Converting mp3's to mp3pro

[weinerjuice]

Is is possible or will it be possible to convert mp3's to the mp3pro format? I have read that mp3pro files at a bitrate of 64 equal standard 128 bitrate mp3's which would save hd space. If so, what program? Also is there any program that can convert the bitrate of a mp3 from say 128 to 192? Thanks.

[123_kid]

transcoding isn't a good idea. the new file will always sound worse than the old file. and secondly, increasing the bitrate of a 128kbs mp3 to 192 won't make it sound better, it will just make the file size bigger. lastly, mp3pro files are not that great. they are not remotely close to 128kbs mp3's and you can't play them in any portable devices.

[Foreverboard]

Up-ing the bitrate WILL improve sound quality. Only to a curtain point. Most people or stereo equipment won’t notice a difference past 190 or so. So don’t waste the HDD space for anything over that. However, don’t go lower that 128 or the quality will get worse past that. You can use Musicmatch or there are a lot of other program that will convert Bitrate and such. Before you start a large collection of music it is good to find the quality and stuff that is good for you and your equipment.

[123_kid]

converting a 128kbs mp3 to a 192 kbs mp3 will not improve quality. mp3 may be relatively advanced, but it can't add in stuff that wasn't there to begin with in the 128kbs mp3 file.

[whiff]

Foreverboard is confused, taking an MP3 file and converting it to a higher bitrate (or to another format) will NOT, repeat NOT improve its sound quality. It actually will degrade the sound quality.

Furthermore, the sound quality claims made for mp3PRO (and most other codecs) have been greatly exaggerated. I've done head-to-head comparisons and the sound quality of mp3PRO is slightly better than mp3, but still exhibits noticeable artifacting and aliasing at bit rates lower than 128 kbps stereo. It's certainly not twice as good as regular mp3, or whatever Thomson would have you believe. It's roughly equivalent to WMA and RA. THere's also the problem that most MP3 players are not yet compatible with mp3PRO, and mp3PRO files will sound significantly WORSE than regular mp3 files on those players.

Don't believe the hype.

[Sephiroth]

Remember you can make bacon from a pig but you cant make a pig from bacon..

[Rickio]

If your converting to mp3pro for you own use, it's your choice of course.
But a common problem I have seen is when others download your files, they often have trouble working with it as some applications do not support mp3pro when trying to make a audio cd. Because it uses the same mp3 extension and unless a person checks it with encspot or some other utility they don't have a clue what's up with the file.
If you want to save space go with ogg vorbis. It is the up and coming format.
Mp3pro has been around for awhile now and if you frequent forums you will not see anyone raving about it, unlike ogg which has a growing fan base.

[weinerjuice]

Thanks for the replies. My Siren jukebox supports ogg vorbis files so I'm going to convert my 1600 mp3s to ogg if I can. Are there any programs that can convert existing mp3 files to the ogg vorbis format? Thanks again. Check here for info on topic.

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49953

[macazar88]

HEy converting is a good idea just not into mp3pro,download .wav files.The size is greate(huge),so just convert it into mp3 and choose 320 bitrate.

[123_kid]

...converting a mp3 to ogg will always result in a loss of quality. both are lossy formats. if you don't care, then go for it but if you want the best quality, stay with mp3. (or you could buy the cd *cough* and encode to ogg).

[Rickio]

I cannot recall a application that converts mp3's to ogg on the fly. I would recommend however converting your mp3's to wav and then to ogg.
A lot of audiophiles cringe when it comes to re-encoding. But honestly leave it to your own ears. If you have a decent sound card and speakers you can hear for yourself if is acceptable. If you begin with a high bitrate mp3 it is not a big deal, if you are working with 128bitrate mp3's I think the best way to work with them is to convert to wav first. Then to ogg.
Use cdex or eac to convert mp3's to wav and you can encode to ogg with cdex or use ogg drop.
Perhaps your siren jukebox can decode the mp3's to wav and then to ogg. I have it but have not used it as I prefer eac and cdex.
Work with a few files, make copies in case your not happy with the sound. Do your re-encoding and listen to them and see if you find it acceptable. If not, it means you should now download high bitrate mp3's and then encode them to ogg.

OK now for one last comment. I have re-encoded a lower bitrate mp3 to a higher bitrate mp3 a few times. Mostly just to hear what woud happen. It actually did sound better. I don't recommend it as I do understand you do lose some quality, but sometimes it can brighten the sound a bit. when it comes to working with your sound files or anything else, just try it and learn from your experience. Your own ears are what matters.

If you cannot hear any differance I might add that computers usually don't have great sound systems. So remember your making your audio files for the future as well and even if you cannot hear the differance. Some day you may own a killer sound system and when you listen to your music you don't want to be dissapointed. :-)

[123_kid]

ok, the transcoding thing is done with. but why would you want to convert all of your mp3s to ogg? 1600 mp3s will take a long time to encode. even on a fast system. i could understand if all of your mp3s are at like 320kbs or something, i would transcode them to a lower bitrate myself but if all of your mp3s are 128kbs, then what's the point? don't make a mistake by converting your whole library to a new format just cause it's the "next best thing". ogg is awesome, and it will only improve. encode cd's when you buy them, but it's a bad idea to waste time converting for the hell of it.

[jabba|xtra]

dBpowerAMP (http://www.dbpoweramp.com)'s music converter can convert mp3 to ogg on the fly, you need to download the ogg codec after the main program to convert.
dbpoweramp ogg codec (http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central-ogg.htm)

[Mikeislo]

Please don't convert your mp3, mp3pro, vqf, aac or any other lossy formats another lossy format all you do is REDUCE THE QUALITY of the files available to you and to the world when you share them.

I have a lot of mp3s on my PC but will never consider converting them to ogg which is the best format in my opinion get the CDs and encode them to ogg. From now on I'm not downloading or converting anything to mp3 OGG ALL THE WAY but I'll still listen to my mp3s, a difference in quality definitely exists but why not have both or more on your PCs!!!

[hawkburn]

I convert my mp3's to wma format so that they take up less space on my mp3 player. I have a large hard drive so size doesnt matter to me.

HB

[jen_strawberry]

I have heard of MP3pro but didn't realize it used the same file extension. I have downloaded mp3 form p2p and they not work in winamp. I bet this is why. Plus, my mp3 player prob won't play well with it either. Thanks for the info, I won't buy into the hype :-) Jen.