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.
Thanks for the help… much appreciated
Thanks very much. Very helpful.
Thanks a ton..very helpful!
So everything goes great for the first part. Using Winamp is all good.
When I get to iTunes I change all the right setting, but when I go to add the folder, the top of the iTunes window (where it normally shows the progress of downloads/music playing/ etc) has a brief flash, and then nothing happens.
Any ideas? =/
Thanks !!! IT worked like a charm !!
Cheers for the clear and concise walk through – everything worked perfectly!
Thanks again!
This was an excellent guide; thankyou very much!
I installed the plug-in, but it is listed as an input for winamp, and so I cannot rewrite the .flac files. Can anyone help me with this?
Thanks, if you were here right now I would buy you a beer. Granted it is only 8:45 in the morning but what the hell.
Thank you so much! You made it very clear and easy!
very useful, thanks
A most excellent approach, explanation and solution.
Worked like a charm.
May the force be with you!
thanks a whole bunch!
Thanks so much , this was SO easy and clear direction. Awesome!
Thank you very much! This guide is the best, very simple and easy to follow…thanks again! //KingPin of Sweden
good!! thanks
Can someone please help me? The winamp plug-in is becoming an input, instead of being in the output folder. How can I make this into an output so that I can write out the file, instead of just playing it?
Thank you a lot
wow! thanks a lot guys, now I should know better…
You genius! Finally, a way of converting flac to mp3 without those dodgy programs online. Thank you so much!
Most appreciated, thanks very much.
Thanks SO much!! very much appreciated
super description – thx!
Thanks so much, very helpful instructions!
thank u so much, it’s an awesome tip.
Great tutorial.
You made me realise what a great contribution Winamp is making to the online sound and video generating world (FLAC & Ogg Support, SHOUTCAST streaming protocol etc), so much so that I paid for and downloaded the full Winamp Pro application. They are well worthy of support.
Keep ‘em great tutorials coming, bro’.
I followed these instuctions to a T and worked out perfectly!
Thanks so much.
Great instructions! Thanks!
I would like to add another kudos! First time I encountered the .flac extension file and this is the first site I opened up to get info on how to handle the file. Things work perfectly and fast! Thanks!
Hi,
having problems here despite clear instructions. Conversion goes wrong when Winamp converts to WAV. It takes a 26Mgb audio file and outputs a 44bit file which of course is not right. retried many times but, as the saying goes, doing the same thing and expecting a different result is a sign of madness.
any guidance appreciated. thx
Thanks!
Thankyou so much for this, it helped me convert those pesky FLACs without having to download anything I didn’t already have, unlike some other websites recommended!
Thank you so much for this easy-to-follow instruction.
The only problem I have, is that I can’t find the files, so dont want to delete the .wav files til I’m sure the music is backed up. They are safely in my iTunes Library but don’t figure anywhere else!!
Any help would be appreciated
MB
Why do the files takes up so much space now? I have a 3 minute song that takes up 32.2 mb?
SUPPA!!… Really well done and easy to understand… Thanks so much.
Thanks for the help, but I can’t seem to get the files to play on Itunes. They play on Winamp, but I don’t know how to move them over to my Itunes. It won’t let me drag from the file I keep them in.
Even after I convert everything it still shows my files as flac.
BRILLIANT. by following the guide picture by picture it works without even the smallest scratching ones head and wondering if one should just forget it and stick to downloading MP3 only. FLAC is a far better quality and this simple method which does take a bit of time, bookmark the page and go slowly through it, mostly you may have left winamp on the wrong options if this doesn’t work perfectly and seamlessly… Well done, this really does give it step by step, believe me I know next to nothing of these things and get few right, brilliant, thank you and well done, a cudos to the submitter of this guide. For Mac users, use FLUKE
my winamp keeps converting all files that i play.. how do i change it back?
oh damn thanks soo much even though it took several hours cuz the pack of music downloaded of flacs was over 50 gigs booo t took a while to get it all done butt thanks alot idk wtf i wudda dun w/o finding this!!! thanksss….
I keep getting an error when I try to play the files in winamp. It is:
FLAC_FILE_DECODER_SEEKABLE_STREAM_DECODER_ERROR
What a great guide. Fantastic that I don’t have to use a converter to go from FLAC to MP3. Thanks for going to the effort to write it.
I don’t know if this comment, being #542, will be noticed at all, but there’s an EVEN EASIER WAY without having to have iTunes (personally I don’t like that program that much).
Download and install this:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/LAME_ACM_Codec.htm
To install it, unzip the ZIP file, then right-click in the “LameACM.inf” file and then click “Install” in the contextual menu. Click “Continue” if you see any prompts.
After that, you will be able to convert STRAIGHT from FLAC to MP3 in Winamp! No need for the additional WAV step! Just tick the “Convert to format” checkbox in the “Nullsoft Disk Writer” configuration window (the same window you use to select the WAV output directory in Winamp), and then click the big button below that “Convert to format” checkbox, select “MPEG Layer-3″ and finally select your preferred MP3 quality, and close both windows (Ok / Close).
Then play your FLAC files and they’ll convert to straight to MP3!
Hope this helps.
OMA
Please help – the conversion has all worked just fine, I have deleted the relevant files from itunes so that I just have my mp3 files left, alas itunes is telling me that there is a problem and it won’t play my tunes anymore!!!
When I open up itunes, the following message box appears : ‘itunes has detected a problem with your audio configuration. Audio/video playback may not operate properly.’
When I try to play tunes within itunes they just don’t start playing (this is for both the tunes that I had in itunes before the conversion of the new files and the new files). I am hoping that my settings are just wrong but don’t really know which ones to change. Please please help!
Thanks a lot!!!
Awesome. Converting right now. Thanks a ton.
THanks very much for this information. It is very clear, concise and easy to follow. It worked a treat for me.
Thanks! Just what I needed.
Great guide , thank you !
You’re my hero!! Thanks soo much.