Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

[LtData]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

IIRC, rax is protected real audio files. When you say downloaded, do you mean legally or otherwise? If it wasn't legally downloaded, you cannot listen to them in any way, sorry.

[ChristinaS]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

Man, I have many problems! I should start with this one: My friend downloaded me some rax music files. But i dont know how to play them in Real player. Real player must download some speciffic kind of software but, it must be registered. Well, i dont have an Visa card for that. Can u help me, and tell me some other, free way to hear these rax files?!

You'll have to ask your friend to handle those files for you, since they are only playable on the original pc where they were downloaded, due to protection.

You friend will have to either burn an audio cd using Real Player or record the audio (to wav or mp3 or whatever format) from those files using dMC Auxiliary Input, as they are being played by Real Player. You can then use either the audio cd and rip it yourself, or the recorded audio files and convert them to whatever format you like.

[spiffywonderboy]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

I want to convert real audio files to mp3 so I downloaded the gogowrapper from http://www.muratasystem.or.jp/~boita/index-e.html
but I can't open the lzh file. Any suggestions?

[ChristinaS]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

What's that got to do with converting Real Audio files? You have dBpowerAMP and the required codecs for that.

[Abbo Bast]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

The link http://www.muratasystem.or.jp/~boita/index-e.html doesn't seem to work any more - anyone got a working link?

Cheers.

Actually strike this post - got a copy of Bingo! RM to MP3 convertor - wow lightning fast - 57MB RM file converted in less than 2 mins!! Yeehar.

[bobb]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast) command line

Bingo! RM to MP3 convertor - wow lightning fast

Oookay, Bingo! WANTS your wallet. No-no-no-no-nyet.

Upon finding the Gogo wrapper link broken, I googled and found the Gogo MP3 encoder, a command-line util (perfect!). Alas, this encoder only takes wave input.

So now I have mine set up as a two-pass process. Using dbpoweramp to go from .ra -> wav (20x fast), then use the Gogo encoder for wav -> mp3 (also fast). And no need to involved Winamp.

Controlling dbpoweramp thorugh vbscript is beautiful. Just as ez and more powerful than the ole DOS batch method. Go to the developer forum see how this is done. 4-5 lines of scripts and off ya go.

[Dill-eDandy]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

Upon finding the Gogo wrapper link broken, I googled and found the Gogo MP3 encoder, a command-line util (perfect!). Alas, this encoder only takes wave input.

G'day bobb, you didn't give a link to the command-line encoder. So I did a bit googling myself and came across the following link for the missing Gogo wrapper:

http://www.vector.co.jp/download/file/win95/art/fh208224.html

Never mind the Japanese language on the page. I have no idea what it means. When I arrived at this page the download started automatically. I spare you the previous pages I had to guessed my way through to get to the download page.

As to the command-line utility, is only link I found was

http://www.mp3-tech.org/software/encoders/winGogo236.zip

but since conversion with the new-found wrapper (and WinAmp 5.23) works brilliantly for me I haven't tried it yet.

Many thanks gals and guys (in particular FriedEggs) for this.

[knonymouse]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

I have successfully installed the codecs and converted .ra files to .mp3 files. In the configuration setup text file I listed .rm on a separate line.

However .rm files convert in a trice to a 1k useless file. What's happening that the conversion is not successful? (The .rm files themselves play fine so they are not corrupted.)

Ideas? Thanks.

[LtData]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

See here for the most likely reason: http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=4992

[knonymouse]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

I don't believe the .rm files that convert to useless 1kb files are metafiles since each is over 13Kb in size. Other ideas?

(The .rm file plays as an audio file, but changing the extension to .ra for conversion makes no difference; that results in a useless 1 kb file also.)

[ChristinaS]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

I don't believe the .rm files that convert to useless 1kb files are metafiles since each is over 13Kb in size. Other ideas?

(The .rm file plays as an audio file, but changing the extension to .ra for conversion makes no difference; that results in a useless 1 kb file also.)

