Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

[Rokitman]

[SIZE=4]
Hi,

Could someone please give me advice on how to set the options for converting MP3 files to WMA? Most of my MP3's were converted long ago, but I forget the settings I used. I do remember that when they were converted, the file size was roughly half of the original. That's what I'm shooting for, and in as lossless a condition as possible.

Thanx,
- Dean -
[/SIZE]

[garym]

Re: Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

You do understand that converting a lossy file (like mp3) to another lossy format (WMA) is a bad idea. Typically this is to be avoided as you will lose quality with such transcoding between lossy codecs. The loss in quality may or may not be audible, but again, not a good idea. Why do you need WMA? For a phone or something? If so, you should definitely retain the mp3 versions.

[Rokitman]

Re: Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

[SIZE=4]I have literally 10's of thousands of wma files on my computer at this moment. I do this to conserve space. The conversion I used in the past produced little discernible difference that I could hear other than add a bit more treble. So it's merely a space saving technique. I do have a hearing loss and wear hearing aids. So my ability to hear subtle differences in sound quality is slightly compromised. As long as the loss of quality is minimal, I think I can live with it. Unless there is a better way to achieve what I'm looking for.[/SIZE]

[garym]

Re: Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

the quality loss should be minimal. But then again, mp3 files are not much larger than wma files. I could understand doing this if you were converting from lossless files (WAV, AIFF, FLAC, etc.) to a lossy format. But size differences should be minimal between mp3 and wma files. But in any case, you can convert to wma. Use the dbpa batch converter, select the directories you want to convert, click convert, and select the WMA codec. You may need to install that codec from Codec Central. I'm not sure what settings to use as I don't use WMA. Maybe someone else can chime in.

[Rokitman]

Re: Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

[SIZE=4]Yes, I would like other opinions. As I said, the resulting file was about half the original which works well for me. I do retain the original mp3 files on another drive in case the need arises to convert to another format. So that obviously greatly increases my space requirements. The wma file size for my audio tracks now averages between 1 and 4 MB. And I have a fairly sophisticated sound system. So I'm able to adjust the frequencies to suit my listening preferences. Any suggestions on how to reduce the file size ~ whether it be to wma or some other format ~ would be greatly appreciated.[/SIZE]

[garym]

Re: Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

[SIZE=4]Yes, I would like other opinions. As I said, the resulting file was about half the original which works well for me. I do retain the original mp3 files on another drive in case the need arises to convert to another format. So that obviously greatly increases my space requirements. The wma file size for my audio tracks now averages between 1 and 4 MB. And I have a fairly sophisticated sound system. So I'm able to adjust the frequencies to suit my listening preferences. Any suggestions on how to reduce the file size ~ whether it be to wma or some other format ~ would be greatly appreciated.[/SIZE]

my mp3 files created with LAME at -V2 settings are typically closer to 8 to 10 MB (kbps of about 192 on average). So you must be compressing quite a bit. You could try converting to mp3 with LAME at -V5 and see what size you get. Again, I don't use WMA so I don't know what settings are available. Seems you'd want a target bitrate of about 96 or so to get to the sizes you are contemplating.

[Rokitman]

Re: Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

my mp3 files created with LAME at -V2 settings are typically closer to 8 to 10 MB (kbps of about 192 on average). So you must be compressing quite a bit. You could try converting to mp3 with LAME at -V5 and see what size you get. Again, I don't use WMA so I don't know what settings are available. Seems you'd want a target bitrate of about 96 or so to get to the sizes you are contemplating.

[SIZE=4]Wow! I took your advice and the file size went from over 9MB to just over 4. And can't tell a difference in quality. I suppose there's no way to convert my WMA's back to MP3 Lame V5 and restore the original quality?[/SIZE]

[garym]

Re: Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

[SIZE=4]Wow! I took your advice and the file size went from over 9MB to just over 4. And can't tell a difference in quality. I suppose there's no way to convert my WMA's back to MP3 Lame V5 and restore the original quality?[/SIZE]

no, once a file is converted to a lower quality it is impossible to convert it back to something else and restore the quality. And the more times you convert from one lossy format to another, you'll lose some quality.

[Rokitman]

Re: Best Settings For MP3 To WMA

no, once a file is converted to a lower quality it is impossible to convert it back to something else and restore the quality. And the more times you convert from one lossy format to another, you'll lose some quality.

[SIZE=4]Well, thanx anyway. I now know I don't have to change the format to get a smaller size. But now I'm stuck with tons of wma files I should replace with the smaller mp3's. Well, it'll give me something to do for a while.[/SIZE]