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Poll

Which software you use for converting lossless files?

foobar2000
EZ CD Audio Converter
dBpoweramp
Fre:ac
Others (Please comment the name)
Topic: Which software you use for converting lossless files? (Read 8370 times) previous topic - next topic
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Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Hello Everyone.  :)
I'm just curious to know, what software most people use to convert their files.
Please vote which one you use.
(If possible, please tell us why you choose that one over the others)  :)

and if the name is not there. Please post a quick reply with the software name.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #1 –
I most often use Frontah with command-line encoders. It is an old front-end that is adaptable to new programs. I don't need to update to a new version (and there aren't any), and can use it on any Windows install. Because the program simply connects decoder to an encoder using standard input, I can't accidentally leave a DSP enabled or add unwanted dithering. For splitting cue images, I use Foobar2000.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #2 –
This is a fb2k-friendly place ... I use that. But quite often also:

* Reference command-line applications: Official FLAC - and WavPack, for those files I need WavPack for. (32-bit float, and the odd DSD I keep for testing purposes - for those, better use command-line anyway.)
* CUETools for manipulating cuesheets and the like. (Repairs ain't a "lossless" operation, but ... since I need to have CUETools around, I sometimes use it also for tasks where I could have done without.)
* And I have used ffmpeg on ALAC, but nowadays I think Apple users on lossless are back to rather uploading their stuff as AIFF than ALAC? Probably because they get AIFFs out of their audio workstations?

Oh, and another warning against at least some versions of the FLAC GUI front-end.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #3 –
Foobar2000 ; it's just the all around best for general audio conversion/playback. it's got a simple interface that works without the bloat and works with all of the best encoders. it seems many use it (especially around here) and gets program updates here and there and has been around many years now.

like FLAC to MP3/AAC(Apple* or FhG*)/Opus etc. even on the occasion I go lossy-to-lossy(this is best avoided if possible), or even FLAC (older version) to FLAC (newer version), or converting from "HD" FLAC to standard CD AUDIO(44.1/16) FLAC etc to save storage space since "HD" audio is basically a gimmick as all one really needs is standard 44.1/16 and with that you can always count on it working and is more efficient for storage to. or even those occasions in the past where I got a hold of non-standard lossless files (i.e. ".APE" etc) ill convert them back to FLAC and then dump the non-standard lossless files. I even have the 'SoX' resampler plugin installed which can be good for converting lossless HD to lossless standard.

* = one needs to manually setup FhG (from WinAMP) or Apple to get the best AAC (standard AAC-LC) encoding available as it seems Apple is considered the best, with FhG being a good alternative (FhG might be better if you playing with REALLY low bit rates (which people generally won't use) etc). I would generally avoid other AAC encoders since they are not quite up to the standards of those two.

so one installs Foobar2000 along with the Encoder Pack (i.e. https://www.foobar2000.org/encoderpack ) and your pretty much set besides Apple/FhG AAC audio conversion which one has to manually setup separately. or in other words... if your not going to use standard AAC (AAC-LC) files then you can just install Foobar2000 along with the Encoders Pack and your good since it works great with FLAC/MP3/Opus etc.

p.s. hell, Foobar2000 is a major reason I got WINE installed on Linux Mint. because it's just superior for general audio playback/conversion which I doubt there is a native Linux program that comes close.
For music I suggest (using Foobar2000)... MP3 (LAME) @ V5 (130kbps). NOTE: using on AGPTEK-U3 as of Mar 18th 2021. I use 'fatsort' (on Linux) so MP3's are listed in proper order on AGPTEK-U3.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #4 –
foobar2000, for all the reasons given above and below in my message.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #5 –
foobar2000 for the vast majority conversions, including FLAC and WavPack > lossy. BatchEncoder for DSD to WavPack.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #6 –
EZ audio because it's easy.
EZ CD Audio Converter / FLAC or WavPack

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Adil on
foobar2000, for all the reasons given above and below in my message.
+1
foobar2000, for all seasons

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #8 –
foobar2000 of course, because it is my main player for music playback, library organization, tagging, so why not to do convert too. It is fast, simple to use and pretty reliable too.
Somewhere, there's someone dying in a foreign land
Meanwhile, the world is crying stupidity of man
Tell me why, tell me why

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #9 –
On macOS, I use XLD, especially for ripping, or I use command line tools directly for one-off conversions.

