note: the OS X version of this tutorial can be found here.
You’ve downloaded a concert or two from http://bt.etree.org and now you want to convert the flac files to mp3 to take with you on your iPod or MP3 player. This tutorial will walk you through the steps to do just that, using Microsoft Windows. Read on
First things first, make sure you’ve downloaded and installed Winamp, the Flac with library support plug-in for Winamp, and iTunes, all of which are free.
There are two steps in converting your .flac files to .mp3. The first is to decode the .flac’s into .wav files. After that’s done, you’ll encode the .wav files into .mp3’s.
Decoding .flac files with Winamp
Encoding .wav files with iTunes
Decoding .flac files with Winamp
- Open Winamp and select Options and then Preferences… (note: if you’re using the “classic version” skin, open the Winamp Preferences by clicking the Control and p keys on your keyboard)
- Select Output from the Plug-ins section of the left window, and then select Nullsoft Disk Writer. Click Configure.
- Click the Directory: button so you can choose a location to save the .wav files
- Navigate to the folder you want to save the .wav files in. I usually save them in the same folder as the .flac files.
- Click OK to return to the Preferences window, and then Close to return to Winamp. Now select File -> Play file… and navigate to the folder with your .flac files. Select all of the .flac files by single-clicking the first file, holding down the Shift key on your keyboard, and then single-clicking the last file. When all of the files are selected, click Open
- Press the Play button. Winamp will now decode the .flac files and turn them into .wav files. It typically takes about 20 seconds to convert a 5 minute song, but this depends on how “fast” your PC is.
Once Winamp is done decoding the files, make sure to set the Plug-ins -> Output back to DirectSound output, or the next time you try to play a file using Winamp, it will decode that file instead.
Check to make sure all of the .wav files were created.
Encoding .wav files with iTunes
- First you need to make sure that iTunes will encode the songs to .mp3 (rather than the default, which is .aac). Start by selecting Edit and then Preferences…
- On the General tab click the Import Settings… button.
- Select MP3 Encoder from the Import Using: list, and then choose a quality from the Setting list. Click OK when you’re done.
- Back in the main iTunes window, select File and then Add Folder to Library…
- Navigate to the folder that you saved the .wav files in and select it. Click OK
- Find the newly imported .wav files in iTunes and select them all (single-click the first file, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard, and then single-click the last file). Right-click on any of the selected files and choose Create MP3 Version. You may want to get a cup of coffee right now, as this step will take a while (depending on the number of files you’re converting).
- iTunes will let you know it’s done converting the files by playing a little “beep”. Now is also a good time to remove the .wav files from your iTunes library so you don’t confuse them with the (identical looking) mp3 files. With the .wav files still highlighted, click the Delete key on your keyboard. If prompted, click the Remove button.
That’s it, you’re done! Rename the files in iTunes (if you wish), give them a listen or transfer them to your iPod/mp3 player. Don’t forget to delete the .wav files if you no longer need them – they’re pretty big and take up quite a bit of space on your hard drive.
The .mp3 files can be found by going to My Documents -> My Music -> iTunes -> iTunes Music -> Artist Name -> Album Name
If you’d like to speed up the conversion and encoding process, try out RegistryBooster 2009. Not only will it make speed up converting your flac files, your whole system will run faster.
I’m having trouble with winamp, everthing you say is written perfectly, but when i follow th einstructions winamp doesn’t convert the files to wav, they open into winamp, but its like the program is waiting for something.
Brenna,
Did you click “play” in Winamp after you added the files? Winamp won’t actually “play” the files, but they’ll decode to .wav (pretty quickly). If you only loaded one song, and did click play, check the directory you set (see step 3 at the top) – the file might be there (and you may not have noticed it decode since it happened so quickly). Hope this helps -
Ross
Sort of a silly brute-force way of doing it, but helped me out!
Thanks!!
Just wanted to say thanks. Just spent 20 minutes trying to find a free trial with a converter program that would do more than 1 or 2 minutes.
This was really simple and easy to follow. Thank you.
This was easy to follow & understand. Clear, concise, coherent. Thank you so much for writing this so that I could understand it & not making me feel like a fool at the same time.
Thank goodness for you (whoever figured this out and wrote it in such easy-to-follow directions)!
After trying out several cryptic programs and websites i finally found this one and I’m all set!
Thanks again
~kenny
Yours was the clearest info I found.
Screen shots were reassuring. Worked well. End result just as I wanted ..a John Cale concert moved from downloaded FLAC format onto portable MP3 player (using 320 bitrate in deference to original quality)
Thank you so much. I, like others, was searching for a while to find a freeware application that could do this, and here was a simple procedure waiting in the wings. Your instructions were extremely clear and worked like a charm. Thanks again!
Thank you for the help it was very easy to understand
and to follow with all the screen shots You deserve a raise.
Just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time to help out the computer challenged. I found some really great live recordings online, and being able to share those sounds with friends and family is such a treasure!!
Namaste
wow that was absolutely great
thank you so easy
Perfection.
Many thanks!
