aac ]
m4a (FAAC CLI): Release 3.5 (Faac v1.24.1, AppleLossless 0.1.5) [ .m4a ]
Mp3 (Lame): Lame Version 3.96.1 [ .mp3 ]
Mp4 to AAC: [ .aac ]
Test Conversion (No Write)
Wave: [ .wav ]
Windows Media Audio V9.1: Release 1 [ .wma ]
Windows Media Audio V9: Release 2 [ .wma ]


Installed Input Codecs (Read)
AAC Decoder: Release 5 [Faad v2.1] .aac
Auxiliary Input Decoder: .aux
CD Input Decoder: .cda
Mp3 Input Decoder: .mp3; .mp2; .mpga; .mpa; .mpx; .mpg; .mp1
mp4 Decoder: .mp4; .m4a; .m4b
Wave Input Decoder: .wav
Windows Media Audio Input Decoder: .wma; .asf; .wmv


===Options===
dBpowerAMP Reference Options
Pro. Frequency Conversion: Off (faster but less quality)

Mp3 Input Decoder
CRC Errors: Ignore
Decode To: 16 bit (dithered)

Wave Compression Codec
More than 16 bit or 2 Channels: Write WaveFormatEx Header



===ID Tag Options===
AAC
Tag Creation: Ape2
Write ID3v2 Unicode: No
Write ID3v2 Version: v2.3

Mp3
Tag Creation: ID3v2
Write ID3v1 Version: v1.1
ID3v1 UTF8 Read: Yes
ID3v1 UTF8 Write: No
Write ID3v2 Unicode: No
Write ID3v2 Version: v2.3

Windows Media Audio
Write Track Number as: WM/TrackNumber

[xoas]

Re: Incomplete conversion .m4a to mp3

And could you share your settings (frrequency, bitrate/quality setting, channels) for your m4a file and for the mp3 file you are trying to create?

Could your m4a file(s) be copy-protected?

Some users have had success in similiar circumstances by using the AAC to Mp4 codec to convert the AAC file to mp4 and then converting the mp4 file to mp3. Have you tried this?

Best wishes,
Bill

[Glen Vaal]

Re: Incomplete conversion .m4a to mp3

Bill,

I much appreciate this help.

The original file is an m4a file that my son has in his iTunes library. The settings are:
Compression ratio: 10:1 (9%)
Freq: 44100
Channel: 2
Bitrate: 128Kbps
AAC type: Low Complexity
ID tag mp4 ID tag

The .mp3 file that I was trying to create used the DMC defaults - by all means suggest what I should try and I'll do that - sorry I'm not familiar with audio file characteristics...though learning rapidly. Thanks.

As for protection..how can I check this? It seems odd that the partially converted files are playable as mp3....they are simply short. What I see on conversion is the progress bar start slowly while the programme goes to work, then after a few seconds the bar jumps to the end, therebvy suggesting completion when it's not.
Thanks, Glen

[ChristinaS]

Re: Incomplete conversion .m4a to mp3

Are any DSP effects being used? Check them in the powerpack DSP options, some may have been present right from the start as default settinga. If so, delete all of them and try your conversion again.

[Glen Vaal]

Re: Incomplete conversion .m4a to mp3

This is very strange.
I checked and cleared the DSP settings (there were none but I cleared anyway).

I converted one of the .m4a to .AAC

The conversion appeared to work and produced a .AAC file of a similar size to the original .m4a file - however on playing the music stopped after the first few bars (similar to when I converted the same files to .mp3).

Being ignorant I can only assume that some kind of protection is at work - but that's some tease - just converting the first few bars!

Just to confirm. The original .m4a file plays completely in iTUnes.

If anyone has any other suggestions I'll gladly try them. Otherwise I think I'll have to go back to original CDs.

Glen