Converting to m4a (MM 3.0.1.1127)

[Guest]

Just downloaded the long-awaited MM3, and it looks great! How do I convert a track or tracks to M4A (my library is FLAC)? I don't see an option for M4A or AAC in the "convert tracks" dialog. Thank you for such a cool product!

[Teknojnky]

m4a support is currently only playback/tagging etc.

I don't know if m4a encoding is or will be possible in the future or not.

[Guest]

I'm not a huge forum reader, but wasn't MM3 supposed to support M4A? If I need QuickTime to play/tag, and MediaMonkey doesn't convert to the format, how is that supporting?

Thank you for your quick response, Teknojnky. Looks like I continue with the amazing foobar for conversions, and MM (2.5 or 3, doesn't matter) for playback.

Happy Holidays!

[Guest]

What do other users of MM use to convert to iTunes format, especially if you have a lossless library? Thanks in advance!

[Peke]

Encoding plugin will be available later separately as soon as licensing issues are settled. You all know that m4a is under Apple/QuickTime licensee?

[Guest]

I didn't know M4A is licensed by Apple! Do you think MM will provide a M4A solution like they do with MP3? You get MP3 encoding for free for 30 days, then it's disabled and you can either pay to reactivate it or use the free LAME encoder in its place.

I use foobar to encode to M4A now, and it plays M4A, without QuickTime. Is foobar doing something illegal? Same with dbPowerAmp.

Is Nero's AAC encoder different, or incompatible with iPods?

Thanks for the info, and keep up the good work, MM!!

[Peke]

I really do not know about others, and exact Type of license involved.

We just plan to stay safe and legal in all aspects, I wrote that I have read year or two ago some fuzz about AAC->M4A->M4P, .... others that are in Mpeg-4 family Codecs.

[*V*]

i have the opposite request, how do i convert mp4s into mp3s.
because they don't show us on mm i can't seem to be able to use the convert function..
help?

[Peke]

You must enable Usage of MP4s in MM filetypes.
MM3 have native MP4 Support

[oldtimer]

WHY WOULD YOU CONVERT MA4S TO A LOSSLESS FORMAT???? Ma4 is a lossy and usually low quality file. The standard is 125 BR though I have seen 160 BR. Converting them to FLAC will not improve the quality but it will probably make the files bigger. You can only degrade or maintain quality in a conversion.

I would look into PowerAmp converter/ripper. Although MM has good ripping and converting capibilities PA is professional grade. It is like a Swiss Army Knife. You can just load all sorts of crazy codexs though they caution you to only load what you need.

You will get nickel and dimed by all the leases but they have real high end stuff. It will allow you to convert Ma4 into FLAC if you tell it to. You can flag a directory or drive and just tell it to convert it from ma4 to mp3, I would select a constant BR. If you do that , it will analyse the BR of the MA4 and convert it to a MP3 with the same BR. That is super handy if you have several BRs in your library. If you don't I would use the VBR mode since it compresses more tightly with out any more loss.

You get 30 day free trial and you can convert maybe 100 G in a weekend. The problem with it is it is too handy to give up when the 30 days is over.

I would read up on the LAME MP3 encoder they use. It is suppose to be the best when I researched it a few month back. You are not supposed to be able to hear the difference between the source, a FLAC and the extreme high end MP3s. The VBRs are much smaller than a FLAC file and the sound the same. Yes the FLAC is loseless but high end MP3s only remove what you can't hear anyway. Don't take my word, check it out your self.

[steve_c]

Is there some confusion here? .m4a is apple lossless, and I am just in the process of deciding whether to convert these to flac or not, hence looking in this thread.