What do I use to convert M4A to MP3?

[soulcity]

I've downloaded a bunch of albums and several are in M4A format.  Unfortunately my really old MP3 player doesn't recognize M4A.

Is there something like Flac-Squisher that can do a bulk conversion for M4A to MP3? 

Thanks

[LZA]

I like AVS Audio Converter.

[theSEMAR]

if you like command prompt, ffmpeg maybe useful for you, https://pirates-forum.org/Thread-FFmpeg-...ul-for-you

but if you like GUI, there are so many converters like LZA mentioned.
For me, in the past i like to use Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate (can used for video and audio).

[RobertX]

soulcity, why are you converting to MP3, can't you just use M4A on your media player?

MP3 is a lossy format; its quality degrades for every time you convert it that format.

Of course, if you're that desperate, then LZA's opinion is mines as well.

[soulcity]

I like AVS Audio Converter.

That did the job!   Thanks a bunch!

soulcity, why are you converting to MP3, can't you just use M4A on your media player?

It's an old MP3 player and it will only play mp3s.  But hey, it still works great and as long as it does I don't see any reason to replace it.
I only really need the music when I'm jogging or doing major cooking.

[RobertX]

Sorry about the diversion to ask an uneducated question.

It's good that you found what you were looking for.

[LZA]

I like AVS Audio Converter.

That did the job!   Thanks a bunch!

soulcity, why are you converting to MP3, can't you just use M4A on your media player?

Good to hear, that's my favorite converter.

And Robert, it allows you to compress to certain levels. I usually go to 320, which they say is CD quality. My stuff is not that advanced to where I can hear a difference... I do start to notice when it gets to 128 or lower...

It's an old MP3 player and it will only play mp3s.  But hey, it still works great and as long as it does I don't see any reason to replace it.
I only really need the music when I'm jogging or doing major cooking.

[Fant0men]

I've downloaded a bunch of albums and several are in M4A format.  Unfortunately my really old MP3 player doesn't recognize M4A.

Is there something like Flac-Squisher that can do a bulk conversion for M4A to MP3? 

Thanks

Well, typically I use ffmpeg (or an app based on it), to convert / encode music and movies. Most open source software that deals with audio / video uses ffmpeg to some degree.

Just saying right from the get-go, encoding AAC to MP3 is a downgrade. Not only do you add one extra step of lossy audio encoding (always a bad idea, unless you're transcoding directly from the CD, WAV or FLAC)... but you also switch back to an older format (MP3) that sounds worse than the format the files are already in.

Since you explained that you have an old MP3 player, then I can understand why you want to encode the AAC files to MP3. Dealing with really old hardware or old software sometimes means no compatibility with the newer (and better) formats. But still, the situation is not ideal. It would've been much better if you could find a FLAC source of the album you want to encode to MP3.

Or get a new MP3 player. I'm sure that you could find a really cheap one that's also good sounding and has high audio format compatibility. Then you could just choose Ogg Vorbis or FLAC. Everyone uses their phones to listen to music now, so I'd assume it's easy to find really high quality MP3 players because of that.

Both Ogg Vorbis and AAC sound vastly better than MP3, but if you have a nice sound system and some free HDD space I'd always go for FLAC (since it's lossless). If you listen to FLAC music for hours, you don't get exhausted or a headache, but if you listen to heavily compressed lossily encoded MP3s... then that might hurt your brain more on an unconscious level. FLAC sounds much softer and cleaner, in my opinion, than the lossy formats like MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis.

But if I had to pick the best lossy audio codec (when it comes to quality), then it's Ogg Vorbis. It also just so happens to be open source, so it's a better choice both technologically and ideologically. Spotify uses Ogg Vorbis when streaming. I always picked Vorbis back in the good old days when I still used an MP3 player. I would temporarily encode some of my FLAC library to Vorbis, to put on the MP3 player / DAP. Guaranteeing high audio quality even though compressed.

Running the risk of repeating myself here; never encode / compress something that has already been compressed by someone else. That's a good rule to go by if you care about audio / video quality.

These days I mostly listen to music at home, not while I'm on the go. I like listening in my big speakers, because it sounds much better than some shitty headphones. I don't even own a smartphone or MP3 player anymore. I just play my music collection directly on my desktop, since my PC is hooked up to the receiver.

[soulcity]

Or get a new MP3 player. I'm sure that you could find a really cheap one

Even cheaper than buying a really cheap new MP3 player is to keep using my old MP3 player. 

You gave me some great information and I truly appreciate it. However, I'm not a DJ or a concert hall owner.  All I want to do iscle listen to some music when I'm working out or cleaning my home. It does the job, I don't need anything more.

When I really want super "quality," like when I've got company visiting me, then I use my records and my 60s HiFi.

[RobertX]

You know, as long as I can hear the track with satisfaction, I don't care about clarity at all.

Sure, it's not satisfactory if the track is garbled, but none of my tracks are that way. I do fine with 96kbps.