If I need to convert something out of VGMStream, I use foobar2000 in CrossOver, which is easier to deal with than running a native copy of vgmstream123.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #10 –
I use mainly the CLI reference encoders/decoders and FFmpeg.

Other tools:
- Foobar2000 (Wine/Linux) for playback, analysis and sometimes some conversions.
- EAC for ripping (Wine/Linux)
- CUETools / CUERipper for ripping, repairing and verifying (Wine/Linux)
- Incidently I use Fre:ac for ripping.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #11 –
oggdropXPd for Vorbis/OGG and lamedropXPd for MP3.
Exact Audio Copy for ripping and encoding CDs.
foobar2000 for fancy encoders.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #12 –
99% [Foobar2000 (would nice to share foo_converter.dll.cfg , the files with all convert settings )

BatchEncoder 5.1 x64 (full portable ) when i'm very lazy and don't want to use the foobar2000 custom and command line , very nice program with all encoder settings ,it can download the encoders from safe sites like rarewares

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #13 –
Quote from: francesco on
99% [Foobar2000 (would nice to share foo_converter.dll.cfg , the files with all convert settings )

BatchEncoder 5.1 x64 (full portable ) when i'm very lazy and don't want to use the foobar2000 custom and command line , very nice program with all encoder settings ,it can download the encoders from safe sites like rarewares
Batch Encoder doesn't transfer metadata. Which is very important for me.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #14 –
SoX mostly, sometimes ffmpeg or official flac.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #15 –
I use only command line tools with or without shell script.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #16 –
flac, wavpack, ffmpeg or SoX command line tools
Music: sounds arranged such that they construct feelings.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #17 –
ffmpeg, oggenc, opusenc, sox, flac, and a pleathora of other command line tools.
I consider the shell itself to be part of the tools, as I use it for one liners to convert entire libraries of files, etc.

Oh, and I also use them for recording, etc.
 

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #18 –
I have "Path" folder on my C drive where I store all my CLI tools.
I added this folder to Windows' system variables so I can access it from anywhere.
I have lots of tools there but I mostly use ffmpeg, flac, lame, mp3packer and qaac.
gold plated toslink fan

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #19 –
I mainly use foobar2000 but i use CUETools pretty much also.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #20 –
ffmpeg command line.
WavPack 5.6.0 -b384hx6cmv / qaac64 2.80 -V 100

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #21 –
Reposting because my methodology sort of changes with time. I occasionally use command line tools, at least on macOS and Linux, to do simple conversions or decoding to WAV, when working with the odd file now and then. I've also used command line tools such as exhale and afconvert to turn these into lossy files, also for testing.

But mostly, if I want to batch convert an album, or batch rip an album from a CD, I'll use XLD.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #22 –
I use console utilities (flac, ffmpeg, qaac, lame, etc.)

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #23 –
Was using sounkonverter for while but had issue with a few characters like # and I think ? as well. I currently use ffaudioconverter because of it.

Re: Which software you use for converting lossless files?

Reply #24 –
Quote from: Vicas on
foobar2000 of course, because it is my main player for music playback, library organization, tagging, so why not to do convert too. It is fast, simple to use and pretty reliable too.

I loved foobar2000 for it's modular interface on Windows. Sadly, the closest alternative to it I could find on Linux was a program called Deadbeef. One time, the latter literally played noise when playing an audio file [ that worked well with everything else ] and that was the straw for me. I had overlooked it's deficiencies over time but that was the time when I finally decided to remove it and be content with the fact that foorbar2000 doesn't really have a proper Linux counterpart.