Real media files fall into different categories:

1. those that can be converted using either the Directshow codec or the Real Media codec.
   
2. those that can be converted using only one of these codecs and not the other.
   
3. those that cannot be converted using either of these codecs. Typically I think these are files encoded for multiple target audiences. They may also be protected files. The type of audience the file is for is information you will only get from Real Player.

So since you were not able to convert using the Directshow codec, you may try to see if you can convert using the real media (real time) codec. This however requires Real Player to be installed and Real Alternative NOT to be installed.

If you cannot convert using either of the codecs (or if you don't want to keep installing and uninstalling Real Player and Real Alternative as neither like to be present simultaneously), then your options are:

1. Burn an audio cd using Real Player and then rip the cd using dMC Audio cd Input. This is a bit roundabout and probably not worth the trouble of navigating the Real Player settings for burning cd's.
   
2. Use dMC Auxiliary Input to record the audio as it is being played through the soundcard by whatever player can play the file.

[knonymouse]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

Ok. Thank you for the detailed reply, which will help other forum readers in the future.

But for me, the plot thickens.

While waiting for a reply as above, I make a new install on another computer in the house following the same procedures, and ran the .rm files on that. Lo and behold!! they converted beautifully... Even though I did not uninstall realplayer (for which I did not want to lose the stored bookmarks) or reboot (since on XP). So now I know the .rm files are not the problem.

Next, back to the first computer, I uninstalled dBpoweramp and directshow codec using control panel. Then I reinstalled in the same way that had just worked on the second computer. Still no joy.

Two procedures still to try are to reboot (which I didn't want to do at present and lose place in a download queue) or uninstall realplayer (bookmarks). Even if realplayer and realalternative don't like to coexist, why would .ra convert and not .rm?

Other than those, on the first computer, do you know what may allow .ra but not .rm to convert, even though the apparently same arrangement works on the second computer?

Meanwhile, I do have an alternative involving shuffling files on the home network to the second machine.

Thanks again.

[ChristinaS]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

Real Player being installed on the same computer as Real Alternative can cause problems if you try using the DirectShow codec.

Otherwise, have you tried renameing an .rm file to .ra and see if it will convert then? I fhtta works, I'm thinking there may be subtleties in the real media codecs which may depend on the extension used.

[the quest]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

Hey Zigfrid...i am sorry to tell you this but , it is not possible to play the .rax files with out registering your computer with the Music Store for Real Player. The only way you can listen to these tracks is by registering your computer. Well one thing you could do is to , ask your friend to get your computer registered by signing into the Music Store in Real Plyer with his registered email address and password. Once regisetered you can go ahead and play the tracks without any prolem...again you will be able to register only uptp 5 computers with your friends email address . So just confirm with yopur friend if he has an email address you could use and to make sure he doesn't have more than 5 computers registered. (This can be done only if your friend has an authorised account with Real Player Music Store)

Best Wishes,
The Quest

[the quest]

Re: Converting Real Audio to MP3 (fast)

Man, I have many problems! I should start with this one: My friend downloaded me some rax music files. But i dont know how to play them in Real player. Real player must download some speciffic kind of software but, it must be registered. Well, i dont have an Visa card for that. Can u help me, and tell me some other, free way to hear these rax files?!

Hey Zigfrid...i am sorry to tell you this but , it is not possible to play the .rax files with out registering your computer with the Music Store for Real Player. The only way you can listen to these tracks is by registering your computer. Well one thing you could do is to , ask your friend to get your computer registered by signing into the Music Store in Real Plyer with his registered email address and password. Once regisetered you can go ahead and play the tracks without any prolem...again you will be able to register only uptp 5 computers with your friends email address . So just confirm with yopur friend if he has an email address you could use and to make sure he doesn't have more than 5 computers registered. (This can be done only if your friend has an authorised account with Real Player Music Store)

Best Wishes,
The Quest