Excellent tutorial! Thank you very much!
Thank you so much. Saved me a lot of time. Greetings from Brazil.
Thanks for the guide but I have a problem towards the end. I successfully converted the FLAC files to WAV format, but iTunes would not recognize the WAV files when I tried to import them. Does anybody know why that happens and possibly any solutions? Any response would be greatly appreciated!
Never mind. I found out what I did wrong. Thanks again.
Thanks So much for the easy and simple instructions….After first Googleing FLAC to Mp3 I thought I was going to have to install yet another converter (GREAT), but thanks to you no way, I already had what I needed. You help was very much appreciated !!!!
Thanks a lot. Great way to convert. You helped me solve my problem in an easy-to-comprehend way. Wish everybody were this clear when explaning things.
Thanks for this, it’s a great and easy way to convert flac files without having to install a bunch of crappy programs that take up unnecessary space.
Although I used LAME to convert into mp3’s but it’s all the same.
Thanks.
thanks! worked perfectly.. good job!
Thanks for this, worded really well and easy to follow. Although if you do not want to use itunes to convert the .wav’s to mp3, Exact Audio Copy with Lame mp3 plug in works well to.
thanks the description is perfect
Sweet! Thank you!
I don’t really know what I’m doing wrong. I installed Winamp and the flac plug-in, but whenever I got to convert it into .wav file, the Nullsoft Disk Writer plug-in isn’t there. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong, because I can’t seem to figure it out. I would really appreciate it.
Excellent guide
I also wanted to convert ape to mp3 and worked exactly the same way!
Thanks
hey thanks a lot. now i can listen to my MM show with ease.
Great HowTo
To skip the wav step, you can simply install the “out lame” plugin (http://www.winamp.com/plugins/details.php?id=143606) in winamp.
Start winamp, Ctrl+P (i.e. Preferences), go to the “Plug-ins->Output”, select “Lame MP3 Writer plugin” and click on “Configure”… the configuration is pretty straight forward. I personally like VBR (Variable Bit Rate) min 128, max 192…
Enjoy
To Ximena, you do not need the “Nullsoft Disk Writer plug-in” if you install the out lame plugin (http://www.winamp.com/plugins/details.php?id=143606). It will save you one step, by writing the songs directly in MP3. Let us know you still have problems…
Cheers,
It worked this time, thanks so much!
Great incstructions: saved me a lot of time and it is a simple help without downloading any crap.
Thanks a lot!
When I press open after selecting flac files in step 5 I get a FLAC PLUG IN ERROR saying there was an error processing metadata(FLAC_FILE_DECODER_SEEKABLE_STREAM_DECODER_ERROR)
Oh SNAP!
Check out comment #28 by Loic. THAT is as good of a tip as this whole tutorial, which is VERY good.
Thank you !) for this tutorial. I was scratching my head trying to figure out how to get the .flac files on my ipod!
i forgot to change the settings in winamp back and accidentaly changed an avi file to wav. can i change the file back?
thanks maaan…
Great work on the guide, but I have a different approach that will work with more OS’s (and is – dare I say – simpler?)
One time setup:
1. Download and install Audacity.
2. Run Audacity and go to Edit; Preferences; File Formats
3. In the MP3 box, click “Find Library” and find the lame-enc.dll file on your computer. (Go to this page for instructions on downloading it if you don’t already have one.)
To convert file:
1. Open the .flac file with Audacity.
2. File; Export as; MP3
Didn’t work for me…
Just like comment #1.
Any suggestions on what “crappy” programs to use?
WOW! WOW!
This works perfectly! Its even easier to do that downloading a crappy trial flac-to-mp3 and having it not work, and then trying other software. I already had itunes, because I have an ipod, then I download the minimum version of winamp, and did it all. It took me about 3 minutes. REALLY, REALLY easy and it does not cost ANYTHING!! Thanks so much for putting this info up
!!!
thanx alot
almost too simple
Thanks alot worked a treat and was easy to do. I spent ages looking for a converter as mine didn’t support FLAC files. Glad I found this site and didn’t waste my money on one that did.
Thanks again
AWESOME, much appreciated!
cheers mate
the instructions were clear, concise and to the point
and more importantly, it works
thanks a lot
you are a star
Excellent! You are amazing, you are a saviour! Was about to resort to downloading one of those damn freewares which would be the worst thing to do for a simple task like that.. You rock!
When I go to Winamp preferences>output>Nullsoft..>configure>
I get the message “nothing to configure”
Thanks for the detailed instructions. Excellent details and pictures.
I easily completed the task. Great work!
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!! Ive never done that before and it was SO easy!!
Not daunting at all. Thank you so much, it was very clear.
Superb ! The man who wrote it is genius!
Superb ! The man who wrote it is genius!
This is absolutely great.
Fantastic.
The writer not only explains step by step simply how to do it, but it also provides the tools needed.
Simply superb as many said.
Cheers from Argentina.
Omg, Thanks alot! It worked, I had downloaded these files that no music player could play and now I can listen to them in Mp3 form ^^.
Three thumbs up.