converting mp3s to 128 kbps

[SplishSplash]

what's a quick and easy way to convert mp3s of any given bitrate to 128 kbps?

I used to do this with CDex, but converting to wav and from wave to 128 kbps is a bit tiresome I think.

Isn't there something I can just drop my files on? Like oggdrop, only for mp3s?

[SplishSplash]

Lamedrop does it

[Giraffe }{unter]

Goldwave and LAME codec, you can batch convert entire directories and keep the ID3 tags and file names

[shiv4]

or WinLame. But there is no drop function.

[SplishSplash]

apart from the fact that lamedrop creates wav files first (and doesn't delete them on its own) it's actually pretty perfect.

[Foo]

My understand is all encoders will turn the MP3s back into WAV first. It's just a case of how quiet they are about doing it.

[Giraffe }{unter]

apart from the fact that lamedrop creates wav files first (and doesn't delete them on its own) it's actually pretty perfect.

Does it keep the mp3 file name and idtag?

[SplishSplash]

Does it keep the mp3 file name and idtag?

checking...

No.

The filename's unchanged but the id3 tag is missing. It's no biggie though cause my cellphone mp3 player ignores id3 tags anyway

[+JuggerNaut+]

transcoding is not wise.

[brisk]

Yeah, why would you need to reencode an MP3?

[Giraffe }{unter]

transcoding is not wise.

why so?, is it just because a loss of audio quality or does something else happen to the mp3?

I need to do it because my digital turntable only accepts mp3s up to 196kbps most of my MP3s are 320. It also saves room on my MP3 player and cell phone by dropping them down.

I'm not trying to be a smart ass I'm curious because a batch of files I recently converted from VBR to 192Kbps play fine on everything except the Rockford Omnifi system in my car it's all little blips of distorted sound

[+JuggerNaut+]

you need to understand that encoding doesn't remove any part of the audio but shapes or rounds the sampling value so it requires less bits than the original, which is called quantisation. this technique actually adds "noise" - filler if you will, because the human ear knows no different at some frequencies.

with that information - quantisation noise is adjusted to be inaudible because it is masked by original sound. re-encoding over and over again introduces new quantisation noise which is masked not by the original signal, but by the signal of the encoded file that already contains noise. so the noise that accumulates becomes audible.

[+JuggerNaut+]

although i do not recommend transcoding at any bitrate, if you want a program that is quick, supports almost every compression algorithm known to man, and is free, try dBPoweramp.

[Giraffe }{unter]

Ahhh now I see
thanks

[+JuggerNaut+]

btw, why were you converting VBR to a constant?

[shiznit]

WinLame

[hax103]

what's a quick and easy way to convert mp3s of any given bitrate to 128 kbps?

I used to do this with CDex, but converting to wav and from wave to 128 kbps is a bit tiresome I think.
?

LOL - cuz CDex (version >= 1.50) actually does this pretty nicely.

Change the encoding bitrate to 128 and then go to

Convert | Re-encode compressed audio files

It will do entire directories if you want.

[Giraffe }{unter]

btw, why were you converting VB to a constant?

Both my Technics SL-DZ100 and Omnifi system dislike VBR, the Omnifi plays them fine, but the progress bar does not display the correct time remaining. The digital turntable will choke on VBR mp3 when working with them, which could be disastrous during a live set.

[+JuggerNaut+]

i can understand the Technics issue, but why would you want to sacrifice quality within very comperable file sizes on the Omni for the sake of being able to see time remaining on a given track?

[Giraffe }{unter]

The track remain really isn't that important, and I never really cared about it much, since I'm usually paying attention to the road rather than monitoring track time remaining. It's more of an annoyance, because it's a bug Rockford will not be fixing.

Now that the Technics just skips or goes "dead air" when the MP3 isn't 192kbps or less I can't have that happen so I need to change the ones I use in a live set.

[+JuggerNaut+]

192 or less for the Technics for it to work properly? sounds like shoddy equipment.

[Giraffe }{unter]

192 or less for the Technics for it to work properly? sounds like shoddy equipment.

They have their flaws, but they are not shoddy equipment it's one of the top CD players I tested, not saying it's the best, but it had all the features the others didn't. It works fine with normal CDs, CD-rs and CD-RWs it's the VBRs that make them choke, I can play 320kbps mp3s so far, but I don't want to find out if they fail at the wrong time...

[+JuggerNaut+]

i can understand VBR's maybe, but you specifically cited <192kbps that it NEEDS to operate properly - not specifying VBR in the last post.

[Giraffe }{unter]

yup that's what I Said the manual states it likes MP3s from 32 - 192kbps. It's plays but occasionally chokes on VBRs and it has played a few of the 320kbps mp3s I have thrown in there, but I'm trying to follow the manual to avoid dead air durring a set.

[+JuggerNaut+]

ah, got it. well, like i said, if you HAVE to transcode, use that app i stated above. it's also great as a straight encoder.