Re: [PLUG] Looking for a multi-codec GUI audio converter

Michael Leone <turgon@mike-leone.com> · Sun, 09 May 2004 10:27:38 -0400

On Sun, 2004-05-09 at 09:10, Jeff Abrahamson wrote:

> If you can convert to WAV, then use your favorite mp3 encoder to
> convert wav to mp3.  

That makes 2 steps, and I want a one step. That was the way I had been
doing it  - convert to standard WAV, and then WAV -> MP3.

> From abcde:

Also this is CLI, and I was looking for GUI.

BTW, I saw your quote, and Bill Jonas's on the abcde web page. I said "I
know him!". :-)

> I note that mp3 encoders have disappeared from debian testing, though.

I use unstable, so - for me - this is not an issue.

> 
> Note that there's loss in resampling.

Yeah, but not enough to usually matter, altho you can many times tell,
on the lead-in to the song. And outweighed by the portability factor of
MP3s, IMO.

I think I have found it, tho.

http://www.rarewares.org/debian/packages/unstable/

has all kinds of encoders/decoders, for both audio and video. Also has
XMMS plugins to output MP3 (by calling lame). So I can get XMMS to read
in FLAC, SHN, WAV, and now output MP3, which is what I'm looking for. I
can listen to the lossless formats on the PC; and easily (if slowly :-)
convert to MP3 for taking the music on the road.

You're supposed to be able to add that site as an "apt" source, but it
never works for me, so I just download the packages off that web page.

I also found "shn2make", which reads a set of SHN files, and gives you a
standard Makefile, with options to make archive discs, convert to MP3 or
OGG, and to burn CDs, all from the command line. Kinda neat, even if it
doesn't do FLAC.

Thanks for the advice. One day I do want to try out abcde. I can't seem
to get k3b to burn audio CDs, altho it happily makes data CDs; and arson
just crashes outright. (these are KDE CD burning programs, for those who
don't know)